Kindling
Free, open-source writing app for plotters. Import your outline from Scrivener, Plottr, yWriter, or Obsidian — then draft with your scene beats, character notes, and story structure visible alongside your prose. No AI, no subscription, no cloud.
Features
Properties
- Lightweight
- Privacy focused
- Distraction-free
Features
- Desktop Application
- No registration required
- Ad-free
- Dark Mode
- Support for MarkDown
- Works Offline
- Hierarchical Structure
- Portable
- No Tracking
- File Versioning
- Offline
- Distraction-free Writing
Kindling News & Activities
Recent activities
Kindling information
Developed by
Kindling Licensing
Open Source (MIT) and Free product.Written in
Alternatives
38 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
AlternativeTo Categories
News & Books, Office & ProductivityGitHub repository
- 18 Stars
- 1 Forks
- 32 Open Issues
- Updated
What is Kindling?
Kindling is a desktop writing app for plotters and outliners — writers who build a detailed outline before they start drafting. Most writing software gives you a blank page when it's time to write. Kindling gives you a scaffolded writing space where your scene beats are expandable prompts, your character and location details surface automatically, and your story structure stays visible while you write.
Import your existing outline from Scrivener (.scriv), Plottr (.pltr), yWriter (.yw7), Obsidian Longform, or Markdown — no need to rebuild your work. When your draft is ready, export to Scrivener, DOCX (Standard Manuscript Format), EPUB, Markdown, or Obsidian Longform.
Kindling is free, open source (MIT license), and local-first. No AI. No subscription. No account required, no cloud dependency. Your projects are saved on your machine as SQLite files — open, inspectable, and permanently yours.
Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.