Scrivener Templates You Can Use [Download Here]

Scrivener templates will open up a whole new world of writing and allow your creativity to come alive. Some Scrivener templates are available directly through the Scrivener software, while others are created independently and must be imported.

Either way, you will be able to find a lot of Scrivener templates that will help you through any writing project.

Why a template?

It saves you from reinventing the wheel which saves time and several other resources.

Scrivener offers you with several features which are mostly customized. Your Scrivener experience can be as detailed or as minimalistic as you want it to be.

While a lot of writers prefer to simply use the basic bare-bones blank document, there are many other options that don’t get due attention. With that said, let’s dive into the Scrivener templates that will make writing easier and fun.

Default Scrivener Templates

Scrivener itself offers a few basic templates to help you get started immediately. That’s the beauty of using book writing software. They keep you going right away.

Choose an appropriate template based on what you want to write, and you are all set. Here is a list of default Scrivener templates that are available to everyone who downloads it.

Fiction

If you are a fiction writer, Scrivener has three options for you.

The basic novel template provides a title page and compile settings for creating a manuscript using a standard novel submission format, or for exporting as an eBook. It includes places for character and location sketches as well as a research folder. 

There is a template for novels having different parts. It is the same as the basic novel template but allows the draft to be broken down into separate parts as well as chapters and scenes. 

Lastly, you have a short story template which is similar to the novel template, but it includes proper formatting for standard short story submission.

Nonfiction

Scrivener isn’t only for novelists and fiction fanatics. Any form of writing can benefit from Scrivener and this includes nonfiction books as well as university essays. 

You will find a basic nonfiction manuscript template with in-chapter subheadings. You will also find templates for research or thesis proposals and undergraduate humanities essays. The essay template is based on one that is used at several UK universities.

Script Writing

Scrivener includes a few different options for scriptwriters. For those who write for radio, you will find templates for BBC radio “scene style” and taped drama. 

It has templates for comic scripts, screenplays, and stage plays – both UK and US stage play structures are included.

Miscellaneous

Scrivener offers templates for those who are writing a motivational or persuasive lecture, or a recipe collection.

The recipe template provides a cookbook/binder style to organize your cooking resources. It includes color coding and a rating system.

External Scrivener Templates

If none of the core Scrivener templates work for you, you can import your own templates. This has opened up a huge market for template creation and there are hundreds of templates out there to choose from. 

You can find Scrivener templates for pretty much anything you think of: 

1. Genre-specific fiction
2. Novel outlining and structure
3. Scientific papers
4. Blog posts
5. Newspaper articles
6. Research papers
7. Brainstorming

That is just to name a few.

When finding a suitable Scrivener template, it is important to determine what type of writing you are doing and what will work best for you.

You might have to go through a few different templates before you find a structure that you will love.

Scrivener Templates for Outlining

If you are planning and outlining fanatic, you can find Scrivener templates that will help you get the job done swiftly.

K. M. Weiland’s Scrivener Template

Stuart Norfolk and K. M. Weiland designed an incredibly detailed template that covers every aspect of outlining you can imagine. It is arguably the most popular outlining template out there.

It is based on the principles she covered in two books she has written on outlining and structuring a novel.

You can download this powerful and comprehensive template here.

Seven Point Plot Structure

Different types and genres of novels will sometimes follow slightly different story structures. If you want a good basic structure with seven points laid out to guide you through creating the major events of your story, then the seven-point plot structure template is your best bet.

Click here to download the template.

You will find several other templates. Feel free to download as many as you want. One of the best templates is “Hero’s journey” structure which is a popular archetype in fiction. Do download it.

Scrivener Templates for Novels

Scrivener provides a basic template for your novel project. If you need more novel templates, you will need to download them.

There are tons of novel templates available out there to choose from. These cater to different writing styles and preferences.

No Nonsense Novel Template

Herron created this template and I have to say that it is one of the best templates out there.

If you are serious about completing your novel from first draft to finished and then to publishing it, this is the template for you.

It includes sections for research and notes and sections for character and setting sketches. It includes a place for storyboarding and has a nine-point outline to help you map out your plot. 

It helps you create your sales copy and about the author sections which you will need for publishing.

30 Chapter Novel Template

If you are a beginner and looking for a simple yet effective template, this is for you.

This template is rather basic in nature – it outlines a general 30 chapter novel for you. Of course, you are free to take your story in any direction, but it provides a good general guide. 

It has customized documents for each of the 30 different chapters, each with a general topic such as introduction to main character and enemy or antagonist strikes. It makes it easier for you to navigate the structure of a solid story.

You will find a lot of other novel templates, short story templates, story structure templates, and more.

Scrivener Templates for Short Stories

Scrivener is a great tool for researching and completing your short fiction. Short stories are as meaningful and creative as a novel, so don’t hesitate to write short stories with limited word count.

Scrivener have got you covered with its amazing templates.

The Anthology Template

There are different types of writers. Some will come up with a couple of brilliant one-offs in their lifetime, while others are serial short story fanatics.

If you can relate to the latter category, you can use Matt Gemmell’s approach which is sure to help you a lot with your short stories.

He used Scrivener to complete his anthology of short stories. You can read the complete process here. He explains how he began with the basic novel template provided by Scrivener and made some adjustments suitable for an anthology.

Though this is not a complete template available for download, he gives a detailed description of how he did it and the instructions are not difficult to follow. He does include a download at the end that provides the compile settings.

If you are wanting to get going a little faster, you can check out this short story template:

This template is ready to go and will help you craft your short story in the most effective way possible.

