---
title: Floor Plan Best Practices
category: Floor Plans
tags: floor plans, best practices, writing, continuity, planning spaces
contextKey: floorPlans.bestPractices
micro: Keep Floor Plans focused on story usefulness, not architectural perfection.
quickTitle: Floor Plan best practices
quickSummary: Start rough, model narrative spaces, use hidden routes when they matter, and focus on what the story needs.
screenshot:
---

# Overview

A useful Floor Plan is clear enough to support the story. It does not need to be a perfect building survey.

# Start Rough

Place the important rooms first. Add corridors, gardens, cellars and stairs when they matter. You can refine shapes and transitions later.

# Model Narrative Spaces

Use blocks to represent spaces that matter to the story: where people stand, what they can hear, where an asset is hidden, or how someone gets from one room to another.

Do not over-model every architectural detail. A fireplace, alcove or cupboard only needs its own Location if the story treats it as a meaningful place.

# Use Multiple Blocks For Awkward Shapes

If a room is L-shaped or irregular, use several blocks linked to the same Location. PlotDirector will visually merge the shared internal borders, so the room still reads as one space.

# Corridors Matter

Use corridors, landings and halls as Locations too. They often control movement, sightlines, overheard conversations and who could plausibly arrive in time.

# Secret Routes

Use hidden doors, secret passages and blocked routes when they carry story meaning. They are ideal for mystery houses, backstage areas, old buildings, hidden compartments and reveals.

# Check Vertical Logic

Use the reference floor overlay before adding stairs. It is much easier to line up a staircase early than to fix a broken vertical route after several scenes depend on it.

# Focus On Story Questions

Let the plan answer practical questions:

- who can see or hear whom?
- where are important assets?
- how does a character move through the space?
- what route is hidden from the reader or from other characters?
- does the scene still make sense when viewed from above?