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Templates are a huge asset when it comes to organizing your story or content. They can be used for fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays. For screenplays, these templates are often called “beat sheets” (such as the ones described in Save the Cat!).

What are templates?

Templates are simply blank outlines. They often give a brief description of what plot point or information goes where, but you have to bring your own creativity to fill in the rest of the details. For example, here is a sandwich recipe template:

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of _____bread

2 slices of _____ meat

2 slices of _____ cheese

1 tablespoon of _____ sauce

½ teaspoon of _____seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle seasoning evenly across both slices of bread.

Spread sauce evenly across both slices of bread.

Place one slice of cheese on each slice of bread.

Place one slice of meat on each slice of bread.

Bring both slices together (meat touching meat) to create a sandwich and enjoy!

You can then use this template to create a sandwich that appeals to your sense of culinary style. For instance, some people may prefer that their meat element be slices of goat meat, salmon, vegan meat substitute, or bologna. Seasoning could be powdered parmesan, cayenne pepper, Mrs. Dash, or gochujang. Breads could be pumpernickel, turnip green leaves, potato bread, or Hawaiian hamburger buns.

Even though the focus is on this single template, there are infinite ways to make the recipe your own and create something refreshing and unique. Using templates means avoiding reinventing the wheel, which saves you a lot of time and money in the long run (even immediately, in a lot of cases!).

Take a look at an example with a simple story, like Little Red Riding Hood.

[Character] lives in a [town] with [parent] and near [elderly relation]. When a pack of [animals] begins terrorizing the area, a [savior] goes out to hunt them down for the sake of everyone living in [town]’s safety. [character] is told by [parent] to walk to [elderly relation]’s house to deliver [important package]. [character] runs into one of the [animals] on the way there and escapes with their life, though persuaded by the [animal] to slow down. [animal] runs ahead to [elderly relation]’s house and [attacks]. [Animal] disguises themselves as [elderly relation].

When [character] arrives at [elderly relation]’s house, [animal] [attacks] them as well. [Savior] hears [character] scream and comes to kill [animal].

Now, you can take that template and insert the elements you prefer to create your own story with the same bones.

Example:

Tawdree lives in Cloud Town dozens of miles above Cateraville with his mother and near his great aunt. When a pack of pterodactyls begins terrorizing the fortress, a falcon troupe goes out to hunt them down for the sake of Cloud Town’s safety.

Tawdree is told by his mother to walk along the cloud path through the mist fields to his great aunt’s house to deliver her artificial heart before her current one breaks down since it’s been acting up lately. Along the way, Tawdree runs into one of the pterodactyls. The pterodactyl persuades him to pick up some soul rain from the puff springs along the way. The pterodactyl flies ahead to Tawdree’s great aunt’s house and swallows her whole. While digesting her, he puts on her clothes and a wig to disguise himself as her.

When Tawdree arrives with the heart and the soul rain, the pterodactyl swallows him whole as well. A member of the falcon troupe is nearby and hears Tawdree scream as he is devoured. The falcon troupe member comes to the house, beheads the pterodactyl, and opens its stomach to save Tawdree and his great aunt.

Notice how you can add more information, reword lines, rearrange segments, or even remove details to help customize the piece for your own purposes. What was the member of the falcon troupe’s name? Why do these people live in the clouds instead of on the ground? What exactly did the pterodactyl say to convince Tawdree to go get soul rain? Why were the pterodactyls suddenly attacking? All of these kinds of details can be worked out later, but now you have the basic structure of your story (much like having a basic recipe that you’re going to customize).

Why are templates important?

Writing can easily become a chaotic, overwhelming experience. This is especially true for new writers. Having a template is like putting a fence around the cats you need to herd. That’s not to say the act of herding them won’t still be a challenge, but at least the difficulty level has been drastically decreased.

For anyone who doesn’t have a strong grasp of market norms, reader expectations, and / or storytelling, templates make sure your piece is easier to read and more enjoyable without you having to work harder to get it to that point for your audience.

When are templates used?

It’s generally most helpful to use templates early on in the creative process. Getting one before you start writing is recommended. Your template can help you create a custom outline that you can use to guide your writing. If you have ever written a book or screenplay and found yourself feeling “lost,” “stuck,” or experiencing “writer’s block,” planning what you’re going to write before you do so will help reduce, or even eliminate, the likelihood of having to deal with those issues.

