Plottr

Pros: I'm an independently published author of 10 books. I was a discovery writer for half of those and for the past 5, I've tried various methods of outlining as recommended by other writers. But none of them clicked for me. Until now. Plottr has me completely hooked and I don't ever see myself changing (hence, buying the lifetime membership). I'd always thought of plotting to be as exciting as marketing, but Plottr changed that!

Cons: So far, I cannot say I've found a single thing I don't like.

Overall: My journey of finding the perfect plotting method stopped when I discovered Plottr. It's easy to use and versatile so I can use it to plan my newsletters and anything else I need to plan. Highly recommend!

Pros: I've only used Plottr a little, but I can tell it will be really helpful for writing my historical novels. I'm especially excited about the Timeline, which I've used to create an actual timeline of key events related to my next novel. I plan to add my plot structure and will be able to see at a glance what world events might affect my characters at each point in the novel.

Cons: No complaints at this time. My biggest struggle is choosing which template to use for plotting my novel.

Overall: I'm really pleased with the possibilities of using Plottr. It helps me plan the overall structure of my novel, and I really like the various templates available.

Pros: I absolutely love the Plottr platform. It has everything that I need to keep all of the details of a standalone novel or a series in one place. It’s not overwhelming with a lot of graphics and work sheets. It’s to the point and you can make it as complex for minimal as you want to. I’ve always largely been a pantser, but to be honest with you, the key for me to getting anything done is having a decent roadmap from beginning to end. This platform speaks to that part of me that doesn’t want to be working on an eternal outline, I just want to nail down my major plot points, and then go. And it’s great to have a place to park everything along the way to keep track of it. Love it and recommend it to all my MFA alumni family.

Cons: I really don’t have anything negative to say about the platform. I really love it and it’s been my saving grace when trying to get back into my book after taking a hiatus due to grief.

Overall: If you’re a plotter, this platform is for you. If you’re a pantser, this platform is also for you. I really think it offers something for everyone.

Pros: Plottr is amazing and is so useful when it comes to helping with plot points. It even has templates to help those who wish to have a guide on plotting. The character sheets even have templates to help you flesh out full rounded characters! They are always adding new features and updates to improve the service!

Cons: I think my main thing is having it easier to actually write the chapters in a single combined document minus the notes. I also hope a future feature to be added can be to able to write the book and able to see the timeline/outline on the side!

Overall: Well worth the money for the program! This service has greatly improved my experience and ease for writing!

Pros: I have been using this program for a few years to plot my novels. There are lots of great features, including the ability to create a book bible for series. What I love about it is that you can use it in many different ways. I'm a plotter, but I don't plot in super great depth. This program has all that I need and, should I decide to plot in even greater depth in the future, then I know I can continue to use Plottr and exploit additional features.

Cons: The only complaint I had was the inability to change main characters within a series but this has since been addressed.

Overall: Very easy to use with a lot of helpful videos to unlock new features. A lot of care has been taken to provide educational support to make best use of the product.

Pros: This is great tool to organize your thoughts and get them setup for writing! The timeline feature on a computer work well to show a lot of information all together.

Cons: The timeline does not work on the phone app as well due to the small screen size.

Overall: Really helps get your thoughts together early in either the writing process or the editing process. Usable on all devices but limited visuals on the smaller screens.

Pros: The interface is simple yet featureful, has attractive and functional use of color, is very flexible, and has been fast and reliable during all the time I've used it.

It does not force you into a particular workflow. I have several "plotline" elements added, but one of them is just dates, another is for indication of structural beats, etc. You can utilize adding a new plotline in any way you can think of, or base it off one of the (customizable) template.

There are numerous ways to visualize your timeline\outline, each of which seems like it would appeal to folks who have different types of workflows.

Once the general approach of the tool "clicks" for you it becomes second nature very quickly.

As a Linux user, very happy to see it packaged unofficially as an appimage.

Cons: I wish the appimage was a first class citizen.

I also wish the tool was set up to encourage doing all my writing inside Plottr. Everything it *does* do is done so well - would be great to have this be a one-stop tool.

Overall: You may need just a few minutes to poke around the tool or watch one of their many tutorial videos to get a feel for how it works, but in very little time you'll be cranking out an outline with your desired level of detail, and faster than you might expect.

Plottr can do the barest of bare bones outlines, or can house a tremendous amount of detailed info. If you make use of tags, and link characters/locations/etc to scenes (which you are not pushed into doing) it's very easy to search/filter on those things.

