Some writers see planning as ‘busy work’ that gets in the way of writing. Yet a good book planner helps you avoid chaos, find focus, and write cleaner drafts. Explore seven tools in Plottr that will help you keep your story on track.
Why Use a Book Planner? Pros and Cons
Whether it’s better to be a plotter (someone who plans every detail) or a pantser (someone who writes by the seat of their pants) is a debate as old as storytelling itself. But before you choose a side, let’s weigh the pros and cons of planning stories:
The Pros: Why a Novel Organizer Can Save Your Sanity
Know Where Your Story is Heading
A book planner helps you make early decisions that narrow down your options, making it easier to commit to a direction. Sure, it might feel a little restrictive at first, but when you’re knee-deep in a tangled mess of subplots, you’ll be thanking past-you for the clear roadmap!
Create Order Out of Chaos
The creative process is a wild beast, but a novel organizer tames the chaos. Instead of juggling loose ideas in 37 different notebooks (plus that one sticky note you definitely misplaced), you get a clear, structured overview of your story.
Dodge Those Pesky Plot Holes
Nothing yanks a reader out of a book faster than realizing a character teleported across town with no explanation.
A novel planner helps you track timelines and plot character arcs so you don’t break the laws of physics (unless you meant to).
Plan Series without a Meltdown
If your book spawns sequels, a writing planner is your best friend.
Remembering every subplot, character arc, and world-building detail across multiple books? Good luck doing that from memory. (Or worse, relying on a jumbled Word doc named FinalDraft_V3_REALLYFINAL.docx).
Actually Finish the Book
Starting a novel is fun. Finishing one? That’s where a planner shines. With a clear roadmap, you’ll know what comes next instead of stalling out at the dreaded “middle mush” stage.
The ‘Cons’ of Planning (That Aren’t Really Cons at All)
Planning gets a bad rap sometimes. People say it’s rigid, that it stifles creativity, that it’s a procrastination trap or a kind of ‘yak-shaving.’
Here are five so-called cons of planning… that might actually be the best reasons to do it.
Planning Can Kill the Fun (Or, Save You From a Mid-Book Crisis)
Some say that outlining takes the excitement out of discovery. But you know what’s really not fun? Staring at a blank page, wondering what happens next, or realizing in chapter 28 that your entire story has nowhere left to go.
With a plan, you still get to be creative. It’s just harder to get lost on the way to the finish line. Plus, you get to decide when you’ve done enough planning to be ready to write.
Creativity Can Feel Stifled (Or, Flourish in the Right Places)
Using a writing planner doesn’t mean committing yourself to an outline with no room for surprises. Think of it as a flexible blueprint, not a stone tablet.
When you’re not worrying about what happens next, you can pour all your creative energy into how it happens.
This gives you space to focus on crafting richer dialogue, adding unexpected twists, and making every scene shine. Planning isn’t a cage; it’s a springboard.
It Takes Time Up Front (Or, Will Save You From More Rewriting Later)
Yes, planning takes time. But so does fixing plot holes, untangling messy subplots, and rewriting entire chapters because you changed your mind halfway through.
Would you rather spend an hour outlining, or weeks backtracking because your climax doesn’t make sense? A little prep now could mean a lot less pain later.
Now that we’ve weighed the pros and cons of using a book planner, here are seven tools in Plottr that will help you keep your story organized and on track:
Timelines: Your Character Arc and Plot Organizer
Ever felt like your story’s pacing is off, that major events are too crammed together, or a character’s emotional growth seems to happen overnight? That’s where a timeline saves the day.
Plottr’s timeline tab isn’t just a tool to organize events chronologically. It helps you see how your story unfolds over time, ensuring that your plot and character arcs develop naturally.
With color-coded plotlines, you can track and compare multiple story threads at once:
✅ Main Plot: Use this to keep the big story beats in focus, such as your main setup or first turning point
✅ Character Arcs: Follow your protagonist’s growth (or descent into chaos).
✅ Subplots & Themes: Make sure side plots actually connect to the main narrative.
The best part? You can drag, drop, and rearrange scene cards in seconds.
Planning books using timelines makes sure your characters evolve, your plot flows, and your pacing stays sharp, because you have clearer continuity and cause-and-effect.
Character Bibles: Recall Key Details (and Trivial Ones, Too)
You’re deep in your draft, your characters are having an intense conversation, and suddenly… Wait. What color were their eyes again?
