Copy any of these into your notes, characters or world pages and fill in the blanks.
Character profile
A full sheet for getting to know your character inside out.
NAME:
Nicknames / titles:
Age:
Gender / pronouns:
Occupation:
APPEARANCE
Height & build:
Hair / eyes:
Distinguishing features:
Style of dress:
PERSONALITY
Three positive traits:
Three flaws:
Fears:
Desires:
Greatest secret:
BACKSTORY
Where they grew up:
Family:
Defining childhood event:
Education / training:
RELATIONSHIPS
Closest ally:
Rival / enemy:
Love interest:
ARC
Where they begin emotionally:
What forces them to change:
Where they end:
VOICE
Speech quirks:
Favourite phrase:
Worldbuilding sheet
Build a world that feels lived in — from politics to weather.
WORLD NAME:
Genre / tone:
GEOGRAPHY
Continents / regions:
Climate & seasons:
Notable landmarks:
PEOPLES & CULTURES
Major groups:
Languages:
Customs & taboos:
Holidays / festivals:
GOVERNMENT
Type of rule:
Current ruler / body:
Laws of note:
ECONOMY
Currency:
Main industries:
Trade routes:
MAGIC / TECHNOLOGY
Source & rules:
Cost / limits:
Who has access:
RELIGION & MYTH
Deities or beliefs:
Founding myth:
Sacred sites:
HISTORY
Founding event:
Major war / upheaval:
Recent events that shape the story:
Chapter outline
Plan a chapter beat by beat before drafting.
CHAPTER #:
POV character:
Setting / time:
Goal of the chapter:
OPENING HOOK:
SCENES
1.
2.
3.
CONFLICT:
TURNING POINT:
ENDING / cliffhanger:
WHAT THE READER LEARNS:
WHAT CHANGES BY THE END:
Three-act plot
A classic structure to map your whole novel.
ACT ONE — SETUP
Hook:
Inciting incident:
First plot point:
ACT TWO — CONFRONTATION
Rising action:
Midpoint twist:
Low point:
ACT THREE — RESOLUTION
Climax:
Falling action:
Resolution / new normal:
Location card
A quick reference for any place in your story.
LOCATION:
Region / world:
Type (city, forest, ship…):
LOOK & FEEL
Sights:
Sounds:
Smells:
Weather:
PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE:
HISTORY OF THIS PLACE:
SECRETS HIDDEN HERE:
ROLE IN THE STORY:
Scene snapshot
Capture an idea before it fades.
SCENE:
POV:
Where & when:
WHO IS PRESENT:
WHAT THEY WANT:
WHAT GOES WRONG:
KEY IMAGE:
KEY LINE OF DIALOGUE:
EMOTIONAL BEAT:
Mood board
Gather the look, feel and atmosphere of your story in one place.
PROJECT / SCENE:
Overall mood (one word):
Genre / tone:
PALETTE
Primary colours:
Accent colours:
Textures (velvet, rust, linen…):
VISUAL REFERENCES
Characters — faces, outfits, posture:
Settings — landscapes, rooms, weather:
Objects — props, costumes, symbols:
SENSES
What it sounds like:
What it smells like:
What it tastes like:
What it feels like to touch:
SOUNDTRACK
Three songs that capture it:
1.
2.
3.
INSPIRATION
Films / shows:
Books:
Artworks / photos:
ONE-SENTENCE VIBE:
Map maker brief
Plan your world map before you start drawing pins and paths.
MAP NAME:
Scope (continent, kingdom, city, dungeon…):
Scale (miles per inch / rough):
BACKGROUND
Base colour / paper tone:
Overall climate:
LANDMARKS
Capitals & cities:
Towns & villages:
Mountains & ranges:
Forests & wilds:
Rivers, lakes & seas:
Roads & trade routes:
Ruins / sacred sites:
BORDERS & REGIONS
Kingdoms / factions:
Contested zones:
Hidden / unmapped areas:
LEGEND
Pin colours and what they mean:
Line styles (regular / rope / dashed):
Symbols used:
STORY HOOKS
Where the story begins on the map:
Key journey from → to:
Place a secret is buried:
Story plan
Big-picture questions and prompts to plan your whole book before you draft.
BOOK TITLE (working):
Genre & sub-genre:
Target word count:
Audience / age range:
One-sentence pitch (logline):
THE BIG IDEA
What is the story really about (theme)?
What question does the book ask the reader?
Why are YOU the person to write this?
PROTAGONIST
Who is the main character?
What do they want (external goal)?
What do they need (internal lesson)?
What is standing in their way?
How will they be different by the end?
ANTAGONIST / OPPOSITION
Who or what opposes the protagonist?
What do they want, and why is it valid to them?
What is the worst they can do?
WORLD
Where and when is the story set?
What rules of this world matter to the plot?
What is unique or strange about it?
STAKES
What does the protagonist lose if they fail?
What does the wider world lose?
What is the ticking clock (if any)?
PLOT SKELETON
Opening image / hook:
Inciting incident:
First big turning point:
Midpoint shift:
Lowest moment:
Climax:
Final image / new normal:
SUBPLOTS
Romantic / relationship thread:
Friendship / found family thread:
Mystery or secret thread:
RESEARCH TO DO
Topics to look up:
People to interview:
Places to visit (or study):
WRITING PLAN
Drafting deadline:
Words per week target:
Days I will write:
What I will do when I get stuck:
NOTES TO SELF
