Core Workflows

This page stays intentionally short. It outlines the main Radial Timeline workflow and points to the deeper pages when you need detail.

For first-time setup, start with Fresh Vault Onboarding or Existing Vault Onboarding.

Planning Your Novel

• Use Scenes, Structure, and the Timeline if you want the conceptual model first.
• Organize the manuscript around Acts, Subplots, and an optional story beat system.
• Use Book Designer when you want a guided scaffold instead of creating every note by hand.
• Configure structure in Settings → Core → Acts and Settings → Core → Story beats system.

Creating Scenes

• Use Radial Timeline: Create note… to create scenes, manuscript matter, story world notes, and metadata notes.
• Choose Scene and then Basic scene or Advanced scene depending on how much frontmatter you want up front.
• Use How to for task-based help such as reordering scenes, managing subplots, rotating the timeline, and search.

Reviewing Structure and Time

• Use Narrative Mode to work in manuscript order.
• Use Chronologue Mode to review story-world chronology, duration, and time gaps.
• Use Gossamer Mode for beat-level scoring, and Inquiry for corpus-level analysis.

Progress Mode and Tracking Progress

• Use Progress Mode for daily drafting status and revision-stage tracking.
• Use Author Progress Report when you want a public, spoiler-safe progress graphic instead of an internal workflow view.
• Use Zero Draft mode if you want to capture revision notes without breaking drafting flow. See Settings → Progress and Status.

Exporting a Manuscript

• Use Radial Timeline: Manuscript export when you're ready to compile scenes into Markdown, outline formats, or PDF-ready output.
• Use Publishing for template selection, Modern Classic setup, chapter handling, and publishing-specific options.
• Use Command Palette if you only need the command reference.

Setting Up Pandoc Export

1. Install Pandoc.
2. Install a LaTeX distribution if you want PDF output.
3. Open Settings → Publish for PDF styles and bundled layouts, and Settings → Advanced → Configuration for the export-path readout and logs.