Getting Started

Getting Started

This page walks through building a world from nothing. If you already have a draft, a synopsis, or just want to look around first, you have faster options — see Before you start by hand at the bottom.

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Screenshot

Prerequisites

PlotWeave is open and you can see the world selector. See Installation if not.

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Step 1: Create a world

A world is the top-level container for one story or universe.

1. Click New World on the world selector.
2. Enter a name, and optionally a description.
3. Click Create World.

The world opens immediately, and PlotWeave offers a four-step setup guide: create the first timeline and event, add a main character, place that character at the opening moment, then continue to the Timeline. Every optional step has Skip, so you can leave the guide and build in any order.

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Step 2: Create a timeline

A timeline is an ordered sequence of chapters. Every world needs at least one; most only ever need one.

1. Go to Timeline in the left navigation rail.
2. Click Create Timeline (or New Timeline if one already exists).
3. Give it a name — "Main Story" is fine.

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Step 3: Add a chapter

1. In the timeline view, click Add Chapter.
2. Enter a title. The number is filled in for you.
3. Optionally add a synopsis.

Chapters inherit all snapshots from the immediately preceding chapter in the same timeline, so a chapter starts where the last one ended.

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Step 4: Add an event

An event is a scene or beat, and the unit all state is recorded against.

1. Open the chapter's detail page (the open button on the chapter row).
2. Click Add Event and give it a title.
3. Expand the event card to fill in the rest: description, status (Idea → Outline → Draft → Revised → Final), POV character, location, characters and items involved, tags, and travel days.

The event now appears on the chapter bar at the bottom of the screen — that bar is your time cursor.

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Step 5: Add a character

1. Go to Characters.
2. Click Add Character and enter a name.
3. Open the character to fill in the biography, aliases, portrait, colour, and an optional birth date.

Building a whole cast by hand is slow — Generate with AI next to Add Character does it in bulk. See Generating with AI.

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Step 6: Record the character's state at that event

1. Move the time cursor to your first event (bottom bar).
2. Open the character → Current State tab.
3. Set their location, alive status, inventory, travel mode, and any status note.

Changes save as you make them, as a snapshot at that event. Later events inherit it until you record something different. This is the whole model — see Core Concepts.

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Step 7: Add a map (optional)

1. Go to Maps.
2. Upload a map image, or link one by URL.
3. Use + Location in the floating toolbar and click the canvas to drop a marker.

No map image? Generate locations with AI builds a whole tree of places as pins on a blank map — see Maps.

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Before you start by hand

You have	Do this instead
A finished or partial draft (.md, .txt)	Import a Manuscript — one step, chapters and scenes included
A synopsis, outline, or the story in your head	Generating with AI — builds cast, factions, chapters and events
Book one already in PlotWeave	Sequels — carries the cast and setting into book two
Curiosity, and no story yet	The Library — download a worked example built from a published book

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Next steps

Goal	Page
Understand the time cursor properly	Core Concepts
Write scene prose and read it back as a book	Manuscript
See the shape of the story	Corkboard · Structure Board
Track who knows what	Knowledge
Back your work up	Export and Import