Practical guides for setting up your writing space, organizing characters and worldbuilding, importing an existing manuscript, and backing up your project.
Start with the sections below for a quick orientation, or jump into a focused guide for a specific task.
Author Notebook is built for writers who need one calm place for drafts, chapters, characters, worldbuilding, notes, and progress. Use it locally without an account, or sign in to use optional Cloud Projects.
Draft chapters with autosave and Focus Mode, then build character dossiers with a relationship graph so a large cast stays easy to track across a long manuscript.
Organize locations, factions, maps, and lore in the Worldbuilding Hub, then use Story Structure to plan acts, track foreshadowing, and catch plot contradictions early.
Bring an existing manuscript into Author Notebook, or export a portable project file whenever you want a backup.
A practical approach to character profiles, relationships, and a cast list that stays readable.
Locations, factions, rules, and timeline consistency, covered step by step.
A practical, act-based approach to planning your novel before you draft.
Plant, track, and resolve foreshadowing without losing the thread.
A practical comparison for writers choosing their planning and drafting tools.
A balanced, feature-by-feature comparison for novelists weighing their options.
What local-first actually means for your files, and when optional sync helps.
Bring an existing manuscript into Author Notebook, chapter by chapter.
A calm, local-first workspace for novelists — chapters, characters, worldbuilding, and story structure in one place.
Sign up to try the beta