Templates
Start a project from a template
When you create a project, choose what it starts from:
| Template | Starts with |
|---|---|
| Novel | Chapter One ▸ Scene One, a Plot note and a Settings folder in Research & Notes, and an 80,000-word target |
| Novella | Chapter One ▸ Scene One and a 30,000-word target |
| Short-story collection | A folder for the first story, and Collection manuscript and Collection ebook formats in Publish, which head each story with its title alone |
| Memoir | Chapter One ▸ Scene One, with People, Timeline and Letters and records in Research & Notes |
| Nonfiction | Part One ▸ Chapter One ▸ Introduction, with an Outline and a Sources folder |
| Journal | A first post, for a blog or newsletter (see Journals) |
| Screenplay | Three acts, opening on FADE IN: (see Screenplays) |
| Stage play | Act One ▸ Scene One and Act Two, in US or UK manuscript format (see Screenplays) |
| Blank | One empty scene |
Parts, chapters and scenes are marked with their Section type, so the book compiles with the right headings. Change anything afterwards: it's an ordinary project. The sheet also puts the project in a series, if you like (see Rooms).
New from Template
Choose New from Template (File menu on Mac; the ⋯ or + menu on iPad and iPhone) to add a document where the selection is:
- In the manuscript: a Scene (with Goal, Conflict, Outcome and Why it matters in its notes, so they never compile) or a Chapter with its first scene.
- In Research & Notes: a Character, a Place or a Research note, each with prompts to write after.
Your own templates
Select any document or folder and choose New from Template ▸ Save Selection as Template. A copy goes into a Templates folder in Research & Notes, and is listed under Your Templates from then on. Edit, rename or delete the documents in that folder to change your templates; they sync with the project.
A document made from a template copies its text, synopsis, notes and fields, and everything inside it for a folder. Comments, history and photos stay behind.