Enter Character Bibles: an easier way to keep track of every detail about your cast, from their backstory and quirks to that super-specific accent you gave them in Chapter 3.
With Plottr, you can:
✅ Store essential character details (because fixed features shouldn’t change mid-book… unless your character’s a shapeshifter).
✅ Track relationships and roles (so the sidekick doesn’t accidentally become their own cousin).
✅ Log goals, fears, and motivations (because depth = better storytelling).
No more flipping through old notes or searching “Ctrl + F: Bob” to figure out if Bob had a mustache or debilitating fear of mice. Your characters stay consistent, and you stay sane. See Plottr demos for just a few examples of tracking family connections.
Place Wikis: Plan and Remember Location Details
Your characters might know exactly where they’re going, but do you? Is that tavern on the east or west side of town? Did you say the city had cobblestone streets… or was it all futuristic drone-assisted travel?
With Place Wikis in Plottr, you can:
✅ Track every setting detail from climate to culture, so your world stays immersive and consistent.
✅ Store images and descriptions so you don’t accidentally change that grand palace into a cottage halfway through.
✅ Link locations to characters and scenes so that you always know who went where, when.
Whether you’re building an expansive fantasy world, a cozy small town, or a sprawling sci-fi metropolis, Place wikis help you build vivid, consistent detail. No more flipping through old drafts (or earlier books in your series) to remember if that diner had red booths or blue.
Tags: Track Anything You can Imagine
Ever wished you had a magic search button for your novel? With tags in Plottr, you can categorize, track, and filter anything, without drowning in a sea of notes.
Here’s how tags make your writing life easier:
✅ Label scenes by POV, theme, or tension level. Instantly find all the high-stakes moments.
✅ Track recurring objects, motifs, or magical artifacts (because that enchanted dagger shouldn’t disappear after Chapter 5).
✅ Filter scenes by tags so that you know exactly where a tagged object appears, or where the big fight scenes are.
Tags turn your novel plan into a searchable, sortable powerhouse so that instead of scrolling endlessly, you can find what you need in seconds.
Outline V2: Find the Best Sequence of Events
A great story isn’t just what happens; it’s also when and how the drama unfolds. A satisfying sequence.
That’s where Plottr’s Outline V2 comes in, giving you the power to experiment with structure, shift scenes, and find the perfect flow.
Here’s why it’s a game-changer:
✅ Drag-and-drop flexibility. Shuffle scenes around until the right order of events clicks into place.
✅ Compare plotlines side by side to ensure everything weaves together seamlessly.
✅ Print out your planning. Save the story structure you decide to PDF or paper so you can keep drafting with your plan in full view.
Whether you’re fine-tuning a mystery’s twists or perfecting a romance’s emotional beats, Outline V2 helps you craft the most engaging, well-paced version of your story.
Custom Templates and Attributes: Start Faster with Your Favorite Framework
Why start from scratch when you can jump right into writing with a structure that works? Custom Templates and Attributes in Plottr help you tailor your book-planning process to suit your storytelling style, every time.
Here’s how custom attributes speed up your workflow:
✅ Create reusable scene, plot and character templates so that every project starts with your ideal setup.
✅ Add custom attributes to track anything, from character quirks to magical laws or beat sequences.
✅ Keep consistent across books so that your fantasy world, crime procedural, or romance series stays perfectly in sync.
Whether you swear by the Hero’s Journey, Three-Act Structure or your own Frankenstein’s plot structure, Plottr lets you build your story your way — faster, smarter, and with fewer missing details.
Proven Plot Templates and Character Questionnaires
Great stories tend to follow patterns that work. With Plottr’s proven plot templates and character questionnaires, you can skip the “where do I even start?” phase and get right to crafting an engaging, well-structured story.
Here’s how they help:
✅ Choose from 30+ plot structure templates including the Hero’s Journey, Three-Act Structure and Romancing the Beat.
✅ Use guided character questionnaires to dig deep into backstories, motivations, and those little quirks that make characters unforgettable.
✅ Stay focused on the essentials so that your plot and characters develop in ways readers find believable and satisfying.
Think of it like story scaffolding. The best book planner gives just enough structure to guide you, but is still flexible enough for you to make the story completely your own.
Make Outlining Easy with a Story Planner for Writers
Story planning tools make outlining fun. Try Plottr for free for 30 days and streamline your planning process.
What parts of a story do you need to plan to feel ready to write? Share your thoughts below.
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