What is visual story planning?

Visual story planning puts scenes on a map instead of hiding them in a list. In Scyn, you connect each scene to what causes it and what it changes, making plot holes, missing setups, and dead-end threads easier to see.

Is Scyn a writing app?

No. Scyn is story planning software, not a full writing suite. Draft in the writing app you already use, and use Scyn to map scenes, connect cause and effect, and test whether the plot holds together.

Does Scyn use AI to read or write my manuscript?

No. Scyn doesn’t read your manuscript, suggest a plot, or write a word. You create every scene and decide what each connection means.

Can I use Scyn for free?

Yes. The free plan includes one active project with up to 100 scenes and 200 links, chapter, act, and color filters, five retained snapshots, and PNG export. You don’t need a credit card to start.

How does Story Mode work?

Story Mode puts the scenes from your map back into chapter order while keeping their causes visible. Use it to read the chain and test whether the story holds together. Story Mode is included with Scyn Pro; drafting stays in your writing app.

Do I need to follow a story structure template?

No. Scyn works with your plotting method, whether you follow a beat sheet, write by discovery, or do something in between. Add the scenes you know, connect what leads to what, and reshape the map as the story develops.

01 · Visual story planning for novelists

Plan a novel where every scene earns its place.

Scyn maps your scenes as cause and effect, so you can uncover plot holes, missing setups, and dead-end threads before they become rewrites.Build a visual story map as you draft. Plan chapters, connect plot points, and see how every choice shapes what happens next.

Start a free story map Test a scene first

One story free · No credit card · Saved to your account

The Hollow Sea Act I · open sample

The Hollow Sea · Act I · Story Mode

The ferry route is cut
The notice went up on the harbour wall the week they buried her father. No winter crossing to Brenn. Council’s order. Effective immediately. Ida read it twice while the salt wind worried at the paper. Brenn was still home. Getting there was now the problem.
→ forces a harder way home
Ida hires the Maren
The skipper names his price

The causal chain is complete. Now watch the same scenes open in Story Mode.

02 · Try it

Your outline says what happens. Scyn shows why.

A list can hide a scene with no cause and no consequence. The same scenes on a visual plot map make the weak link obvious. Can you spot it?

The outline · chapter order

The ferry route is cut
Ida hires the Maren
The skipper names his price
The charts show a false reef
The chapel bell rings at midnight
Ida rows out at slack tide

Six scenes in order. The gap is easy to miss.

Click the scene that has no job.

03 · Your first map

Build your story map from the scenes you already know.

No complete outline or plotting formula required. Add one turning point, connect what it changes, and follow the chain into your next scene.

01
Capture
Turn each scene into a card
Add a short title, an optional note, and its chapter or act. Keep the prose in your writing app.
02
Connect
Show what each scene causes
Draw an arrow from cause to consequence. Add a label only when the relationship needs explaining.
03
Test
Follow the chain
Trace cause and effect across chapters and acts. Story Mode puts the same scenes back in reading order.

04 · Explore the product

Explore a working visual plot map.

Pick up The Hollow Sea in Act II. Filter the map, open a scene to see what caused it and where it leads, then switch to Story Mode to read the chain as a draft.

The Hollow Sea

HighlightTap a marker to show or hide its scenesShowing 5 of 5 scenes.

05 · Your work

Your story remains yours.

Scyn saves your map to your account. It doesn’t read your manuscript, generate scenes, or decide what happens next.

Pick up on any device

Your active project syncs to your account, so your map is there when you return.

No AI co-writing

Scyn doesn’t read your prose or invent a plot. Every scene and connection is your decision.

Try the actual workflow

The demo uses the same scenes, connections, filters, and Story Mode you get after signing up.

06 · Plans

Map your first story free.

The free plan gives you a complete plot map for one active story. Upgrade for unlimited projects, deeper planning tools, collaboration, and more export options.

Free

Everything you need to test one story

$0forever

Map a real novel and see whether visual planning earns a place beside your draft.

One active editable project
Up to 100 scenes and 200 links
Chapter, act, and color filters
Five retained snapshots
PNG export

Start a free story map

Scyn Pro

A home for every story

$49/year

For writers managing several active stories

Keep every project active and invite other people into the map.

Unlimited projects
1,000 scenes and 2,000 links per map
Story Mode, goals, stats, and Cast & Places
Unlisted share links and up to five collaborators
30 restorable versions
PDF, DOCX, and account JSON exports

Get Scyn Pro

07 · Before you start

Story planning questions, answered.

08 · Start mapping

Know why every scene belongs before you draft the next one.