Free book outline template

Most outlining tools turn a story into a database you then have to maintain. A map keeps the shape visible, which is the only reason to outline at all.

Use this template free Free, no account, opens in your browser.

Main focusBook outlineBranchPremise in one sentenceThoughtWho wants whatBranchBeatsThoughtChapter list

Built from the same cards and connections you edit inside HeadTidy.

What’s included

A one sentence premise card, because a book that cannot be summarised is not planned yet
A cast table covering what each character wants, what is in the way and how they end up
A beats table for the turns that carry the story, with the chapter each one lands in
A chapter list with point of view, what changes, word count and status
A word count goal and a place for the questions you are avoiding

Write the premise before the structure

Someone wants something, something is in the way, and trying costs them something. If that does not fit in a sentence, no amount of beat sheet will fix it. The premise card sits at the top of the map for the same reason a thesis sits at the top of an essay: everything below it should be a consequence of it.

Outline the changes, not the events

A beat is not a scene. It is the moment something is no longer true. The beats table asks what changes rather than what happens, which is what makes the difference between an outline you can write from and a list of things you already know.

Keep the threads where you can see them

The reason writers stall in the middle is usually structural: two threads that were supposed to converge do not, or a subplot stops putting pressure on the main story. On a map you can see that. In a folder of documents you find out in the second draft.

Worked example

A writer has thirty chapters and a stalled middle. Laid out as beats, twelve chapters in a row change nothing that was previously true. The fix is not more words, it is that the antagonist has no move in that stretch. One added beat in the factions column restarts the whole section.

How to use this template

Start
Write the premise in one sentence and leave it visible.
Sort
Fill the cast table with what each character wants and what stands in the way.
Move
Lay out the beats that change something, then map them onto chapters.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to outline a novel before writing it?

No. Plenty of novels are written by discovery. An outline is useful when a draft has stalled, when several threads must converge, or when a deadline means you cannot afford to find the structure by writing three drafts.

How detailed should a book outline be?

Detailed enough that you know what changes in each section and vague enough that scenes can still surprise you. A common failure is outlining so precisely that writing becomes transcription, which is why the template asks what changes rather than what happens.

Can I use this for non-fiction?

Yes. Replace the cast table with the argument and the evidence for it, and treat the beats as the turns in the reasoning. The chapter table works unchanged.