Scrivener Templates for Essays

Scrivener is a perfect book writing software that is of great help for students too.

Essays and research papers always include ample research, copious amounts of note-taking, and usually, several drafts. With its organization system and several features, Scrivener can assist you with the most complicated and in-depth projects.

If you’re a student who wants to get started with Scrivener, try downloading some essay writing templates and get started right away.

Essay Writing Template

This basic essay writing template is a great way to get you started on any paper. With documents for drafts and revisions, you can keep track of your editing as you go.

An additional section includes documents for your research and another section handles your notes.

Advanced Essay Template

If you are further along in your schooling and are writing extremely long, in-depth, and well-researched papers, there are helpful templates for you too.

With Scrivener’s powerful features, you can get that paper written in record time without sacrificing quality. 

Hattem has outlined his process and experience writing a dissertation with Scrivener. He talks about what he did and shares actionable tips that will help you replicate his technique like a pro.

Genre Specific Scrivener Templates

The beautiful thing about writing fiction is that you can pretty much do whatever you want. It’s your story in your world with your rules.

With that being said novel structures exist for a reason. All stories follow some sort of basic structure and the same holds true for certain genres.

Some avid Scrivener users have taken it upon themselves to share their genre-specific outlining process in the form of customized templates.

Murder Mystery

Mystery novels are hard to write. They require a lot of planning. Every detail must be thought of and kept straight. If the outline is not organized and thorough, plot holes are going to pop up everywhere. 

Murder mysteries take it up even another notch.

When done well, a murder mystery is interesting, exciting, nail-biting, and intensely thrilling. But they are complicated to write.

Jennifer Mattern has shared the template she used to create a good murder mystery. It is a comprehensive template that is well-thought and includes everything. You don’t have to do a lot of tweaking. Download it and start writing immediately.

Romance

A romance novel can be fairly easy to write or it can be very complex and detailed. It depends on what type of romance you choose to write.

Romance is versatile as it can be interjected into almost any other genre and taken in just about any direction. The typical happy-ending romance is great but sometimes a romantic tragedy can be a breath of fresh air.

If you are a romance writer or want to give it a try, check out this basic romance template by Jami Gold. The template walks you through a basic novel outline/structure. Gold has shared a lot of actionable tips along with detailed instructions on creating a successful romantic arc.

You are sure to love it.

If you’re looking for something a little simpler or more linear, this one might be a good option:

This template walks you through each section of a romance novel. You are free to include as many chapters as you want or need within each section, depending on the length and style of your novel.

It allows you a lot of freedom while still offering solid guidance.

Non-Fiction

A non-fiction book can take any form.

You can write how-to guides, self-help books, biographies, etc. You can choose creative non-fiction which is a true story that is written in the same storytelling format of a novel. There are tons of options available to choose from.

Writing any kind of non-fiction book requires just as much time, effort, research, and attention to detail as a novel. You can seek help from book writing software along the way.

A good nonfiction template for Scrivener is extremely helpful if you are interested in writing an exceptional nonfiction piece.

Read this article for a simple and easy formatting template. Lise Cartwright has explained everything in a step-by-step guide along with a video tutorial that will make your life a whole lot easier.

For something more general that you can fiddle with and customize to your own topic, this template is a great choice:

It offers help and guidance without being restrictive to one style or topic.

World Building Scrivener Template

A good chunk of awesome novels take place in the real world. They maintain real-life settings, real-life limitations, and real-life laws of physics.

Some novels, on the other hand, take place in another world. A world created by the author.

If you have decided to write a story that takes place in a world/reality of your own making, it is going to take a lot of hard work. You must decide on several things such as:

1. Rules
2. Laws
3. Physical limitations
4. Social norms
5. The economy
6. Currencies
7. Education systems
8. Government

The list goes on. 

World building is an arduous task and it can be difficult to keep everything straight. Plus, you need several book writing software to help you throughout the process. But if you know how to do it with Scrivener, it will get easier.

Read this amazing article by Amber on how to use Scrivener for worldbuilding. It is a great tutorial with screenshots that will show how you can create your own world easily in Scrivener without getting lost.

The World Building Leviathan Template

This is an incredibly detailed and comprehensive world building method. It has several steps and it covers all the necessary details and information that will help you build a complete world for your next novel. 

Belinda Crawford has a free leviathan Scrivener world-building template that you can download here.

It includes a basic layout to help you write your novel as you build the world. It has chapter and scene documents, and a place for ideas, references, and research. 

It also includes a “story bible” where you can store basic plot information as it relates to your specific world – characters, groups/factions, major events, items, etc. 

Lastly, it includes an outline of the Leviathan method. There are 53 steps to building your world. It may be a daunting process but once you get through it you’ll have everything you need.

You are sure to love this template.

Fantasy Template

World-building is often something that goes hand-in-hand with a fantasy novel. If you’re looking to write fantasy but want a template that focuses more on the structure of the novel, this is a great one:

You can still achieve some world-building in here, but it’s much simpler to follow and a little easier to understand.

Choose the Template you Love and Get Started

That’s all folks.

Now that you have access to numerous new templates that will aid you in your writing journey, it’s time to get cracking.

And this doesn’t end here. There are hundreds of other Scrivener templates that are waiting to be explored. Find them.

Remember to look for a few key elements when choosing a template: 

1. Organization
2. Easy to understand
3. Relevancy to your project
4. Includes note-taking support
5. Includes research support

If you can’t find one that works for you, try creating your own. There are endless options when it comes to creating a Scrivener template. 

Josh Fechter

Josh is the founder and CEO of Squibler. He's authored several best-selling books and created one of the largest communities of writers online.