The complete guide
to your corkboard.
Everything you need to go from blank canvas to fully structured screenplay, one card at a time.
How it works
StoryBreak is a virtual corkboard. You build your story on index cards before you write a single page of script, then export to your writing software when the structure is ready.
Go to storybreak.app
Open storybreak.app in any browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, or on iPad. There is also a desktop app for macOS. No install required for the web version.
Sign in or create your free account
Create an account with email, Google, Discord, or Facebook. Your free account is ready instantly. You can also continue without an account for local-only mode.
Pick a template
The setup wizard appears on first launch. Choose a structure template (3-Act, TV Pilot, Non-Linear, and more) or Blank Canvas, give your project a name, and hit Create. Your corkboard is ready in seconds.
Add scene cards
Click + Add card at the bottom of any column. Give the scene a title, write what happens, and add any notes to yourself. Drag cards around until the order feels right.
Drop beat markers
Click the ◆ Beat button on any card to insert a structural marker: Midpoint, Inciting Incident, Climax, and more. Four complete systems are built in.
Export and write
When the structure clicks, hit ↗ Export and choose your format. Fountain opens directly in Final Draft, Highland, and WriterDuet. Your corkboard becomes the roadmap for your first draft.
Accounts & Cloud Sync
Sign up once and your projects follow you everywhere. Cloud sync is automatic when you are logged in.
Sign up
Create an account with your email address, or sign in instantly with Google, Discord, or Facebook. No credit card required.
Auto-save to the cloud
When you are logged in, every change is saved to the cloud automatically. The save indicator dot in the header shows sync status. No manual action needed.
Sync across devices
Open storybreak.app on your laptop, iPad, or any other device. Sign in with the same account and your projects are already there. Cloud sync merges by recency, so the latest version always wins.
Desktop app for macOS
Download the native macOS app for a dedicated window outside your browser. Same account, same cloud sync, same features. Available from the StoryBreak website.
Continue without account
If you prefer local-only mode, click "Continue without account" at the sign-in screen. Your projects save to the browser's local storage on that device only. You can create an account later and your local work will sync up.
Project templates
When you create a new project, choose from six structure templates. Each sets up your timelines with appropriate names and colors. You can rename any timeline later via ⚙ Settings.
⚙ Settings.
⚙ in the header to open Timeline Settings. Rename any timeline and pick a new color. You can also double-click any column header to rename it inline.
Scene cards
Each card represents one scene, chapter, or story beat. Every card has seven fields.
Title
The scene name, shown on the card face. Keep it short and descriptive: INT. COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT or Marie arrives at Redeemed Home. Click any card to open the edit modal and change it.
Content
What happens in the scene. Write as much or as little as you need, from a one-line description to a full beat-by-beat breakdown. This appears in most export formats.
Notes
Private writer's notes: questions to yourself, research reminders, things to fix. Notes can be toggled on or off in exports and print layouts. Other people reading your exported treatment will not see them.
Conflict
What is the conflict in this scene? A dedicated field marked with a lightning bolt icon. Keeping conflict explicit for every scene helps ensure each one earns its place in the story.
Polarity
Does the scene shift from positive to negative (+to-) or negative to positive (-to+)? Tracking polarity helps you see the emotional rhythm of your story at a glance and avoid flat stretches where nothing changes.
Status tag
Mark each card's editorial state. See the Status Tags section below for all options. Status shows as a colored badge on the card face and can be filtered in exports.
Timeline assignment
Every card belongs to one timeline (column). Change a card's timeline in the edit modal, by right-clicking and choosing Move To, or by dragging it to another column header.
Status tags
Every card can be tagged with an editorial status. Use these to track where you are in the revision process: what is locked, what needs work, what is getting cut, and what is new.
KEEP
This scene is solid. Do not touch it. Useful for tracking what is locked as you revise. Export "KEEP only" to see your confirmed structure.
REWORK
The scene belongs but needs attention: wrong tone, missing information, pacing problem. Flag it so it does not get forgotten.
