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 see how plot threads interweave with thoughtful scene subplot placement.
• 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

• Status Colors: In Subplot Mode - 2, scenes are color-coded by status (Todo = plaid, Working = pink, Overdue = red, Complete = publish stage color customizable in settings). In Narrative and Chronologue modes, scenes display their subplot color.
• Completion Estimates: Plugin calculates target completion date based on your recent writing pace. The calculated is most accurate when the Due date is updated to the day of scene completion.
• Capture actual completion dates: When you mark a scene as Complete, update its Due date to the day you finished. Those timestamps power the completion estimate calculations, so keeping them current improves the forecast.
• Publishing Stages: Track manuscript through Zero → Author → House → Press.
• Subplot Mode: Switch to subplot mode (navigation top right via page icon or keyboard 2) for a per-subplot view (no combined outer ring) that emphasizes publication progress and Todo/Working/Overdue status patterns.

Modes: Narrative (key 1) or Subplot (key 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. Order: Choose from Narrative, Chronological, Reverse Narrative, or Reverse Chronological ordering.
3. Subplot Filter: Optionally filter to compile only scenes from a specific subplot.
4. TOC: Select Markdown, Plain Text, or No Table of Contents.
5. 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).
6. 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