Features
Everything you need to plan your next novel with ease.
Scryla is built for authors who want structure, clarity, and momentum, without rigid templates or overwhelming complexity. Plan and refine with confidence, so you can always see the bigger picture.
Scryla is a progressive web app, which means you can install it on desktop, phone, or tablet (or open it in your browser) and keep your planning workspace with you wherever you go.
Core Workspace
Project-based planning, with room to explore.
Create multiple writing projects, keep series organized, and archive safely so you never lose the ideas you’ll want later.
Project-based planning
- Create and manage multiple writing projects
- Link series titles with reading order, book type, and series blurbs
- Upload and store maps, images, research materials, and other assets
Board-based structure
- Visual board for chapters, scenes, notes, characters, beat sheets, and marketing copy
- Drag-and-drop ordering where you need it
- Quick-access views for your notes, characters and worldbuilding elements
Archive-first philosophy
- Archive cards to keep drafts, alternates, and "use later" ideas so nothing is wasted
- Restore archived items when your story changes direction
- Never lose your ideas or your story progress
Install Scryla anywhere
- Install Scryla on desktop, mobile, or tablet, or use it direct from your browser
- Launch Scryla like an app in its own window
- Sign in to access your projects even when you're on the road
Chapters & Scenes
Flexible chapter design. Clear scene-level progress.
Capture what you need and skip what you don’t. Scryla supports structure without forcing you into a single method. It's not our way or the highway. Your way is the high way!
- Chapters: titles, optional subtitles, and overviews put you in constant control
- Scenes: add, reorder, complete, archive, and restore with live previews
- Narrative signals: Story Impact (Revelation, Confrontation, Fallout, etc.) and Intensity help track narrative weight
- Mobile-friendly: Drag and drop chapters and scenes even on smaller screens
Outline & Export
See the whole story at once. Export anytime.
When it’s time to review offline, share with an editor, or hand the outline to your drafting tool, exporting is one click away.
Continuous outline view
A clean, scrollable view that matches how writers actually review structure.
- Chapter titles & subtitles
- Chapter overviews
- Scene descriptions
- Export as a formatted Word document
Worldbuilding
Plan your universe from start to finish.
Our worldbuilding tool is designed to keep track of your maps, locations, and lore without getting in the way of your story.
- Upload world maps and visual references
- Search and filter your lore from your locations
- Easily reference your related chapters and characters
Structure
Beat sheets that fit your framework (or none at all).
Use story templates, remix them, or build your own. Keep everything in one place and connect beats to chapters and characters to help your planning.
Multiple beat sheets per project
- Use story templates or create your own
- Track which narrative beats you've completed
- Optional beat to chapter mapping for coverage
Character-aware beats
- Tag characters directly in beats
- Track how each character moves through the story
- Build arcs alongside structure without splitting tools
Timeline View
Spot pacing, coverage, and structure issues in seconds.
The Timeline view brings chapters, narrative beats, character arcs, and notes into one visual map, so you can understand what's happening (and what's missing) without digging through cards.
- See story impact and intensity across the whole manuscript
- Layer narrative beats, character arcs, and notes for fast coverage checks
- Jump straight to a chapter when something needs work
Characters & Notes
Keep characters, research, and reminders connected.
Scryla keeps your planning context close so you’re not switching between docs, spreadsheets, and sticky notes just to remember what you meant.
Character profiles
Notes, descriptions, and development space with full formatting support for your characters.
- Fast, flexible character entries
- Upload character art or avatars
- Link characters to narrative beats and chapters
Character arcs
Built-in 9-beat arc template (or create your own). Rename beats, use a custom setup, or remove what you don’t use.
- Track character progress
- Customizable character arc beats and labels
- Built to stay flexible across genres
Notes & cross-referencing
Worldbuilding, research, themes, and reminders keep you close to the plot no matter where you are.
- Free-form notes with formatting
- Tag notes against chapters for instant recall
- Store important research files for later use
Control your manuscript archive
Store draft versions and track your final copy.
Upload and track your manuscript drafts in a dedicated project archive area. Pin your final draft for easy access and export, while keeping your work-in-progress safe and organized.
- Never lose track of your
final-final-USE-THIS-ONE.docxversion - Upload from your computer and access anywhere
- Version-control your story where it counts
Safety & Control
Stability you can trust for long projects.
Novels and series evolve. Scryla is designed for real writing timelines, with safe defaults, clear states, and reliable tracking.
Reliable project tracking
- Archive-first actions so you don’t lose important work
- “Recently edited” timestamps ensures you're always ahead of the curve
- Backend-driven autosaves for accuracy
Service transparency
- Your work is owned by you. Always
- Clear, deliberate actions for archival and deletion
- Built on stable, durable technology
What’s Next
Scryla is actively evolving.
Planned features build on what Scryla does best: scenes, beats, impact, worldbuilding, and outlines. You can get deeper insight without extra work.
Want an app-like experience? Installing Scryla is easy. Curious what’s coming next? View the roadmap.