I am not a natural outliner, and have struggled with every other approach I've tried. Plottr makes it reasonably simple to create an outline flexible enough to capture timeline, non-scene backstory, flashbacks, and related details for all scenes, characters, and locations, in such an easy to reference and edit manner, without becoming a giant mess.

Pros: I love being about to put details about my characters with pictures! Love being able to tag everything with my custom tags and emotes to represent my categories. Forms for Snowflake Method and other structuring forms help me with whatever level of detail I need for each character. I actually bought Plottr because of Randy Ingersenman's endorsement because I am a fan of the Snowflake Method. The outline can be as detailed as I need and the new Acts feature is awesome! Easy to move my chapters and scenes into the act needed. The Settings let me lay out all my places. I love the color coding, the forms provided and the ability to make and share my own! And, I can print it to .docx format and have a ready document to refer to for each project. Versatile and useful! I highly recommend this software! And, there is usually a nice discount for those of us who participate in National Novel Writing Month!

Cons: I wish I could save my custom tags across projects without having to delete stuff. That's really the only thing I don't like, but it's easy to save an existing project under a new name, so not much hassle to do.

Overall: I love this software! I am in love with their customer support. Emails are answered within 3 days or less. Most problems get solved quickly. Suggestions for new features are easy to submit and discussion is open. I have never had an experience like this in any software I've ever used. I feel like the developers listen to me and my ideas are important to them.
The software is very easy to learn and use. I was up and running within an hour or two. I love how creative I can be with customization. I use Plottr for projects other than writing as well, when I need to lay out a series of steps. It's really fun for me to use!

Pros: I love the visual set up and it helped me to plot short stories and novels. The templates are fun and helpful!

Cons: Honestly there’s not too much that I don’t like. I haven’t been on for a little while so I’m not sure if you’ve added it but adding pictures to the characters would be nice :)

Overall: I think it’s great! I love it and it helps a lot. I’ve recommended it to a lot of other writer friends.

Pros: > Straightforward, yet flexible visual interface.
> Lifetime buy/access available
> Local Storage
> Sensible and flexible export options
> Templates available, yet not in the way. They are explained well and include context.
> Updates make sense and are not forced upon you.

Cons: iPad app is the most convenient interface, but most buggy… Though I have found I now prefer how interacting/integrating with Plottr with the PC app. I will note my findings below for Devs if they decide they want to keep the iPad app.

— Dragging/rearranging items on (IPad) timeline causes the thing to disappear, showing up on the timeline of a preceding book and losing data.

— Logging in (IPad) sometimes buggy but can be fixed by logging into the website first then opening the app.

—Storing file from PC in OneDrive and opening it on iPad causes issues Ipad side. Certain features are not implemented on iPad so the data appears lost until you reopen on PC. Nothing is lost you just can’t see it.

— Program will sometimes “forget” that you have formatted words a certain way (italics, bolds, etc…) Makes it difficult to distinguish regular dialogue from an eldritch’s abominable utterances

— Reviews on the iPad app are quite cruel and unfair. They are definitely not helpful, but I understand the frustration. Trying to pigeon-hole an app this powerful/flexible into the Mac ecosystem would be an exercise in futility, killing the things that make it great.

Overall: There are so many things I want to say… This may be long so buckle down! I have found Plottr is perfect for me, even though I wish I could use it on other platforms.

I have found I prefer the PC application more(form and function). The devs focus on this and it clearly shows. It works better and is not buggy. The attention and features that have been added over time make sense and don’t impede use flexibility to the end user. Computer Resource Usage is low. When my computer cries, it’s from my internet tabs…

Updates are not forced, you can easily tell what they entail with the straightforward videos that are posted to YouTube. Updating is fast, has never bricked the program or lost any of my data. (I make backups anyway… Prior programs have taught me to be paranoid as you will soon learn!)

I have found that even though I miss the IPad’s flexibility in work location it is the only thing I miss. PC works better for workflow in every way, every time. They are right to focus on it.

I don’t know if Plottr would work if installed on a portable ARM PC like a Microsoft Surface X; But if it did (and if a Surface worked as well as an iPad), I would buy one immediately and it would become my Primary Portable Plottr PC.

