Write a Beat Sheet with Alix Sternberg

BIOGRAPHY

Alix Sternberg is a New York transplant and an accomplished LA-based writer. She started her career as a Script Coordinator on Saturday Night Live (though it technically started when she wrote her first spec script at age 10 for Full House). Since then, Alix has worked across multi-cam and single-cam comedies before achieving her goal of writing for television dramas. She’s written for high-profile series such as Shadow and Bone, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and Supergirl (where she earned her first on-screen writing credit in Season 3). Her first feature, Full Out 2 (on Netflix), tells the story of what it takes to defend a National Championship when your star leaves to chase her Olympic dream. More recently, she has ventured into children’s animation. She will definitely ask to pet your dog and, yes, she watches way, way too much TV.

Workshop Overview

In this 4-session writing intensive, you’ll leave with a fully formed beat sheet for either a TV pilot or a feature. A beat sheet is essentially a pre-outline—a blueprint you’ll later expand into a detailed outline.

This is a fast-paced, deadline-driven workshop where you’ll be expected to:

• Submit new material each week

• Read peers’ work before class

• Provide thoughtful, constructive feedback

• Qualifications

  • Must know basic script formatting and structure

  • Must have completed at least one full-length script previously

  • This workshop is not for first-time scriptwriters

  • You will submit your project idea to Sylvie for pre-screening

  • You are expected to pre-read all class submissions

• Submission Requirements

  • This must be a new idea (not a script you’ve already developed)

  • Participants must have completed at least one group coaching session previously

  • Eligible formats: TV (half-hour or one-hour) or features

  • Must have written at least one completed script (with proper formatting knowledge)

• Session Breakdown

  CLASS ONE

  • Submit before Class One: Logline for your project

  • In-class: Discuss class loglines, explore structure (features vs. pilots), and character arcs

  CLASS TWO

  • Submit before Class Two: Beginning/Middle/End beats with big set pieces and act breaks

  • In-class: Explore building arcs and character journeys

  CLASS THREE

  • Submit before Class Three: First draft of beat sheet (3–5 pages, max 7)

  • In-class: Beat sheet workshop and feedback

  CLASS FOUR

  • Submit before Class Four: Second draft of beat sheet

  • In-class: Final workshop and notes on revisions