Where do I find templates?

Templates for books and screenplays can be found all over the web. A simple search for [GENRE] [FORMAT] template / outline / beat sheet on Google should get you plenty of results.

Here are some examples:

Mystery short story template

Self-help book outline

Thriller screenplay beat sheet

Romance novel outline

Popular Templates

Self-Help Template

Self-help books are for guiding people toward gaining a new perspective or skill to improve their lives. Though there are many sub-categories, just about anything that teaches you something can be considered a self-help book, including textbooks, recipe books, and how-to guides.

Introduction: An overview of who the book is for, why you wrote it, and what content you’re going to cover within the piece.

Section 1: A description of the problem(s) that made the reader look for a book like yours in the first place and how your solution is different from others they may have tried.

Section 2: Coverage of the intellectual concepts tied to the behavior you’re going to be asking the reader to change or adopt.

Section 3: What your solution looks like and how to incorporate it into daily life, including the benefits and drawbacks inherent in the solution.

Section 4: What to do when the reader “falls off the wagon” and finds themselves struggling to maintain the new lifestyle.

Section 5: Conclusion, including a summary of what was covered throughout the book, resources for ongoing support and learning, and a reminder of the possible benefits of using the solution you have described in the book.

Search for more self-help templates on the web.

Romance Novel Template

Keep in mind that romance novels are extremely diverse (friends-to-lovers, Regency, rom-coms, paranormal, etc.) so it’s helpful to find a template that fits precisely what you’re attempting to write so you get off to a strong start.

A portion of the Main Character (MC)’s daily life that discloses what their major goal is for the book and what love-related void is in their heart (for example, they can’t get close to women because their mother abandoned them as a child, or they steer clear of business executives because their father was one who was always too busy to pay attention to their only child).

The Love Interest (LI) is shown in their daily routine that is tied to blocking the MC’s goal and being a prime example of the kind of person the MC tries to avoid, socially and romantically.

An event takes place that brings these two people into contact. The MC can’t stand the LI, but also can’t deny how physically attractive they are (the LI likely feels the exact same way, which can be denoted through dialogue and behavior if you choose not to head hop or switch POVs within the same scene). They butt heads and offend one another. The MC goes home to continue their life, but the LI keeps popping up in their head.

Another situation brings them together a second time (could be related to the first one, or just a chance meeting). But this time, they get to know a different side of the LI due to a different environment or circumstances (at the park with their nephew instead of in the boardroom, for example). Maybe there is more to this person than the MC originally thought. They acknowledge this, but it doesn’t matter much because they still refuse to get close to anyone who represents their love-related void or may get in the way of their goal.

The LI reaches out to the MC with a problem that only they can solve. The MC agrees to assist, but only under certain conditions related to achieving their goal (example: “Okay, I’ll help you out by sitting with your grandmother, but you’ll owe me an interview at your firm!”).

The MC helps the LI, the LI holds up their end of the bargain. The MC gets what they want, but the results end up putting them in even closer contact with the LI (example: They aced the interview and got a position at the LI’s firm, but it just so happens that they will be under the LI’s direct supervision every day due to a recent promotion).

The MC grows closer to the LI the more they work with them and they eventually fall into a clandestine relationship.

Something in the LI’s past comes to light that reminds the MC of their love-related void. It’s crushing to learn this since they’ve finally let their guard down and experienced a kind of love they didn’t think was possible.

They break up with LI, quit their job, and retreat into a bubble of depression. This gives them time to refocus on their goal and how to achieve it in a different way, even though memories of the LI pain them.

When they make moves to start from scratch on their goal, the LI comes to them begging to be given another chance. They even bring everything the MC was looking for on a silver platter — only obtainable through brutal sacrifice on behalf of the LI.

The MC decides to give the LI another chance and they have a heart to heart about what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.

They live happily ever after.

Search for more romance novel templates.

Writers, you can get professional assistance even at the earliest stages of the creative process.

If you have an idea and aren't sure how to strengthen or clarify it, consider a simple book coaching session, for instance.

Book coaching (starting at $25) is a fast, easy, convenient way to talk through your concept with a professional developmental editor. Getting guidance on how to avoid some of the major structural issues that new writers run into can boost your confidence so you can have more fun writing your first draft instead of stressing out over it.

If you prefer a video call or in-person meeting instead of a phone call, those options are available as well.