The Ultimate Historical Fiction Writing Planner

Plan your Historical Fiction novel from the first idea to publication day. The Historical Fiction Writing Planner is written for Historical Fiction writers, so its prompts, examples and story structure fit the book you are writing. Its 11 sections cover idea, period, fact & fiction, plot, protagonist, cast, world, write, edit, pitch & blurb and publish.

Choose your format below. Each format is an instant download, and every format comes with the Recommended Resources for Authors PDF.

• Goodnotes & PDF: 84-page digital planner with clickable tabs, contents and back links; two designs: Classic and the colourful Pop design; printable US Letter versions of both designs.
• Microsoft Word: Editable Word document (.docx) with clickable contents; worked examples showing how each page is used; prints on A4 or US Letter.
• Notion template: Notion template you duplicate into your own workspace; linked dashboard and pages, with built-in databases and tracker tables; works on the free Notion plan, on desktop, tablet and phone.
• Scrivener template: Scrivener 3 project template; the planner's pages set up in the binder, beside your manuscript.
• Plottr template: Plottr template (.pltr); How to Use Your Plottr Template guide (PDF).
• E-ink edition: Hyperlinked PDF made for e-ink tablets; larger text and high-contrast pages.

What's inside

11 sections, 84 pages in the PDF: Idea, Period, Fact & Fiction, Plot, Protagonist, Cast, World, Write, Edit, Pitch & Blurb and Publish.

Know the period inside out

• Real events timeline with history and story side by side
• Real people: the facts and the liberties you take
• Daily life, from food and clothing to money and medicine
• Language and speech checks, plus a family tree

Keep fact and fiction straight

• Track what's true, what you invented and why
• A sources log for fact-checking and acknowledgements
• Anachronism check for objects, phrases and attitudes
• Draft the historical note for the back of the book

Let history shape the plot

• Story structure beats, with real events as turning points
• Plot map, tension graph, scene lists and scene cards
• Limits of their world: what's expected, what's forbidden
• Six cast profiles, a relationship web and setting pages

Write, edit and publish

• Opening lines, daily word counts and a project tracker
• A Historical Checklist to revise against
• Blurb research, a workshop and two blurb drafts
• Cover brief, Amazon keywords and a pre-publish checklist

Digital download for personal use. No physical item will be sent. © AuthorBlueprints