---
title: "Free Chapter Outline Generator - AgentDock"
description: "Build a chapter-by-chapter book outline mapped to three-act structure, the hero's journey, Save the Cat, or a simple story shape"
url: "https://agentdock.ai/prompt-library/writing/creative/chapter-outline-generator"
docs_index: /llms.txt
---

# Chapter Outline Generator

Build a chapter-by-chapter book outline mapped to three-act structure, the hero's journey, Save the Cat, or a simple story shape

Category: Creative

## Prompt template

```
I need a chapter-by-chapter outline for a book, mapped to a real story structure instead of a loose list of scenes.

My premise: [BOOK_PREMISE] (the story's premise, main character, and goal)

The structure I want to follow is [STRUCTURE:select:three-act structure,hero's journey,Save the Cat beat sheet,simple beginning-middle-end].

The genre is [GENRE:select:fantasy,romance,horror,mystery or thriller,science fiction,literary fiction,young adult].

I want [CHAPTER_COUNT:number:8-40] chapters total.

Build a chapter-by-chapter breakdown across [CHAPTER_COUNT] chapters using [STRUCTURE]. For each chapter, give a one-line summary of what happens and name the structural beat it serves, such as the inciting incident or the midpoint, matched to whichever structure I picked. Use the beats that belong to [STRUCTURE], not a mashup: Save the Cat has its own fifteen named beats, the hero's journey has its stages, and three-act structure has its turning points, so don't relabel one framework's beats with another's names.

Place the major beats where they belong proportionally. The midpoint should land near the actual middle chapter, not wherever it's convenient, and the darkest moment belongs in the final third, not chapter four. Fold [GENRE] expectations into the beats themselves: a mystery outline should show where clues and red herrings land, a romance should track the relationship's push and pull alongside the main plot.

Flag any stretch of the outline that feels thin or repetitive, and say why it's thin, whether the character has no goal in those chapters, no obstacle, or nothing changes between the start of the stretch and the end. That tells me what to fix before I start drafting instead of just where to worry.
```

## Variables

- Book Premise (text, required)
- Structure (select, required) — options: three-act structure, hero's journey, Save the Cat beat sheet, simple beginning-middle-end
- Genre (select, required) — options: fantasy, romance, horror, mystery or thriller, science fiction, literary fiction, young adult
- Chapter Count (number, required)

Tags: writing, book outline, story structure, fiction, novel planning

Open in the editor: https://agentdock.ai/prompt-library/writing/creative/chapter-outline-generator