For writers outlining scene by scene
Scene Card Template for Novelists
A worked example and 12 blank scene cards, each asking what your character wants, what's in the way, what changes and where it leaves them.
Line by line
How to write a scene card, line by line
Write each line as one short sentence. Novelist Randy Ingermanson asks the same of a drafted scene1: name its goal, conflict and disaster in one sentence each.
| Line | What it asks | How to get it right |
|---|---|---|
| POV | Whose eyes the reader is behind in this scene. | If several viewpoint characters share the scene, Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files, says to pick whoever has the most at stake2, emotionally. |
| Goal | What that character wants by the end of the scene. | Make it "specific" and "clearly definable," in Ingermanson's words. "Find out who was near the shop that night" works; "look for answers" doesn't. |
| Conflict | Who or what stands in the way. | Ideally, Butcher says, another character chasing a goal that clashes with this one. He files a forest fire or bitter cold under "adversity," not conflict. |
| Turn | The moment the scene changes: a reveal, a choice, a reversal or a cost. | Story Grid, the method built by editor Shawn Coyne, calls it the turning point3: an unexpected event that "begins to turn the scene." If you can't name one, rethink the scene. |
| Outcome | Where the scene leaves the character. | Butcher lists four scene answers: yes; yes, but; no; and no, and furthermore (the card's "no, and worse"). He calls a plain yes the least desirable and warns that a flat no can bring a story to a halt. |
| So now | What the outcome forces next. | Name what the character must do now. It becomes the next card's goal, so each scene happens because of the one before. |
From Jim Butcher's 2006 blog post on scenes, Randy Ingermanson's article on Dwight Swain's scene pattern and Story Grid's guide to scenes, all checked October 29, 2026.
How it works
What is a scene card, and how do you use one?
A scene card is a short summary of one scene, on an index card or in a document. A good one names the point-of-view character, what they want, what stands in the way, the moment things change and where the scene leaves them. With a card for every scene, you can see the whole story at once and move scenes around. Laid out in order, the cards show where the story drags, repeats itself or skips a step.
The card's goal, conflict and outcome follow Dwight Swain's scene pattern1, as Randy Ingermanson explains it. The Outcome line widens Swain's disaster to Jim Butcher's four scene answers2, and the Turn line echoes Story Grid's turning point. Story Grid also gives a test for where one scene ends and the next begins: a scene "will not end until the value has shifted."3 In other words, something that matters to the character has changed, whatever the chapter breaks say.
Write one card per scene in story order, then read the stack straight through as a reader would. Each So now should lead into the next card's goal; rework or cut any card with no turn. Fill in the Chapter line last, once the order holds: Ingermanson assigns chapters after finishing his scene list4. To check the shape, lay the cards against a Save the Cat beat sheet or a novel outline and look for beats or chapters with no cards.
How it works
How to use this template
Download it or open it in River
Get the Word file free with no account, or click Edit with AI to open the cards in River.
Tell River about your story
Optional. Type a premise or plot notes before you open the cards, and River drafts 12 cards up to your story's first big turn.
Or turn a chapter into cards
Paste a chapter instead, and River gives each scene a card, writing "No turn yet" where a scene has no real turn.
Reorder and keep going
Reorder cards until each So now leads into the next goal. River can draft the next 12 or name scenes to cut or merge.
- Scene 1 · Ch 1 · NellOpen the bakery on time despite the dead ovenConflict: the morning rush is at the door. Turn: the gas line was cut, not broken. Outcome: No, and worse.
- Scene 2 · Ch 1 · NellFind out who was near the shop that nightConflict: the street camera has been dead for weeks. Turn: Mr. Abara's son says his father saw something. Outcome: Yes, but he won't talk.
What you'll get
Goal, conflict, turn and outcome on every scene card
- A card for every scene, ready to fill or print
- Goal, conflict, turn and outcome on each card
- A first stack of cards drafted from your notes
Before and after
Your story in. A stack of scene cards out.
A baker learns someone cut her shop's gas line on purpose, and the only witness won't talk in front of his son.
Scene 1 · Chapter 1 · POV: Nell Goal: open the bakery on time despite the dead oven. Conflict: the morning rush is already at the door. Turn: the repairman says the gas line was cut, not broken. Outcome: No, and worse: someone wanted her shut. So now: she has to find out who. Scene 5 · Chapter 3 · POV: Nell Goal: get Mr. Abara to say what he saw. Turn: at the gate he slips her a receipt dated the night of the cut.
Every card is a first pass. Change, reorder or cut any of them.
What lands in your doc
What's in the scene card template
- Scene Cards
A single Word document: a short guide, one example card and 12 blank cards. - How to fill a card
A five-row table explaining goal, conflict, turn, outcome and So now in plain words. - One rule of thumb
Under the table: if you can't fill the turn, the scene may not be doing anything yet. - Example card
Scene 1 of a bakery mystery, filled in to show how short each line can be. - Your cards
Twelve blank cards, each with Chapter, POV, Goal, Conflict, Turn, Outcome and So now. - Source note
A closing line crediting Dwight Swain's scene pattern and the turning point from Shawn Coyne's Story Grid.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What should a scene card template include?
The essentials are whose scene it is, what they want, what opposes them and how it ends. Those are the four lines of novelist Jim Butcher's scene worksheet2: point of view character, goal, conflict and setback. This template adds a turn and a So now line. Save the Cat sells printed cards5 built around "place," "basic action," "emotional transformation" and "outcome."
How many scene cards does a novel need?
There's no set number, but expect dozens. Randy Ingermanson, who created the Snowflake Method, says his scene spreadsheets usually run to over 100 lines, one per scene. This template starts you with 12 blank cards for your opening chapters. Copy a card to add more, or in River ask for the next 12, which pick up where the last card ends.
What's the difference between a scene and a sequel?
A scene is action, and a sequel is the response to it. In Dwight Swain's pattern, as Randy Ingermanson explains it, a scene runs goal, conflict, disaster, and the sequel that follows runs reaction, dilemma, decision. Sequels can have cards too: write the dilemma in the Goal line and the decision in Outcome.
Do scene cards work if you don't outline?
Yes, as a revision tool. After a draft, write one card for each scene you actually wrote. Then look for scenes with no turn, a viewpoint that vanishes for chapters, or two scenes doing the same job. In River, paste a chapter and it writes a card for every scene, putting "No turn yet" wherever a scene has none.
Can I use these scene cards in Scrivener, Google Docs or on paper?
Yes. The download is a Word file: print it, open it in Google Docs, which converts Word files, or import it into Scrivener, which accepts Word documents. To shuffle physical cards, copy the lines onto index cards, or buy Save the Cat's printed scene cards, $12.95 for a pack of 50 as of October 2026.
Is this scene card template free?
Yes. Download the Word file with no account or signup: a short guide, an example card and 12 blank cards. Edit with AI opens the same cards in River, which is free to start. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens the cards in your own River workspace. With nothing typed, they open blank, and River offers to fill them in with you. Give it a premise or plot notes and it drafts all 12 cards, up to your story's first big turn. It keeps your names and planned events, and leaves the central problem open.
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