STORY PLANNING TOOL
The story planning tool
that thinks in frameworks.
Type a prompt and Storyflow's AI builds a structured story board: plot mapped, scenes outlined, and a framework already in place. Free forever, no credit card, works in your browser.
Free plan
No credit card
Works in your browser
Used by creative professionals at:
Artlist
Pixar
Nike
Red Bull
The North Face
Porsche
Start from a ready-made template
Pick a board, then let AI fill it in. Every template is a real, editable starting point on the same infinite canvas.
What is a story planning tool?
A story planning tool is a workspace where writers map, outline, and organize a story before writing the prose. It is where you decide what happens, in what order, and why, before you open a word processor. Strong story planning means fewer dead ends, stronger structure, and a manuscript that holds together from the first chapter to the last.
Storyflow is a free AI-native story planning tool that runs in the browser. Type a prompt describing your story idea and the AI builds a structured board: plot beats mapped, scenes outlined, characters sketched, and a framework already applied. You plan and organize in Storyflow, then write the actual prose in whatever writing app you already use, whether that is Scrivener, Google Docs, or Word.
Because the AI keeps the full context of your board, the story planning process is iterative. Ask it to restructure act two, deepen a character arc, or suggest a beat sheet for your genre, and it updates the board without losing what you have already built. The canvas is infinite, so your outline never runs out of room.
Real story planning covers more ground than a single document. A complete story plan includes the premise and logline, the three-act structure or Save the Cat beat sheet, the Hero's Journey or whatever framework fits your genre, scene-by-scene plot cards, character arcs with goals and flaws, theme and subplots woven into the outline, worldbuilding rules and lore, and a research layer of images, PDFs, and links. Storyflow gives you a single infinite canvas where all of those pieces live together and connect to each other, and where the AI understands the whole board so you can ask it questions across every layer at once.
HOW IT WORKS
Outline a novel in four steps.
No blank page, no formatting setup. The AI builds the plan so you can focus on the story.
01
Open a free canvas
Sign up in seconds. No credit card, no download. Your infinite story planning canvas is ready in the browser.
02
Describe your story idea
Type a prompt: genre, concept, or a rough logline. The AI picks a fitting framework and builds a structured story board from your idea.
03
Map, outline, and deepen
Drag cards to restructure the plot, add character profile boards, drop in research and reference images, and keep prompting the AI to fill gaps.
04
Export or share and start writing
Export the outline as a PDF, share a view-only link with collaborators or editors, then write the prose in your writing app of choice.
A story planning tool built for how writers actually think.
Plot, character, world, and research live on the same canvas. Zoom out to see the whole story. Zoom in to work on a single scene.
AI-generated story outlines in seconds
Start from a structure, not a blank page
Describe your story idea and the AI builds a full outline: acts, scenes, turning points, and a framework already applied. Pick three-act structure, the Hero's Journey, Save the Cat beats, or any of 200+ frameworks.
Explore the AI mind map generator →
Character profiles that connect to the plot
Build every character alongside the outline
Create character profile boards next to the plot map. Goals, flaws, arcs, backstory, and relationships all in one place. Ask the AI to check whether a character arc holds up across the full outline or suggest a meaningful flaw.
See how to plan characters →
Map the world your story lives in
World-build on the same canvas
Lay out your setting, lore, rules, and timelines next to the plot. Drop in reference images, maps, and links. The AI can help you expand a world detail, check for consistency, or connect a worldbuilding element to a plot beat.
Try the worldbuilding tool →
Tone, mood, and visual inspiration beside your outline
Moodboard the feel of your story
Pin images, color palettes, and reference links next to the outline to capture tone before you write. Grab frames from YouTube or Vimeo for visual research, and keep everything on the same infinite board.
See moodboarding in Storyflow →Free forever. No credit card.
Start planning your story today. The free plan never expires and gives you everything you need to outline a novel.
Unlimited story boards on an infinite canvas
Basic AI usage to generate outlines and structures
3 starter frameworks built in
20 file uploads for research, PDFs, and images
BUILT FOR STORY PLANNING
More than an outline. A complete story planning workspace.
Plot structure, character arcs, worldbuilding, subplots, and research live on one infinite canvas. The AI keeps context of all of it.
200+ story frameworks at your fingertips
Plan with the structure that fits your story
Three-act structure and Hero's Journey: Classic frameworks for narrative fiction, screenplays, and genre novels. Map the setup, confrontation, and resolution, or walk the hero from ordinary world to return with the elixir. Pick one or let the AI suggest the right structure for your concept.
Beat sheets for every genre: Save the Cat, story circle, seven-point structure, and more. Apply a beat sheet to your outline and map scenes to each beat: opening image, catalyst, midpoint, all-is-lost, and climax.
Custom frameworks and subplot layers: Rearrange the board into any structure you need. Layer subplots beside the main plot, track theme across acts, or build a multi-POV structure with separate track lanes. The canvas is flexible and the AI adapts.