I am paranoid about big companies and China mining and stealing my baby from the cloud. I spend a lot of time and mental energy researching, rearranging, and refining my work. Connection to the cloud is convenient, but easily lost/manipulated/stolen, therefore I don’t use it. Therefore, I greatly appreciate local storage in this day and age to keep creative control over my work until it is ready. I write as a serious hobby and seek to grow with my work.

It is easy to make backups(duplicates) and place them anywhere. This works quickly and effortlessly, negating any remaining need for cloud.

Exporting to word is a godsend for assuaging the paranoia in me, as I have seen apps rise and fall with proprietary file types that nothing can open. That said, It would be nice to have more Word-like abilities and weird fonts when writing descriptions. Keyboard shortcuts never hurt either. I prefer using Plottr over Word because I can keep things in context with the timelines/books.

I think I’m done…

No I’m not: I don’t often feel reviews are worth my time as I agonize over what to say/include. I apologize for the length of this review as I am inexperienced writing reviews. Plottr earned my good review. 10/10 Would agonize again.

Now I’m done!

Pros: Plottr is an incredible tool for planning. The visual timeline has so many customizations, from chapter titles to entire plot threads. Color-coding and tagging allows you to follow different ideas through your outline, which is a game-changer when looking for consistency. The visual timeline automatically populates into an outline which can then be exported to other writing apps. This saves so much time, as I’m no longer needing to re-write/copy over my planning work. You can organize your works in series, allowing you to maintain characters, settings, and tags across books, once again, saving time. Plottr has a library of different structures called templates, which can provide maps for different kinds of stories. As someone writing my first book in a new genre, being able to see examples of different formats gives me insight that would have taken hours of research to match. Overall, the greatest asset of this tool is that it takes the busy work completely out of writing, allowing for amazing planning that lets you focus on what’s important: the writing.

Cons: The iPad app is a little finicky. The visual timeline doesn’t work as well with a touch screen, and it is definitely pared down and doesn’t include some of the abilities you have in the desktop version of the app. I would love to see improvements made to the iPad version!

Overall: As a planner, this tool has saved me lots of time organizing and helped me get back to the writing. It has freed me from my whiteboard of sticky notes, and has allowed me to take my creativity on-the-go, which has done wonders to improve my work. It’s integration with other apps makes it feel like a natural step in any drafting process, rather than an independent exercise. It will be an organizational boon to anyone who plans their work, and especially to those visual planners who enjoy seeing things from different angles. Highly recommend!

Pros: What drew me initially to Plottr was its visual design and functionality. I"d spent so much time trying to create a useful, visual-based outline for my manuscripts, even going so far as to custom-code a solution. But then Plottr had already done it for me. Its Tag feature, specifically, and the ability to create filtered views of your scenes has been key in creating more consistency when checking for theme, voice, and plot elements. I've also utilized Plottr in my day job, creating wireframes and workflow diagrams on the fly.

Cons: My con is no longer a con because Plottr solved it. I wanted more more robust structuring capabilities to create a true Act / Chapter / Scene structure. With its new Act feature, and nesting/tab views, Plottr gave me exactly what I wanted.

Overall: Plottr's relational foundation coupled with its ease of use and ability to create and/or import custom templates makes this a necessary tool in my creative arsenal.

Pros: I like having access to a visual representation of the story outline and the ability to rearrange this with simple changes to the Plottr outline. There is so much detail in outlining a story that the visual graphics give a digestible outline.

Cons: Passing files between Plottr and Scrivener does not work smoothly. At the draft stage this interchange of structure would be very useful. Currently, exchanging files between Scrivener and Plottr is clunky and work intensive. Could a Scrivener template be developed to minimize this exchange process? A detailed analysis of the Plottr outline for a well known novel, as an exemplar, would be informative.

Overall: There are too many templates being added which is overwhelming at first.
Plottr provides a strong visual tool for developing story structure and developing words on the page. Other tools like Scrivener are very competitive, however, exchanging files is not satisfactory.
Cut and paste from other applications need enhancement.

Pros: The program is smooth and intuitive with very regular updates. I love the way the team are constantly adding new features and thinking ahead.

Customer service is also excellent and they really get stuck in if you have a problem.
Everything meshes really well and it adapts to many different views and ways of working, so however you like to plan, this software is up to the task.

Also links seamlessly with Scrivener, which is always a great bonus.

Cons: In the scene cards it would be nice to be able to see the scene's description and attributes sections on the same screen. Other than that I think it great.

Overall: Really great program. I've never come across another that can do all this one does. It's great to use.

