Novel Planner Printable for Plotting, Characters and Word Counts

This novel planner printable walks you from a first flicker of an idea to a finished manuscript, page by calm page. In 17 undated pages you plan the premise, cast, world, three act structure and chapters, then track word count and queries, all in a PDF for US Letter and A4 that downloads instantly.

Print a fresh set for each new book or writing challenge.

How the novel planner printable moves your book forward

Begin with a what if question, a logline built from a simple formula and a short synopsis. Next, build your lead character around what they want versus what they need, plus a fear, a secret and an arc in three steps.

Plotting becomes visual with a nine beat outline in three acts, a table for every chapter and six scene cards you cut out and shuffle. While drafting, a daily log and a color-in tracker of 300 squares keep momentum going, and the revision checklist and querying tracker help you reach the finish.

Who this novel planner is for

• New writers starting a very first novel
• Experienced authors who prefer to plot and outline on paper
• Writers taking on a November writing month or any word count challenge during the year
• Authors preparing to query agents or to self-publish

Design and printing

• Elegant, minimal white pages with soft blush pink details that save ink
• Wide margins, so a home printer will not cut anything off
• Portrait pages in Letter (8.5 by 11 inches) and A4 (210 by 297 mm)
• Undated, so you can begin whenever you like and print a set for every book
• Keep it in a binder or on a clipboard, or have it spiral bound at a copy shop

Inside the novel planner: 17 pages

1. 1Cover page listing the contents, with a This book is written by line
2. 2Book idea and premise, starting with your what if question, the source of the idea, the premise in a single line, books it reminds you of and an idea parking lot
3. 3Story overview: working title, genre and audience, POV and tense, your word count goal, a logline formula, theme and tone, and a brief synopsis
4. 4Main character profile: basic facts, a portrait box, appearance, personality, want versus need, fears and secrets, strengths and flaws, voice and a three step arc
5. 5Supporting cast, six profiles noting name, role, connection to the main character, what they want, how they get in the way, appearance and voice
6. 6Character relationships map, seven circles to link up and a notes table on tension and how each relationship shifts
7. 7World-building notes on setting in time and place, how the world works, power and society, legends and history, culture, daily life and words unique to it
8. 8Settings and places, a dotted sketch area for a map plus four place profiles covering looks, sounds and smells, visitors and why the place matters
9. 9Three-act plot outline of nine beats, from the opening hook and inciting incident through the climax to the final image, plus subplots and foreshadowing
10. 10Chapter-by-chapter outline in 20 rows, noting events, POV, the plot beat, word count and done
11. 11Scene planner cards, six cut-out cards each tracking setting, goal, conflict, outcome and emotional shift
12. 12Research notes for questions to answer, facts to keep, experts you could ask and a sources table
13. 13Daily writing log, 20 rows for chapter or scene, time, words, running total and how the session went
14. 14Word count tracker, 300 squares to color with rewards at the quarter, halfway and three quarter marks and at the very end
15. 15Revision checklist built in six layers, starting with the big picture and moving through characters, scenes and pacing, line edits, the final polish and feedback
16. 16Querying and publishing tracker for agents and publishers, plus a checklist for the query package, comp titles and steps for self-publishing
17. 17Writing goals and motivation: your reasons for writing, goals for the month and year, a writing routine, rewards and a plan for days when you are stuck

What you download

• Novel Writing Planner, US Letter PDF (17 pages)
• Novel Writing Planner, A4 PDF (17 pages)
• Read Me First, a brief PDF printing guide

How to download and print

• Check out with PayPal, a debit or credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your download page opens as soon as the payment goes through.
• We email the same private download links to you, so you can download your files again later.
• Open the PDF in a free reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and print at 100% or Actual size.
• Print only the pages you need, as often as you like, for your own personal use.

Good to know

• The PDF is made to be printed and has no hyperlinks inside. It also opens in most note taking apps if you prefer to write on a tablet.
• You receive a digital file only. Nothing is shipped.
• Printed colors may look slightly different from your screen.
• Personal use only. Sharing, reselling or redistributing the files is not allowed.
• Digital files cannot be returned, but if a file will not open or print correctly, email us and we will help right away.

How this was made

Designed and written by PetiteDiary. AI tools helped draft parts of the text, and some background scenes in the preview images were created with AI. Every page was designed, reviewed and checked before release.

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