If you’ve been thinking about starting a new book—or finally dusting off that idea that’s been sitting in your notebook—Reedsy just released a collection of free, downloadable templates that make the planning stage almost effortless.
Whether you’re diving into NaNoWriMo, joining the Reedsy Novel Sprint, or simply wanting to bring more structure to your creative process, these tools help you shape your story before the first sentence ever hits the page.
The Book Development Template
Think of this as your creative blueprint. It helps you develop your concept, outline your story, and define your book’s tone, style, and voice. There’s also room for freewriting and brainstorming—so all those flashes of inspiration can live in one organized place.
The Character Profile Template
This one’s a deep dive into who your characters truly are—inside and out. It guides you through everything from appearance and backstory to relationships, motivations, and contradictions. By the end, you’ll know exactly how your character behaves under pressure—and how they’ll surprise even you as the story unfolds.
The Worldbuilding Template
Worldbuilding isn’t just for fantasy writers. Whether your story unfolds in a small coastal town or a completely imagined realm, this 130-question template helps you bring your setting to life. As you refine your world, you’ll find new obstacles, details, and story threads emerging naturally.
Why I Love These
Every November, thousands of writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Having tools like these ready before the first of the month makes that goal feel not just possible—but exciting.
I’ve started using these templates to prepare for my next novel, and they’ve already helped me see my story world more clearly (and my characters more vividly).
Ready to Try Them?
You can download all three templates—plus many others—from the Reedsy Studio resource library:
reedsy.com/studio/resources
Each one is beautifully designed, easy to use, and completely free.
Happy planning, and happy writing!
~ L.S.