CUT
This scene is probably going but you are not ready to delete it. Park it here so it is out of the way but not gone. Review your CUT cards at the end of a revision pass.
NEW
A scene you have just added and have not evaluated yet. Good for import sessions or brainstorming: add everything as NEW, then triage from there.
Beat markers
Beat markers are structural signposts. They sit between scene cards to mark where a major story event lands. Click the ◆ Beat button on any card to insert one. All four frameworks are built in, plus custom beats.
Custom beats
At the bottom of the beat picker, type any label to create a custom beat with your own text. Good for story-specific signposts that do not fit a standard framework.
Renaming beats
Double-click any beat marker on the board to rename it inline. The label updates immediately. Beat colors stay fixed to their framework; this only changes the text.
Draggable
Beat markers can be dragged up and down within a column just like cards. Rearrange your structural markers as your story evolves. Each beat is color-coded to its framework so you can always tell which system it belongs to.
Connections PRO
Link cards together to track narrative threads: setups and payoffs, plants and reveals, foreshadowing and callbacks.
Four connection types
Setup → Payoff, Plant → Reveal, Foreshadow → Callback, and Custom (with your own label). Each type is color-coded so you can tell them apart at a glance.
Creating a connection
Three ways to start: right-click any card and choose Link from the context menu, click the link icon in the edit modal toolbar, or use the Connections panel. Choose a connection type, then click the target card on the board. Connection pills appear on both cards showing they are linked.
Connections panel
Click the 🎯 button in the toolbar to open the Connections panel. It lists every connection in your project with both cards, the type, and the color. Click any connection to jump to it. This is where you get the full picture of your narrative threads.
Editing and removing
Open the edit modal for either connected card. Each connection is listed with the linked card's title and type. Click the X next to any connection to remove it. The link is removed from both cards.
Available in StoryBreak Pro
Upgrade to access connections, narrative thread tracking, and the connections panel. Upgrade to StoryBreak Pro →
Organizing your board
Moving things around is the whole point. Here is everything available for rearranging your story.
Drag and drop
Drag any card up or down to reorder within a column. Drag it onto a different column header to move it to that timeline. Beat markers drag the same way.
Select mode and range select
Click ☑ Select in the header to enter multi-select mode, or just Shift+click any card to start selecting instantly. Once in select mode, Shift+click a second card to select the entire range between them. Cards glow orange when selected. Drag any selected card to move the entire group. Use the action bar at the bottom to move, set status, or delete all selected cards at once.
Right-click context menu
Right-click any card for instant actions without opening the modal: Set Status, Move to Timeline, Flag, Duplicate, Link (start a connection), Move to Drawer, and Delete. Fast for quick reorganization passes.
Compact mode
Collapses cards to title-only for a high-density overview. Essential when working with 30+ scenes and you need to see the whole board at once. Toggle it in the secondary toolbar.
Search bar
The search bar in the header provides live filtering. Type any text and the board instantly dims all non-matching cards, showing only scenes with matching titles, content, or notes. Clear the search to restore the full board.
Find & Replace
Press Cmd+F or click 🔎 to open Find & Replace. Searches across all card titles, content, and notes simultaneously. Replace Next steps through matches one at a time. Replace All updates everything at once.
Duplicate
Click ⊙ Dupe in the edit modal or the hover buttons to create an exact copy of any card. The duplicate lands in the same timeline directly below the original.
Flagging
Hover a card and click the star to flag it for attention. Flagged cards appear highlighted and are listed together in the Stats panel. Use flags for scenes that need discussion, research, or a second opinion.
Undo
Press Cmd+Z or click the ↩ button to undo any card operation. Undo history is preserved for the current session.
Zoom control
Use the zoom slider in the toolbar to scale the board up or down. Zoom out to see more of your structure at once, or zoom in for detail work on individual cards.
Card Drawer
Stash cards off the board without deleting them. The drawer is a holding area for scenes you are not sure about: maybe they come back, maybe they do not.
Three ways to stash
Hover any card and click the 📥 icon. Or right-click and choose Move to Drawer. Or drag a card directly onto the drawer panel on the right side. All three do the same thing: the card leaves the board and lands in the drawer.
