Core Workflows

Planning Your Novel

• Act Structure: Create and distribute scenes by act (1-3) to see your three-act structure take shape as scene ideas come to you.
• Subplot Tracking: Each ring represents a different subplot. Keep scenes in a single subplot or spread them across multiple subplots to capture common themes, topics, characters, etc.
• Story Beats: Use story beat systems (Save the Cat, Hero's Journey, Story Grid, or Custom) to lay out the momentum scaffolding.
• Backdrop: Whether it's the sun setting for a half year (north or south pole) or a sun reigniting after centuries of dormancy in an exotic star system, mark major plot backdrop events using the special context ring placed below the outer ring.

Tracking Progress with the status grid and scene colors

• Scene Status Colors: In Subplot Mode, scenes are color-coded by status: Todo = plaid, Working = pink, Overdue = red, Complete = publish stage color. In Narrative and Chronologue modes, scenes display their subplot color.
• Publishing Stages: Track manuscript through Zero → Author → House → Press.
• Completion Estimate Mark: Plugin calculates target completion date based on your recent writing pace. The calculation is most accurate when the Due date is updated to the day of scene completion.

Modes: Subplot 2 Settings: Publishing stage colors

Generating a Manuscript

When you're ready to read through your work or send it to an editor, use the Generate manuscript command.

1. Open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + P) and select Radial Timeline: Generate manuscript.
2. Chronological Increment: Scenes When date will adjust per scene.
3. Subplot Filter: Optionally filter to compile only scenes from a specific subplot.
4. Order: Choose from Narrative, Chronological, Reverse Narrative, or Reverse Chronological ordering.
5. TOC: Select Markdown, Plain Text, or No Table of Contents.
6. Range: Use the drag-bar slider to visually select a specific range of scenes to include (useful for generating a single act or particular range of scenes).
7. Output: A new file is created in the AI/ folder containing the compiled text of all selected scenes.

Zero Draft Mode

Prevents edits to completed zero-draft scenes. Click completed scene → modal for pending edits → save ideas for later revision. Keeps you progress to new scenes instead of endlessly revising. See the Settings for details.

Settings: → Radial Timeline → Zero draft mode