Three-act plot board
Setup, confrontation, resolution — with pins for inciting incident, midpoint, and climax. The fastest way to see if a story's spine holds together.
Best for
Screenwriters and novelists outlining a new draft.
Use case
Story Map & Plot Board
Free, visual story maps for novelists, screenwriters, and worldbuilders. Plot beats, weave subplots, and keep your characters tangled in all the right ways.
Starter ideas for your story map
Six layout ideas you can recreate on your own board after signing up.
These are starter ideas to spark your board — PintoPin doesn't yet ship pre-built templates. After signing up you'll build your own board from a blank canvas in a few minutes.
Character relationship web
One pin per character, connected with labeled strings for allies, rivals, family, and secret ties.
Best for
Ensemble casts, fantasy series, and soap-style storylines.
Scene-by-scene beat board
A pin per scene with POV, location, conflict, and outcome — drag pins to reorder beats and feel the pacing.
Best for
Drafting and revising long-form fiction or TV episodes.
Worldbuilding atlas
Cluster pins by region, faction, and timeline. Add maps, references, and notes to keep your world consistent.
Best for
Fantasy, sci-fi, and tabletop game world creators.
Hero's journey map
A radial layout following the classic 12 stages, with pins for your protagonist's choices at each step.
Best for
Writers using mythic structure as a planning tool.
Series / season planner
One column per episode or book, pins for arcs, payoffs, and cliffhangers — see how plotlines weave across the season.
Best for
TV writers' rooms and multi-book series planning.
How to build a story map
Six steps from premise to a fully connected plot board.
- 1
Define your premise
Write a one-sentence summary of your story. This becomes the central pin everything else connects back to.
- 2
Create a free PintoPin account
Sign up and start a new private board. Drafts stay private until you choose to share them.
- 3
Add your main characters as pins
One pin per character with a photo or mood image, a short bio, and the want / need that drives them.
- 4
Lay out the major beats
Drop a pin for each major scene or beat: inciting incident, turning points, midpoint, climax, resolution.
- 5
Connect relationships and plotlines
Use string connections to link characters, foreshadowing, payoffs, and subplots. Color-code by storyline.
- 6
Iterate and share with collaborators
Reorder pins, redraw connections, and invite your co-writer or editor to comment as the story evolves.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use PintoPin to outline a novel or screenplay?
- Yes. The infinite canvas and string connections make it ideal for plotting scenes, character arcs, and subplots side by side.
- Is it free?
- Yes. You can build and share story maps for free. Paid plans only raise per-board limits.
- Can I add images, links, and references to each pin?
- Yes. Pins support photos, YouTube, audio, maps, code snippets, and long-form notes — perfect for character moodboards and research.
- Can I keep my story private?
- Yes. New boards are private by default. Share only when you're ready.
- Can I collaborate with a co-writer or editor?
- Yes. Share the board link so they can react and comment as you build out the story.
Ready to plot your story?
Create a free PintoPin account, open a blank board, and start untangling your plot one pin at a time.
Get started — it's free