Subplot tracking
Filter the timeline to a single thread — one relationship, one mystery, one faction — and follow it from first mention to resolution without losing the main plot.
Story Timeline Maker
Plot your novel's events in order, track every subplot, untangle flashbacks, and catch continuity problems before your readers do.
Open the tool — free to get started
From scattered notes to a readable plot
Drafting a novel means juggling dozens of scenes, reveals, and time jumps across multiple documents, sticky notes, and chapters-in-progress. A story timeline collapses all of that into one view: every beat in chronological order, labeled, dated, and linked to the characters and places it involves.
Add each scene or event as you outline, give it a date or a relative position, and the timeline assembles itself. It is the fastest way to turn a pile of plot notes into something you can actually read, revise, and hand off.
Three problems writers keep hitting
Non-linear narrative
Flashbacks, prologues, and dual timelines live on the same view sorted by when they actually happen — the spine stays straight even when the book isn't told in order.
Continuity errors
Mark cause-and-effect links between scenes and continuity checks warn you the moment a payoff precedes its setup, a character is in two places, or a season jumps.
Filter to any subplot without losing the rest
Tag every event with the characters, locations, plotlines, and factions it involves. Then filter the timeline to read just the romance subplot, or every scene set in the capital, or one character's full arc from first page to last.
The rest of the story doesn't disappear — it fades, so you can always see where your thread sits inside the larger plot.
- Follow individual subplots from setup to resolution
- Mark cause-and-consequence links between scenes
- Get warnings when dates or dependencies don't add up
- Reorder same-day events to fix scene sequencing
Untangle flashbacks and time jumps
Books are rarely told in the order events happen. Keep two truths straight at once: the chronological order of your story's events and the order the reader meets them. Place backstory and flashbacks on the timeline by their real date and you always know what your character knows and when.
Date ranges handle long stretches — "three years at sea," "a decade in exile" — so a non-linear narrative still has a spine you can trust.
Hand your outline to an AI writing assistant
Export the full timeline as Markdown with one click. Paste it into any AI writing assistant to summarize the plot, check continuity, brainstorm the next scene, or expand a beat into a full chapter draft. Export as JSON to back up your work or move between devices — no account needed.
Story timeline templates to start from
Different books need different spines. Start from the shape that fits your draft.
Multi-POV novel
One lane per point-of-view character so you can see whose chapter comes next and keep every POV moving forward.
Mystery / thriller reveals
The true sequence of the crime underneath the order the detective uncovers clues — so every reveal lands fairly.
Series & saga bible
Book-by-book events across an entire series so callbacks, aging characters, and long arcs stay consistent across volumes.
Three-act structure
Inciting incident, midpoint, and climax as anchors, with scenes hung between to check pacing.
Start with a matching template
Open a finished example page first, then load the template into the editor when it fits your project.
Novel Plot Timeline Template
A ready-made three-act skeleton — inciting incident to climax — you can open, edit, and shape into your own novel's outline.
Character Timeline Template
Map a character's life from birth through the formative wound to the moment their story begins — a starting arc you can open and rewrite.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the story timeline maker free?
- Yes — free to use with no account needed. Create, edit, and export your plot timeline without signing up.
- Can I track multiple subplots and points of view?
- Yes. Link events to plotlines and characters, then filter the timeline to follow any single thread or POV from first hint to payoff.
- Can I organize a non-linear or flashback-heavy story?
- Yes. Place backstory and flashbacks by their real date — you see the true chronology even when the book is told out of order.
- Will it catch continuity errors?
- Mark relationships like "Depends on" or "Foreshadows" between scenes and continuity checks warn you when dates contradict those links.
- Can I use it with ChatGPT or Claude?
- Yes. Copy your timeline as Markdown and paste it into any AI assistant to summarize the plot, brainstorm the next scene, or expand an outline into prose.