Restoring cards
Open the drawer from the nav bar. Each stashed card shows a Restore button. Click it and the card returns to its original timeline at the bottom of the column. All card content is preserved exactly as it was.
Drawer persists
Stashed cards are saved with your project. They survive save/load cycles, share links, and file exports. Undo also works: Cmd+Z after stashing a card brings it right back to the board.
Logline / Theme bar
A persistent bar that sits just below the header, always visible as you work. Toggle it with the clipboard icon in the toolbar.
Three tabs
The bar has three tabs: Logline, Theme, and Note. Click any tab to switch. Each has its own text field. Write your one-sentence logline, your thematic question, and a general note to yourself, all in one place.
Always visible
The bar stays visible below the header as you scroll, drag cards, and switch views. Your logline and theme are always in front of you, keeping you grounded in the story's core while you work on individual scenes.
Saves with project
Everything in the Logline / Theme bar saves automatically with your project data. It persists across sessions, devices (via cloud sync), and share links.
Board view
The default corkboard. All timelines side by side as vertical columns — your workspace for exploring, throwing ideas around, and keeping things visible before they're ready.
Sprawl out and explore
Each timeline gets its own column. Drag cards anywhere — within a column to reorder, across columns to reassign timelines, into a holding area for ideas that aren't ready. The board gives you space to think in multiple directions at once, the way index cards on a real wall do. This is where you'll spend most of your time.
Collapse columns
Click any column header to collapse that timeline. The column shrinks to a narrow bar, freeing space for the timelines you are actively working on. Click again to expand.
Status Strip filtering
The Status Strip at the top of the board shows counts for each status tag. Click any status to filter the board to only cards with that tag. Click again to clear.
Zoom control
The zoom slider in the toolbar lets you scale the entire board. Zoom out to see your full story structure, or zoom in to focus on a specific act.
Script view
When you're ready to organize — all of it or just one storyline — switch to Script view. All cards merge into a single vertical sequence: the story as the audience will experience it.
Linear order
All cards from all timelines merged into one vertical sequence. This is your master script order. Drag cards to rearrange the sequence, or use Select Mode with arrow keys to nudge cards up and down.
Timeline chips
Use the timeline chips in the toolbar to show or hide specific timelines. Toggle off your B-Story to see only the A-Story in sequence, or isolate any combination of timelines you need.
Compact toggle
Switch to compact mode to see titles only, giving you a fast structural overview of the entire master sequence on one screen.
Scene numbers
Enable scene numbers with the # Nums toggle to see position counts on every card. Useful for tracking how many scenes you have and referencing specific positions.
Arrow key nudging
In Select Mode, use the ↑ and ↓ arrow keys to nudge selected cards up or down in the sequence. This is the fastest way to reorder in script view.
Present Mode PRO
A live presentation window that mirrors your corkboard in real time. Push it to a TV, projector, or second monitor while you keep working in the editor.
Opens a new window
Click ▶ Present in the header. A new window opens showing your full corkboard. Drag that window to a second display, AirPlay it to a TV, or keep it side by side with your editor.
Live sync via BroadcastChannel
Every edit, drag, and reorder in the editor mirrors instantly in the presentation window. Add a card, move a beat, change a title: your audience sees it happen in real time. Scroll position syncs too.
Spotlight overlay
When you open a card for editing, the presentation window shows a spotlight overlay highlighting that specific card in real time. Your audience always knows which scene you are discussing.
Drag and hover sync
Drag a card in the editor and the presentation window shows the card moving in real time. Hover a card and it glows on the presentation display. Every interaction is mirrored.
Text size controls
Adjust text size in the presentation window independently. Scale up for large rooms, scale down for more density.
Second monitor, TV, AirPlay
Works on any external display. Drag the window to a second monitor, AirPlay to an Apple TV, or HDMI to a conference room TV. Your writing partner or story team watches the board update live as you restructure.