Drop research, PDFs, and references on the canvas
Organize every research source beside the outline
PDFs, notes, and links: Drop a research PDF, paste a link, or write notes on the canvas and pin them next to the scenes they inform.
Grab frames from video: Capture stills from YouTube and Vimeo for visual reference and pin them alongside your moodboard or scene cards.
Sticky notes and sketch tool: Add quick thoughts as sticky notes or sketch rough diagrams with the pen tool. Everything stays on the same board.
AI that keeps the whole story in context
Refine the plan until the story clicks
Iterate on plot, structure, and subplots: Ask the AI to restructure an act, add a subplot, tighten the pacing, or check whether the midpoint lands correctly for your chosen framework. It keeps the context of the whole board.
Deepen character arcs and theme: Prompt the AI to check whether a character arc is consistent with the plot, suggest a meaningful flaw, build out backstory, or trace the theme across acts.
Ask story questions across the whole canvas: The AI knows everything on your board: plot cards, character notes, worldbuilding, and research. Ask whether the logline matches the outline, or whether the three-act beats land in the right places.
Share, collaborate, and export the plan
Move the outline from planning into writing
View-only links: Share the story plan with an editor, co-writer, or writing group via a view-only link. No sign-up required to view.
Export as image or PDF: Export the outline or a section of the board as a high-quality image or PDF to paste into your writing app or send for feedback.
Real-time collaboration: Invite a co-author to work on the plan together. Changes appear live so the whole team stays on the same version of the story.
WHO IT IS FOR
Who uses Storyflow as a story planning tool?
Fiction writers, screenwriters, content creators, and everyone in between.
Novelists and fiction writers
Map a full novel outline with premise, logline, three-act structure, subplots, and character arcs before writing a single chapter. Apply the Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, or any of 200+ frameworks to find the shape of the story.
Screenwriters
Outline a screenplay with beat sheets and scene cards on an infinite canvas. Map the catalyst, midpoint, all-is-lost, and climax beats. Move beats around until the structure holds, then carry the outline into Final Draft or Fade In.
Short story writers
Even short fiction benefits from a planning board. Map the arc, pin the inciting incident and climax, track the theme, and work out the ending before you sit down to draft.
Content creators and bloggers
Story structure tools work for any narrative content. Plan a series, map an essay arc, or outline a longform article with the same frameworks fiction writers use.
Writing coaches and teachers
Build story structure templates for students, share view-only boards as examples, or invite a student to collaborate on an outline in real time.
Game designers and worldbuilders
Map narrative branches, character backstories, and world lore on the same infinite canvas. Keep plot and worldbuilding connected instead of split across separate documents.
HOW WE COMPARE
Storyflow vs Scrivener, Milanote, and Plottr.
Each tool has a different job. Here is an honest look at how they approach story planning.
Storyflow
Recommended
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI builds the story outline from a prompt
AI uses your whole canvas as context
Plot, characters, and worldbuilding on one canvas
Infinite visual canvas
200+ built-in frameworks (three-act, Save the Cat, Hero's Journey)
Scrivener
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI builds the story outline from a prompt
AI uses your whole canvas as context
Plot, characters, and worldbuilding on one canvas
Infinite visual canvas
200+ built-in frameworks (three-act, Save the Cat, Hero's Journey)
Milanote
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI builds the story outline from a prompt
AI uses your whole canvas as context
Plot, characters, and worldbuilding on one canvas
Infinite visual canvas
200+ built-in frameworks (three-act, Save the Cat, Hero's Journey)
Plottr
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI builds the story outline from a prompt
AI uses your whole canvas as context
Plot, characters, and worldbuilding on one canvas
Infinite visual canvas
200+ built-in frameworks (three-act, Save the Cat, Hero's Journey)
What creators are saying
Join early creators getting structured workspaces and AI that remembers their projects
“Storyflow has sped up my workflow by at least 3x, which means more flow state and more projects I can actually ship. It truly changed the way me and my team create.”
Reilin Joey
Director & YouTuber
“One prompt gets me a structured board. But the tactics are my favorite. I run my YouTube scripts through them and my intros and retention got better. It's amazing.”
Justkay
YouTuber & Freelance Filmmaker
“I used to juggle five apps to plan a project. Now I describe what I am making and get boards, lists, and a schedule. All in one place.”
George
@fernwehchronicles
Story planning tool, answered.
Everything writers ask about planning a story in Storyflow.
Storyflow is a strong free story planning tool. The free plan is free forever, requires no credit card, and gives you unlimited boards on an infinite canvas, basic AI usage, 3 starter frameworks, and 20 file uploads. It is best suited for writers who want to map and outline visually, with AI help. If you need a distraction-free word processor alongside, pair it with Scrivener or Google Docs.
The story is in your head. Get it on a board.
Type a prompt, let the AI build the outline, and walk into writing with a plan. Free plan, no credit card.