Notion Worldbuilding Template

Keep your world and your draft together and see the words a day you need to finish on time.

$15 One-time paymentInstant access

Buy on Etsy

Magnet Creative Recommended Creator on Notion

The top of the Notion worldbuilding and novel planner with a gold line map of the story world as its cover

The Now writing board with scenes under Outlined, Drafting and Drafted

The Ninth Lantern

DraftingLanterns of Vell · Book 1

32,420 of 90,000 words

36%

768 words a day to finish by Jan 14

This week

Your next session shows up here.

The Unlit 820 Oct 31

The Unlit 1,450 Oct 29

Into the Grey Reach 1,680 Oct 28

Works on the free Notion plan
Log a session, see your pace
Characters linked to their scenes

At a glance

What it is: A story bible and novel planner in Notion: characters, places, factions, lore and a timeline, linked to your book, its scenes and every writing session.
Who it’s for: Novel writers, fantasy and sci-fi above all, who want their world and their draft side by side. No Notion experience needed.
Price: $15, one payment, no subscription. It’s yours to keep.
Free Notion plan: Yes, all of it.
Time: About ten minutes to set up. The bible grows as you write.

Watch the 41-second tour

The book you’re writing, its scenes, the characters, places and lore, filmed in the real template.

Cover of the 41 second video tour of Worldbuilding and Novel Planner for Notion

What it does that most worldbuilding templates don’t

We read 531 written reviews of 66 writing and worldbuilding templates in Notion. People love having their characters and their world in one place, and the top complaint is that a template feels like too much. This one opens on what you write today and keeps the rest a click away.

Words that add up

Log a session when you stop writing. The word count, the progress bar and the words a day to your deadline move on their own.
Everything linked

A character page lists every scene they’re in and the ones they narrate. A place page shows who lives there and what happened there.
Scenes in story order

Each scene moves from Idea to Final on a board. The main page shows only the ones you’re working on.
An easy start

A sample world shows how it all fits together. One click clears it, and Start here takes you through five short steps.

We set it up from a fresh copy, the way you’ll get it: logged a session and watched the word count move, cleared the sample world and checked that Start here in the copy opens the copy.

What’s inside

The main page has today’s writing with your book and this week’s sessions, the scenes in progress, the story bible with characters, places, factions and lore, the timeline and an ideas inbox. Every book, scene, character, place and event has a page of its own.

Book pages

Word goal, deadline and status, a progress bar and the words a day you need to finish on time, then every scene in the book by chapter.

The Ninth Lantern book page with 32,420 of 90,000 words, the words a day to finish and its scenes by chapter

Characters

A portrait, their role, goal, flaw, fear and arc, where they live and who they side with, and each scene they appear in.

The Iska Thorne character page with her portrait, goal, flaw, fear, arc and scenes

Chapters and scenes

A board from Idea to Final. Each card shows its chapter, the words logged, the point of view and the place. The Outline tab groups scenes by act.

Lore and magic

Magic systems, history, religions, species, creatures, items, languages and cultures, each with its rules and its cost or limits.

The Lightbinding lore page with its summary, rules and cost or limits

Timeline

Events before, during and after the story, sorted by year. The year is a plain number, so minus years work, and you can rename the eras.

Writing log

Each session with its day, words, minutes and mood: flowing, steady or stuck. A calendar tab shows the days you wrote.

Also in the template

Places and factions

Realms, towns and wilds with a picture each, and kingdoms, guilds or companies with their leader, members and base.
Plot threads

Tag scenes as main plot, romance, mystery or subplot, and rename the threads to fit your story.
A whole series

Add each book with its series and number. A book page shows only its own scenes, and a character can be in several books.
Ideas inbox

Catch an idea before it gets away, link it to a book and tick Used once it’s in.

How to use it

Open Now writing and pick up the scene you’re drafting.
When you stop, click + Log a session and type your words.
Forgot a detail mid scene? Open that character or place in the Story bible.
When a scene is done, drag its card to the next column.

Set it up in about ten minutes

You do this once. It’s easiest on a computer.

Buy it on Etsy and download the Start here PDF. Open the template link in it and click the Duplicate icon (two small squares) at the top. A free Notion account is enough.
Open Start here and click the button to clear the sample world, so you start empty.
Add your book with its word goal and deadline, and set its status to Drafting.
Add your main characters and places. Link each character to a home, a faction or the book.
Outline your scenes from the book page. Give each one a chapter, a point of view and a place.
When you stop writing, click + Log a session, pick the book and type your words.

Words count toward the book you pick in the session. Revising and cutting? Log 0 or a minus number.

Is it right for you?

A good fit if

You’re writing a novel or a series and want your world and your draft in one place.
Your story has its own places, factions, magic or history to keep straight.
You want to see your word count grow and the pace you need for your deadline.
You keep losing track of who was where, and when.

Look elsewhere if

You want AI to write or suggest for you. There’s none in it: your words, your world.
You want word counts pulled from your manuscript. You type the words for each session yourself.
You want a story structure method built in. Scenes have three acts and plot threads, and you shape the rest.

Questions

Does it work on the free Notion plan?

Yes, all of it. Pictures for portraits and places can be up to 5 MB each there.

How is the daily pace worked out?

The words left to your goal, divided by the days left to your deadline and rounded up. Once you pass the goal it says Goal reached, and past the deadline it asks you for a new date.

Can I plan a whole series?

Yes. Give each book its series and number. Characters, places and lore are shared, and each book page lists only its own scenes.

Can I change the names to fit my world?

Yes. Rename the eras, plot threads, place types and character roles however you like. The timeline year is a plain number, so year 0 and minus years work too.

Does it work for sci-fi or a story set in our world?

Yes. Lore covers magic or tech, history, religion and more, and anything your story doesn’t need can simply stay empty.

Where does the template go after I pay?

You download a Start here PDF from Etsy with the template link. Open the link and click the Duplicate icon at the top of the page, and the copy is yours to keep and change.

What if I get stuck?

Email us at hello@magnetcreativestudio.com with the template name and what you see, and we’ll help you get it working.

For power users

How it’s built, if you like to change things.

The databases

Database	What it holds
Books	Series, Book number, Genre, Word goal, Deadline, Status, Logline and Cover, with Words written, Progress, Words line and Pace line.
Scenes	Book, Chapter, Order, Act, Status, POV, Cast, Place, Event, Plot thread, Words, Goal, Conflict, Outcome and Summary, with Words logged and Chapter line.
Writing log	Date, Words, Minutes, Book, Scene, Mood and Note. + Log a session adds a row dated today.
Characters	Role, Status, Portrait, Age, Appearance, Voice, Goal, Flaw, Fear, Arc, Home, Faction, Connected to and Books, with Scenes line.
Places, Factions and Lore	Places have Type, Image, Description and People. Factions have Type, Crest, Leader, Members, Base and Goal. Lore has Kind, Image, Summary, Rules and Cost or limits.
Timeline and Ideas	Timeline has Era, Year, Kind and Summary, with When. Ideas have Kind, Used, Link, Image and Book.

How it works inside

Words written: The words of every session logged for that book, added up.
Pace line: Words left to the goal divided by days left to the deadline, rounded up, with the finish date.
Scenes line: How many scenes a character is in and how many they narrate.
When: Shows the timeline year as Year and the number.
Clear sample data: Hides the sample books, scenes, characters, places, factions, lore, events, ideas and sessions. A button at the bottom of Start here brings them back.

Keep your whole world a click away

Pay once, clear the sample world and add the book you’re writing.