Available in StoryBreak Pro
Presentation mode is Pro. Put your story on any screen, any room. Upgrade to StoryBreak Pro →
Character tracking PRO
Create your characters and StoryBreak auto-detects their names as you write. Every scene that mentions a character is tagged automatically.
Adding characters
Click 👤 Characters in the header to open the character panel. Click + Add Character, give them a name, choose a color from 15 options, and optionally add a note. StoryBreak immediately scans every existing scene card for that name and auto-tags any matches.
Auto-detection
As you write or edit any scene, StoryBreak checks for character names in the title and content. When it finds a match, that character is automatically tagged to the card. Colored dots appear on the card tile so you can see character presence at a glance. You can also manually tag or untag characters in the edit modal.
Filtering by character
Click any character's name in the character panel to filter the board. Only that character's scenes stay fully visible, everything else dims out. Click again to clear the filter. Use this to trace an arc from first appearance to last.
Scene counts
The character panel shows how many scenes each character appears in. Use this to spot imbalances: an antagonist absent from Act Two, a supporting character who disappears for thirty scenes, a protagonist who goes quiet at the midpoint.
Available in StoryBreak Pro
Upgrade to access unlimited character tracking, arc filtering, and character scene counts. Upgrade to StoryBreak Pro →
Smart Import PRO
Paste text or upload a file, and StoryBreak breaks it into cards automatically, detecting scenes and structural beats as it goes.
Click ⚡ Import in the header
The import panel opens with a large text area and a file upload button.
Paste text or upload a file
Paste a Fountain script, a numbered outline, a chapter list, or any structured text. Or upload a file: .fountain, .txt, or .fdx (Final Draft) files are all supported. StoryBreak reads what you give it.
Choose a parse mode
Five modes: Smart (auto-detects format, best default), Fountain (reads INT./EXT. scene headings), Numbered (reads "1. Title / Body" format), Paragraphs (splits on double line breaks), and Lines (one card per line). Auto-format detection picks the best mode if you leave it on Smart.
Preview and import
See exactly what cards will be created before committing. Choose which timeline the cards land in and set a default status for all imported cards. Hit Import to add them all.
Available in StoryBreak Pro
Smart Import is unlocked in the Pro version. Upgrade to StoryBreak Pro →
Export
Click ↗ Export in the header. Six formats, choose based on what you are doing next.
Plain Text FREE
A clean text outline you can paste anywhere: email, Notes, Google Docs, your writing app's outline view. Includes titles, content, status tags, and notes if selected. Available on the free plan.
Fountain
Exports a .fountain file with scene headings and action lines. Opens directly in Final Draft, Highland, WriterDuet, and Fade In. This is the format that turns your corkboard into a writable first draft.
CSV
Every card field, title, content, notes, status, timeline, scene number, exported as spreadsheet columns. Import into Excel, Google Sheets, or Airtable for database-style tracking or sharing with non-screenwriters.
HTML Treatment
A polished, print-ready story document formatted for producers and development meetings. Opens in a new browser tab. Use the browser's print dialog to save as PDF or print.
Act Storybreak
Scenes grouped under their structural beat markers. Useful for pitching the structure of a story: shows the shape of the narrative clearly organized by act and beat.
Story Bible
A comprehensive formatted document: every scene, every timeline, all notes, character list, and flagged items in one place. Good for sharing with collaborators, sending to a producer, or archiving a project.
All formats except Plain Text require Pro
Print & PDF PRO
Click 🖨 in the header. Six layouts, all formatted and print-ready. Use your browser's print dialog and choose "Save as PDF" to get a file instead of printing.
Master Script
Single column, all scenes in master order from top to bottom. The closest thing to a formatted script outline. Every scene title and content, in sequence.
Timeline Columns
All timelines printed side by side, the board as a physical document. Good for seeing all storylines on one page and comparing parallel scenes across the A, B, and C stories.
Compact List
A dense grid of scene titles only, no content, no notes. The fastest visual map of your complete story on one or two pages. Good for a quick structural review.
