Timeline - Overview

The Timeline is the visual hub of Plottr — it’s where you arrange your chapters, plotlines, and scene cards to elegantly map out your book with intuitive drag and drop functionality. This article provides an overview of the Timeline.  

Getting Started 

To access the Timeline section, open the app and click on the Timeline tab at the top of the screen:

The Timeline section of Plottr contains the following:

• Toolbar: Access features in the "Timeline" section
• Chapter Headings: Customize to denote chapters, beats, scenes, or plot points, etc 
• Plotlines: Customize to track main conflicts, subplots, character arcs, etc
• Scene Cards: Organize your scene details and track major events under each chapter heading 

At the very top of the Timeline tab, you'll also find the following navigation options:

• Filter: Click this button to filter your Timeline by linked Characters, Places, Tags, Colors, and Custom Attributes
• Flip: Click this button to flip the Timeline Horizontally or Vertically
• Attributes: Click this button to create and manage your Timeline Custom Attributes
• Zoom: Click these buttons to toggle zoom levels
• Scroll: Click these buttons to scroll through the Timeline
• Export: Click this button to export your work to Microsoft Word or Scrivener
• Structure: Click this button to configure the auto-populated Chapter headings and design
• Three Dots: Click this button for additional Timeline options, such as "Save as Template" and "Clear Timeline"

Use Cases

There are many ways to use the Timeline — here are some ideas to get you started:

• Fiction: Organize the scenes, chapters, and plotlines in your books, series, and screenplays in narrative order
• Track Subplots: Create plotlines for individual subplots in your narrative
• Identify Plot Holes: Filter the Timeline by Characters, Places, Tags, and more to ensure your narrative flows logically
• Track To-Dos: Color your Scene Cards or link them with Tags so you can see what still needs to be written or revised
• Nonfiction: Organize the topics and subtopics you're going to address in your books, blogs, or articles

Timeline Basics

Here are a few things to know about the Timeline:

• There is no limit to the number of chapter Headings, Plotlines, or Scene cards you can create
• You can add descriptions, images, and hyperlinks to Scene Cards
• You can create Custom Attributes for Scene Cards
• You can link Characters, Places, and Tags to any Scene Card in the Timeline
• You can drag-and-drop the order of Chapter Headings, Plotlines, and Scene Cards
• You can customize the colors for Chapter Headings, Plotlines, or individual Scene Cards
• You can filter the Timeline by Characters, Places, Tags, Colors, and Custom Attributes

Known Limitations 

We are aware of some limitations with the Timeline, which we intend to address with future updates:

• You cannot print the Timeline as it appears in Plottr (but you can export the details to MS Word or Scrivener)
• You cannot create new Characters, Places, or Tags within Scene Cards
• You cannot currently duplicate chapters, plotlines, or individual Scene Cards