Story(Time)Line — A Timeline You’ll Actually Use

Other timeline apps feel like you need an engineering degree to use them. And others? They just sell you static templates. Story(Time)Line is different: one clean line, 0–100%. Drop your beats, drag them around, add a note, and print. That’s it.
Fast. Clear. No clutter. A living tool — for less.

Story(Time)Line app — simple timeline for writers to add beats, drag markers, and plan stories visually

Screenshot of Story(Time)Line — plan stories fast with beats, notes, and act guides.

Works on Windows & macOS — in any modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge). Premium unlocks offline use, save/load, and presets. No subscriptions. Free updates (major upgrades may be paid).

All the essentials — nothing that gets in your way.

Drop & Drag Beats

Add markers in one click, drag to position, keep notes inline.

Built-in Act Guides

Three-act anchors you can move — a clear spine for your story.

Export & Print

Export to TXT or print clean PDFs to share or outline offline.

Simple by Design

No nested panels or dashboards — one timeline, total focus.

Why this instead of the big tools?

  • Focused, not bloated. One clean timeline. No feature maze.
  • Instant. Open the page, drop beats, done. No login.
  • Yours forever. Export timelines as simple files (Premium).
  • Affordable. $5.99 one-time vs $50+ subscriptions elsewhere.

Ticks: Auto = grid adapts as you zoom · 5% = fixed every 5%.

Why I built it?

While working on my first novel (A Guitar Named Swampy), I tried all the big tools — Plottr, Scrivener, Aeon Timeline. I used them all, but when it came to timelines, none of them were simple and clear. Too many menus, too many features, and no way to just see my story at a glance.

On paper or a whiteboard it worked better — I could sketch beats and arcs visually. But every time I wanted to change something, it was a pain: erasing, redrawing, shifting things around until it got messy.

What I really wanted was the feel of a clean whiteboard: fast, flexible, and simple. Drop a beat, drag it where it belongs, jot down a note — done.

So I built Story(Time)Line for myself — and now I’ve decided to share it with everyone. It’s free to use online, and I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me. If you want to take it further, the Premium version unlocks offline use, save/load, and all the built-in presets. Available for a small one-time fee (or more if you’d like to support — tips welcome, pay what you value it for).

U-Nam — Musician & Author

What Writers Are Saying

“Finally, a timeline app that’s simple and doesn’t get in the way. I organized my whole novel in one sitting.”

— Sarah J., novelist