Beat Sheet
Structure-first view with beat markers prominent. Scenes grouped under their beats, showing the structural skeleton of your story. Good for sharing how the narrative is shaped.
Full Treatment
Every scene printed with its full content and writer's notes. The most detailed print layout, close to a full prose treatment. Good for coverage notes or sending to someone who needs to understand every scene.
Index Cards: cut and use
Physical cut-out cards formatted at 4x6, 3x5, or half-sheet size. Print, cut along the lines, and put them on a real wall. Each card shows the scene title, content, status, and beat marker. The most tactile way to work.
Available in StoryBreak Pro
Projects
Work on multiple screenplays or pilots at the same time. Each project saves separately.
Switching projects
Click 🗃 Projects in the header to open the projects panel. Your current project auto-saves before switching. Click any project card to load it instantly. The active project shows an OPEN badge.
New project
Click New Project in the projects panel, or click the StoryBreak logo in the header. The setup wizard appears. Your current project saves automatically before the new one opens.
Deleting projects
In the projects panel, hover any project card that is not currently open and a ✕ delete button appears. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Save a backup file first if you are unsure.
Stats
Click 📊 in the secondary toolbar to open the Stats panel. It slides in from the right.
Overview
Total scenes across all timelines, master scene count, total word count, and flagged card count. A quick snapshot of your project's size and state.
By Timeline
A bar chart showing card distribution across timelines. See at a glance if your Act One has 8 scenes and your Act Three has 3. Each bar is color-coded to the timeline's accent color.
By Status
Counts and percentages for each status tag: KEEP, REWORK, CUT, NEW, and untagged. Useful during revision passes. Are you making progress, or is everything still marked REWORK?
Flagged scenes
All flagged cards listed in one place. Click any to jump directly to it on the board. Use this as your daily to-do list during revision.
Scratchpad
Click 📝 in the secondary toolbar. A freeform notepad that saves inside your project.
What it is for
Scene ideas that are not ready to be cards yet. Questions about plot logic. Research notes. Dialogue you want to remember. Anything that belongs to the project but does not fit on a specific card. The scratchpad auto-saves with your project and syncs via cloud.
Saving your work
Three layers of saving keep your work safe.
Auto-save to browser
StoryBreak saves your project to the browser's local storage automatically every few seconds. The small dot next to the Save button in the header shows when there are unsaved changes. As long as you are using the same browser on the same device, your work is there when you come back.
Auto-save to cloud
When you are logged in, every change also syncs to the cloud automatically. Cloud sync merges by recency, so the latest version always wins. Open storybreak.app on any device, sign in, and your projects are already there.
Manual save: download a backup
Click 💾 Save or press Cmd+S to download a copy of the HTML file with your project embedded inside it. Store it in Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or anywhere you keep important files. This is your offline backup: if you clear your browser data or lose access to your account, this file is how you get your work back.
Keyboard shortcuts
Light & Dark theme
StoryBreak supports both light and dark color schemes.
Toggle in the header
Click the theme toggle button (◑) in the header toolbar to switch between light and dark mode. The entire interface, including cards, panels, and modals, updates immediately.
Persists across sessions
Your theme preference is saved to local storage and applied automatically every time you open StoryBreak. It persists across browser sessions, page refreshes, and project switches.
Free vs Pro
StoryBreak is free to use forever with generous limits. Pro unlocks everything for serious work.
| FEATURE | FREE | PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Scene cards | 20 | Unlimited |
| Timelines | 2 | Unlimited |
| Characters | 3 | Unlimited |
| Beat systems (all 4) | Yes | Yes |
| Share link | Yes | Yes |
| Plain text export | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-save (browser) | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud sync | Yes | Yes |
| Works on iPad / any browser | Yes | Yes |
| Auto character tracking & filtering | — | Yes |
| Smart Import (paste / upload) | — | Yes |
| Fountain, CSV, HTML, Bible, Act exports | — | Yes |
| Print & PDF (6 layouts) | — | Yes |
| Connections (story threads) | — | Yes |
| Present Mode (live sync) | — | Yes |
| Stats dashboard | — | Yes |