Pros: Great support and lots of helpful tutorials.
Has a vast array of options to fit any of your writing needs.
The company is open to suggestions for the wants and needs of its customers.

Cons: N/A.
I am a new customer. I am still learning how to use Plottr.

Overall: I was about to give up writing a sequel to my book. It became too overwhelming as I tried keeping my story straight, and organized. This product has helped me tremendously. I am extremely pleased to say, "Thanks to Plottr, I have begun writing again!"

Pros: I simply love this program as it helps, an amateur, like myself, plot and get a story structure to the point where it should be and it makes sense. The character profiles, setting profiles, tons of plot structure templates and so much more. The developers are endlessly making Plottr better and better each release. My go to writing app.

Cons: There is nothing about the app I dislike however, the website could use some tweaking on the navigation. The site isn't very intuitive but oh well, its the app you want anyway!

Overall: Hands down one of the best writing apps you can have in your writers tool box! I also love the fact that it integrates seamlessly with Scrivener which is a perfect companion to Plottr.

Pros: I love the layout options, the large variety of templates available to use. I also like the color choices. When I needed assistance, I got it the same day which is great.

Cons: There is a small amount of a learning curve, but the tutorial videos truly help in that arena.

Overall: Plottr is a fantastic tool for authors. As an author who prefers to plot her stories, this tool makes it easy to organize and keep everything I need to outline my stories in an easy-to-read format. I believe that even those writers who do not prefer to plot out their stories ahead of time will find this helpful tool a perfect addition to their toolbox.

Pros: First and foremost is flexibility. I consider myself an intuitive plotter. My mind has never played well with rigid structure systems. So I wasn't sure Plottr would even be of any use to me when I installed the trial version. But it's been very simple to adjust the functionality of the timelines, character library, and series overview features in a way that feels natural to my thought process.

I also think it looks nice. It has a minimalist aesthetic, while still not feeling cold and robotic.

Cons: Being a newer user, I haven't had time to dig into any major (to me) shortcomings. I would like it if the cards in the Character section were collapsable by their tags, though.

I have a lot of characters in my WIP. I created six categories to sort them. It works fine, but I do find myself having to scroll a bit, as my supporting and minor character cast grows and grows. If those could be collapsed into a stack eventually, it'd be a welcome ease of use feature.

Overall: I've been spinning my wheels for a while, trying to finish my work in progress. The cast of characters has grown, the themes and concepts have expanded greatly, and it's just become a mess to keep track of everything. Plottr quickly proved useful in organizing all that. Being able to take a visual inventory of POV changes, scene breakdowns, and a bigger picture series overview has allowed me to take a huge step forward in my writing.

Pros: Dining room tables should be for family dinners, not rows upon rows of index cards laying out the plot of your latest novel. Plottr solves that issue with easily moveable digital index cards. But even better than that are the template options — 10 + craft books boiled down to a choice of templates to get you started on structuring your book.

Cons: There’s a time and place for physically manipulating your plot points and scenes. For everything else, there’s Plottr.

Overall: Truly helpful in starting a new fiction project. It will be a part of my process from now on, for sure.

Pros: I came to Plottr primarily for the Timeline, after test-driving two lesser options. I'm editing my 120,000-word literary memoir (in which I had to write 'everything' to find the 'something'), and being able to see its 500 scenes on the timeline is incredible. I superimposed my manuscript on the six-stage plot structure and was thrilled to discover a very close match. Thanks to Plottr, I've realized what my 'crisis/climax' point is and is not. And viewing the timeline is 100% helping me spot which scenes to delete, combine, shorten, etc. And, oh, the colours! And there's so much more I'm learning from the videos, which I'll be using on future projects (perhaps as a plotter!). And, of course, the help response is exceptional. My timeline setup is a bit different from the 'norm,' but Plottr allows such flexibility.

Cons: There isn't anything I don't like. There are features I'd like to see in the future, the odd glitch here and there to be fixed, etc. But, sorry, no cons, cuz Plottr is visually beautiful and functionally dynamic.

Overall: As someone who works with words and pictures together, the visual impact I get with Plottr is, literally, eye-opening. I can 'see' what I can't see in my mile-long Scrivener list of chapters and scenes. I purchased a lifetime Plottr with updates because it is in a continuous phase of innovation and enhancement. [Note: I scored 4 on Ease and Features only because I'm certain there is so much more to come; so, Good, but Excellent, too.]