Free templates
16 fill-in outlines for planning a book before you write it. Each one explains how the structure works and where it comes from, lays out every beat or section with roughly where it falls and a question to answer, and walks through a short example. Copy any template as plain text, download it or print it. Free, no account needed.
The classic shapes of a story, from three acts to kishōtenketsu, as fill-in beat sheets.
A free three-act structure template: setup, confrontation and resolution broken into beats, with where each falls, what to write and a worked example.
Best for: Any novel or novella, especially a first book or a plot-driven story
Open template (10 parts)A free hero's journey template with all 12 stages explained, where each falls in your novel, guiding questions and a worked example story.
Best for: Fantasy, adventure, science fiction and any story about a character who leaves home and comes back changed
Open template (12 parts)A free 15-beat Save the Cat beat sheet for novelists: each beat explained in plain words with approximate percentages, guiding questions and an example.
Best for: Commercial fiction of any genre where pacing matters: thrillers, romance, YA, fantasy
Open template (15 parts)A free seven-point story structure template: hook, plot turns, pinches, midpoint and resolution, planned backwards from the ending, with a worked example.
Best for: Plotters who want a lightweight skeleton, and anyone planning several interwoven subplots
Open template (7 parts)A free snowflake method template: grow a one-sentence idea into a full scene list in ten steps, with what to write at each step and a worked example.
Best for: Writers who like to start small and expand, and anyone stuck with an idea but no plot
Open template (10 steps)A free kishōtenketsu template: the four-part East Asian story structure of introduction, development, twist and reconciliation, with an example.
Best for: Literary and slice-of-life fiction, short stories, picture books and quiet stories built on discovery rather than conflict
Open template (4 parts)Outlines built around what readers of a genre expect to happen, and roughly when.
A free romance beat sheet: meet, attraction, resistance, midpoint, dark moment, grand gesture and happy ending, with percentages and a worked example.
Best for: Contemporary, historical, romantic comedy and romantasy where the love story is the main plot
Open template (11 parts)A free mystery plot outline: crime, investigation, clues, red herrings, reversals and the reveal, plus a way to plot backwards from the solution.
Best for: Whodunits, cosy mysteries, detective and police procedurals
Open template (10 parts)Chapter plans for books that teach, argue or tell a true story.
A free non-fiction book outline template: promise, reader problem, chapter-by-chapter argument and conclusion, with a worked example and common mistakes.
Best for: How-to, business, popular science, history and any book that teaches or argues
Open template (9 parts)A free memoir outline template: choose a theme, find your turning points and shape true events into a story arc, with a worked example and tips.
Best for: Memoir and personal essays built around one period, theme or transformation
Open template (8 parts)A free self-help book outline: the reader's problem, your framework, step-by-step chapters with exercises, and a plan to keep going. With example.
Best for: Self-help, personal development, coaching, wellness and productivity books
Open template (9 parts)A free non-fiction book proposal outline: overview, author platform, audience, comparable titles, marketing, chapter summaries and sample chapters.
Best for: Non-fiction authors pitching to literary agents or traditional publishers
Open template (10 parts)Working templates for a specific kind of book or planning document.
A free fill-in novel outline template: logline, characters, stakes, theme, ending and act-by-act plot on one page, ready to copy, print or download.
Best for: Any novel, before or alongside a beat sheet; especially useful for a first draft
Open template (12 parts)A free chapter outline template: purpose, viewpoint, goal, conflict, turn, key information and ending hook for every chapter, with filled-in examples.
Best for: Breaking a beat sheet or book plan into chapters; fiction and non-fiction
Open template (10 parts)A free picture book template: a 32-page spread-by-spread layout with story beats, page turns and a worked example. Plan text and art together.
Best for: Picture books for roughly ages 3–6, read aloud by an adult
Open template (10 parts)A free cookbook outline template: front matter, pantry, chapter themes and a standard recipe format, with an example and common mistakes to avoid.
Best for: Family, regional, baking and diet-specific cookbooks, printed or ebook
Open template (8 parts)If you are writing your first novel, start with the novel outline template to pin down what the story is, then shape the plot with three-act structure. For tighter commercial pacing, try the Save the Cat beat sheet; for a quest or coming-of-age story, the hero's journey. Genre beat sheets sit on top of these and add what readers of that genre expect.
For non-fiction, the non-fiction outline works for most teaching and argument-driven books. Whatever you pick, break it into chapters with the chapter outline template before you draft.
Paste a filled-in template into your brief and Inkora plans a chapter-by-chapter outline you can edit before anything is written, then drafts the book and exports print-ready files.
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