Book Writing Templates: A Writer’s Secret Weapon

No matter how much writing experience you have, you can always use a little assistance to launch your novel. Authors can use book writing templates as tools to speed up their work. From character development to worldbuilding to plot structure, templates can ensure that you get off to the perfect start.

Using a template will help you better mold your book concept into a remarkable story rather than producing cookie-cutter books. Here are ten kinds of book writing templates that you can use to jot down your stories if you want assistance.

Developing an idea

The most basic kind of book template has to do with concept creation. Consider book ideas like seeds; while not all of them have the capacity to grow into a massive oak, some do.

  1. Book Development Template

We’ve created a book creation template that is intended to test the waters to help you decide whether your concept is “fertile” enough.

Concept development

In order to construct your protagonist, supporting characters, antagonists, worldbuilding, and story structure, follow the seven steps in our book creation template. Additionally, it will assist you in choosing your voice and point of view if you need more.

To put it another way, it will aid in developing that initial seed into the first draught. Enter your email address below to obtain this particular template, or register above to receive all templates.

Structuring your narrative

After having a fantastic tale idea, you must write it down (or type it into a book editor, but writing it down on paper seems better, doesn’t it?). Many writers follow their intuition for entire chapters and need a strategy as they write when inspiration hits. While this strategy may be effective in getting things started, it might be helpful to consider how to arrange your novel early in the writing process to prevent hitting plot snags and getting yourself into tight spots.

Fortunately, there are a few standard plot forms in the literature that all authors can use. The most well-known of them is the Three-Act structure.

  2. Three-Act Structure Template

The Three-Act structure, which was first described by Aristotle two thousand years ago, divides a story into a beginning, middle, and end. This approach is one of the most popular ones for structuring novels since it gives your story a basic framework and ensures that all of your plot pieces are there, increasing tension and stakes up until the climax and resolution.

You may build a compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end by breaking the story down into three equally important components. For each section, you’ll be required to summarize what happens in the story and provide a concrete example of it. You can print off the template or change it online.

  3. Hero’s Journey Template

The Hero’s Journey, which concentrates on the metamorphosis of a single protagonist, is another, more practical interpretation of the Three-Act framework. It assists you in breaking down the journey of your protagonist, from the original call to adventure through the return home as a transformed person, into twelve clearly defined parts.

hero's journey template

You can use our template to create a brief recap of significant plot points like:

  • the everyday world, where it all began;
  • calling for adventure and turning it down;
  • allies, adversaries, and mentors during the hero’s path;
  • the most terrifying and rewarding times;
  • The main takeaway message and more.

These timeless components, which have been used into innumerable stories from Biblical tales to Star Wars, will allow you to express yourself creatively while ensuring that your storyline stays on course. Enter your email address below to obtain this particular template, or register above to receive all templates.

  4. Save the Cat Beat Sheet

If you’re having difficulties working out your list of scenarios, the Save the Cat template can help you out because it specifies exactly what should happen on each page. It was created initially for screenwriters, but authors have extensively embraced it to plot their works with the theme, character development, and pacing in mind.

The Save the Cat template expands on the traditional Three-Act structure by further segmenting a story into 15 beats that specify the timing of the inciting incident, subplots, and other crucial events. Our template will inform you exactly when and how long each beat should last based on your intended word count, preventing your story from lagging while it should be moving forward.

Outlining your story

You can use a book template to go scene by scene and keep track of the major plot and subplots, as well as how they fit into your book’s general timeline after you’ve defined your bigger story framework and created your idea.

  5. Book Outline Template

Please save it to Google Sheets, then edit, rearrange, and adjust it until you’re happy with how the story flows.

book outline template

Our book outline templates come with three exercises that can assist you in producing:

  • a fundamental plot summary that covers all of the key elements;
  • A simple scene list that identifies the function of each scene in the overall narrative;
  • A plot-driven outline that tracks your primary plots and supporting subplots by chapter.

Building the world of your book

In addition to broad-stroke templates, certain templates can assist with particular areas of your stories, such as building an entirely fictitious universe from scratch, including its history, geography, technology, and more.

  6. Worldbuilding Template

Use our 7-part structure to establish elements like: If you write fantasy or science fiction, or if you just want to go deep with your world building:

  • Name and location, 
  • Social systems (religion, history, etc.); 
  • Geography; 
  • People and language;
  • Magic and technology, 
  • politics and the economy.

This template is for you if you find it difficult to connect the various aspects of your universe; print it out and give it some thought. Your ability to convey the environment to your readers more effectively will increase due to your improved environment mapping. Enter your email address below to obtain this particular template, or register above to receive all templates.

Creating compelling characters

Every character should be carefully crafted because they are the core of any plot. We created two distinct templates to assist you in developing memorable characters: one to completely describe who they are and one to test their limits in fictitious situations.

  7. Character Profile Template

Creating an identity is not a simple undertaking, much like creating a planet from scratch. After all, consider your own development: how long did it take you to arrive at the person you are now? For the duration of your age. Therefore, how do you reproduce the same process for not just one but several protagonists such that they seem like real-world people you may run into? Making a thorough profile is a good place to start.

character profile template

Use our character profile template to create a profile for each main character in your book. It will lead you through the process of describing your character’s characteristics, including:

  • Basic information (i.e., age, occupation);
  • Physical appearance;
  • Personal relationships;
  • Family history;
  • Major life events;
  • Psychological traits; and
  • Their hopes and dreams.

The template may begin with outward characteristics like appearances, but it encourages you to go deeper. So, give yourself the best chance to develop truly engaging characters that readers will identify with by taking the time to reflect on each component.

Enter your email address below to obtain this particular template, or register above to receive all templates.

  8. Character Questionnaire

Once you’ve created a multifaceted character, it’s intriguing to see how they might react in various scenarios. What would they do, for instance, if someone they don’t want to see entered the bar where they are? What if they won the lotto instead? You’ll be astonished at how much you can discover about your character in this method, and even if these scenarios don’t appear in your book, your writing will reflect the rich grasp of your character.

Character Questionnaire

Formatting your manuscript to professional standards

Not all book layouts are concerned with the authorship component of writing. Before you send out your query letters, some are just helpful for formatting your work in a way that complies with industry norms.

  9. Manuscript Format Template

Literary agencies and publishers still demand you to present a professionally designed work, even if the content is more important than how it is presented. You can use the manuscript format template on Phantom-Writing to ensure that you don’t stand out in the incorrect way.

You only need to download a copy and change it, either by writing directly in it or by putting the text of your novel into it without formatting. Again, enter your email here to download this particular template, or sign up above to receive all templates.

  10. Children’s Book Manuscript Template

There are a few formatting conventions that apply differently when writing a children’s book, such as when writing in poetry or including artwork notes. You may use our template to produce professional results whether you’re sending your children’s book to traditional publishers or self-publishing it. Once more, all you have to do is download a duplicate and make changes without altering the formatting.

We hope that using these templates will enable you to swiftly test and refine your story ideas into a strong draught. Hopefully, they’ll act as the structure for your wildly imaginative ideas—time to start writing.

Phantom Writing