Branching basics
The story graph
Paths that split, rejoin and loop, and how to read the map.
On this page
A story is not a tree. It is a map, and the map can split, rejoin and loop back on itself. Knowing a few common shapes makes it much easier to plan one.
Reading the map#
Every scene, ending and fork is a node. Every choice is an arrow from one node to another. The reader walks the map one arrow at a time, and a walk is finished when it reaches an ending.
Switch from Write to Graph at the top of the editor to see your own story drawn this way. Click any node to jump straight to it.
In the diagrams on this page, the pale-tan box is where the story starts, and the colored outlines are endings.
Split and rejoin#
The most common shape. Two choices lead to different scenes, and both of those lead to the same next scene.
Rejoining saves you from writing every path from scratch. It is not a shortcut in the bad sense, because the routes can still feel different on the way in.
A branch that ends early#
Not every branch has to come back. A choice can lead straight to an ending, and often that ending is a bad one.
A loop#
A choice can lead back to an earlier scene. Loops work for "try again" moments, or for a trap a reader has to find a way out of.
Nothing stops a reader from going round more than once, so write the looping scenes so they still read well the second and third time. Once your story can remember things, you can also make the scene change on each pass. See Story history.
A hub#
One central scene the reader keeps returning to, each time with a bit more knowledge. Each spoke is a place to explore, and the hub eventually offers a way out.
A secret path#
A secret ending sits off the main route and is reached through a choice that looks wrong the first time. See Endings for what makes one worth finding.
Checks to run on your own map#
Open Graph view and look for these.
- Any scene with no arrows leaving it. It is a dead end, and readers who land there are stuck.
- Any node with no arrows arriving at it, other than the start. Nobody can reach it, so its writing is wasted.
- A path that never reaches an ending. Every walk should be able to finish.
The editor also checks the structure as you write and lists problems it finds.
Next#
Once you can build a map, you need a way to test it. Read Preview, share and submit.