Plot timeline by chapter
One row per plot line, one column per chapter. Place the promises made to the reader, the progress and the payoffs: the timeline links each payoff to its promise and shows the ones still open. It's SagaScope's Horizon timeline, in a free version.
Click a chapter number to mark where you are: open promises extend there as dotted lines.
1 promise(s) still open:
- The sealed letter · A letter with an unknown seal (ch. 3)
The same timeline, built from your manuscript
In SagaScope, the Horizon timeline finds each plot line's promises and payoffs by reading your scenes, and lets you confirm them, link them or set the climax.
Join the waitlistOverused words and close repetitions, highlighted in your text.
Promise, progress, payoff
A promise is a question put to the reader: a sealed letter, a threat, a desire. Progress moves it forward without answering it. The payoff answers it. A plot line that goes a long time without progress gets forgotten; a promise without a payoff frustrates the reader, unless it sets up a sequel.
Reading the timeline
Dotted lines start from open promises and run to the chapter you're at. A long empty stretch on a row signals a paused plot line: deliberate, or forgotten. The climax is never inferred: you set it yourself.
Common questions
- How many plot lines should I track at once?
- A main plot and two or three subplots are enough for most novels. The timeline accepts eight, but beyond five, check that each one has its own promises and payoff.
- Is my timeline saved?
- No, everything happens in your browser and disappears when you leave the page.
And for the whole novel's consistency?
SagaScope builds your story bible from your text and alerts you when a detail contradicts itself. Join the waitlist.