Is Excel or Google Sheets enough for worldbuilding?
Spreadsheets are handy for comparing characters' ages, hometowns or the size of an army, and many writers start worldbuilding in one. But as the world grows, long text doesn't fit in cells, relationships get lost in columns, and reaching everything about one character in one place gets harder. yazar.io is built for this job: every record lives on its own page, with its links.
Where spreadsheets shine
Seeing the same attribute side by side for dozens of records, sorting and filtering, is what spreadsheets do best. They're fast and powerful for comparing characters' ages, listing the population of each city or running a consistency check.
Why it gets harder as the world grows
Long text such as a character's backstory, motivation or a location's history doesn't fit comfortably in cells. When characters, locations and organizations are split across sheets, you type names by hand to show relationships and fix them one by one when a name changes. Seeing who a record is connected to means searching across sheets, and images don't really fit in a spreadsheet.
How yazar.io solves this
Every character, location and organization has its own page with ready-made profile fields and any custom fields you add, plus a rich text field for longer writing. When you type @Name in any text, the link is created automatically and appears on the other page too. You can choose which profile fields stand out on cards, add multiple images to each record, and search everything in your book instantly with Ctrl/Cmd+K.
Do I have to drop spreadsheets entirely?
No. For specific numeric comparisons or calculations, a spreadsheet can still be useful. Use yazar.io as the main source for your world and go back to a spreadsheet when you need to; you can also export your book as JSON to work with it in other tools.
| Feature | yazar.io | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing one attribute across many records | The fields you choose show on cards | Its strength: sorting and filtering |
| Long text (backstory, history, description) | Rich text field on every record | Hard to fit in cells |
| Links between records | Automatic Linked Pages, visible both ways | Names typed and updated by hand |
| Images | Multiple images per record | Limited |
| Family tree and event order | Ready-made Family Tree and Timeline | Columns you build by hand |
| Sharing with readers | Per-book Shareable Wiki | Spreadsheet sharing |
Can I import my characters from a spreadsheet?
There's no direct import tool yet; you create the records and copy and paste the information.
Can I create my own columns like in a spreadsheet?
Yes, that's exactly what custom fields are for. Add your own fields to any record and choose a field template for each book.
Can I get data out of yazar.io to use in a spreadsheet?
Yes, you can export your book as JSON or Markdown.
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