Create a Worldbuilding Timeline

You’re the creator, and this is your canvas. Use the Worldbuilding Template to lay down the lore and craft a timeline of past, present, and future events.

In this article
Characters & Groups
Locations & Sub-locations
Events & Sub-events
Linking Items
Customizing the Template

About the Worldbuilding Template

The worldbuilding template is the perfect place for authors, screenwriters, filmmakers, and game developers to get down all the details needed to bring a story world to life.

Use it to document the history of cities, cultures, and character lifespans and understand where your story fits in the world around it.

In this example, we’re building a fantasy world with various characters, locations, and events. We’ll do most of the work in the Timeline view, using the side panel to create items and adding extra details in the Inspector. We’ll also cover how to customize the item types, icons, colors, and date and time settings to make the template your own.

If you are new to Aeon Timeline and unfamiliar with anything covered in this guide, check out our Quickstart Guide for a walkthrough of the interface and common functions.

Characters & Groups

The Characters Panel is your go-to for capturing everything about your characters—from their lifespans and motivations to physical traits and the groups they’re part of.

Start by listing the names or working titles of your characters, then use the Inspector to add any extra helpful details.

Character Creation
  1. Click the
    Character
    icon in the sidebar to open the Characters panel.
  2. Click New Character to create and name characters.
Character Details
  1. Select a character to open the Inspector.
  2. Use the
    Dates
    panel to show when they lived, or set it to ongoing if they’re still alive.
  3. Add tags or write a character summary in the
    Properties
    panel.
Character Groups
  1. Click the
    arrow
    in the New Character row. Select
    Character
    Group from the dropdown menu to create and name a new group.
  2. Add characters to a group by dragging them in.
  3. Select a group to write summary info or more detailed notes in the Inspector.

Locations & Sub-locations

A location could be anything from an entire planet to your protagonist's favorite bar. With Aeon Timeline, you can track the location of every event, making it easy to recall all the details when you’re ready to write.

Nesting locations lets you show how places fit within each other, helping you create a richer, more detailed world.

Location Creation
  1. Click the
    Locations
    icon in the sidebar to open the Locations panel.
  2. Click New Location to create and name a location.
Location Details
  1. Select a location to open the Inspector.
  2. Use the
    Properties
    panel to write a summary, detailed notes, or add tags to help with categorization.
Nesting Locations
  1. Drag a location onto another to show that it belongs inside, like a district within a city.
  2. Continue nesting locations to build a more detailed picture of the places in the world.

Events & Sub-events

An event can be almost anything: a birth, a death, a marriage, a scientific breakthrough, a tragic loss, or a cultural shift. Basically, any moment that adds depth or context to your story.

Just like nested locations help you build the look and feel of your story world, nested events help you organize your timeline and create detailed, step-by-step accounts of larger events.

Event Creation
  1. In the Timeline view, click the
    Events
    icon to open the panel and select New Event.
  2. Click and drag an event from the list to place it. Drag the
    arrows
    to adjust the duration.
  3. Alternatively, double-click a blank space on the timeline to create a new event at that point.
Event Details
  1. Select an event to open the Inspector.
  2. Use the
    Dates
    panel to set a precise date or duration.
  3. Use the
    Properties
    panel to add a summary or detailed notes about the event.
Nesting Events
  1. Drag an event onto another event in the
    Events
    panel to show that it’s a smaller piece within a larger whole.
  2. Continue nesting events to create a blow-by-blow account of complex events.

Undated events are not visible on the timeline, but can be viewed in the Events panel or the spreadsheet.

Linking Items

Linking events to characters and locations helps you capture details like where someone was born, where something happened, and who was involved. Creating these connections gives you the power to group items and view your timeline in new ways.

Assigning Characters and Locations to an Event
  1. Select an event in the Timeline view or the
    Events
    panel to open the Inspector.
  2. Open the
    Relationships
    panel in the Inspector.
  3. Click Add Character to link the event to an existing character, or select Create Character to link it to something new.
  4. Click Add Location to link the event to an existing location, or select Create Location to link it to something new.
Timeline Groups
  1. Click the
    Group
    button in the footer to open the Groups panel.
  2. Select the checkboxes next an item type to activate grouping.
  3. Deselect any unwanted groups to refine what’s shown on the timeline.

Customizing the Template

The Worldbuilding template has default item types suited for a fantasy setting. But you can easily customize the names, colors, and icons to fit the unique world you’re building.

You can also fine-tune the date and time settings to adjust the format, precision, or current day. If you're after something truly unique, you can even create a fully custom calendar when starting a new timeline.

Customizing Item Types
  1. Select an item type in the sidebar to open its panel.
  2. Hover over the panel title. Click the
    pencil
    icon to change the icon or edit the label.
  3. Select
    Settings
    to change the sidebar order or access advanced settings.
Setting the Current Day
  1. Click the
    Settings
    icon to open the Settings window.
  2. Select the Dates tab.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the window. Select the checkbox for  “For ongoing item calculations […]”. Type a date, or click the
    calendar
    icon to use the date picker.
Renaming Days, Months, and Eras
  1. Click the
    Settings
    icon to open the Settings window.
  2. Select the Dates tab.
  3. Click Edit Calendar to open the Calendar window.
  4. Customize the names of days, months, and eras.

Calendars can’t be fully customized after any dated events have been added. To unlock full editability, create a new timeline and customize the calendar before adding any information. You can then import data from existing timelines via CSV upload.

Try Aeon Timeline free for 14 days

Get Aeon Timeline and easily visualize and organize your project.

Start Your Free Trial
No credit card required