Projects, Notes & Organization
Setting up projects, organizing files, and where things live on your Mac.
Creating and Managing Projects with the Writing Desk App
Open full how-to guideShow transcript
0:00 This video outlines how to create, open, and manage projects within Writing Desk, and gives you a tour of the core features.
0:08 When you open the app, you have three options: open a project, create a new file, or open a file from your device.
0:19 Select Projects to see your existing projects, or create a new project if you're starting from scratch.
0:27 Select the type of project: novel, short story, or poetry.
0:34 Add your novel title and target word count, then click Create. Writing Desk creates a folder structure alongside your manuscript.
0:43 If you select New File, you can create it as a new project, as a note, or add it to an existing project.
0:50 Notes are one-off documents not associated with a project.
0:53 Opening an existing project takes you straight into the editor.
0:58 Your manuscript is front and centre in Writing Desk.
1:02 The left-hand menu connects related resources, lets you navigate your manuscript chapters, and add chapter notes to The Pad.
1:15 Top right, you'll find the Writing Tracker, where you can track your progress, words written today, and your velocity.
1:23 Click Analysis to view the built-in editorial tools.
1:28 Click the hamburger menu, top left, to access export tools.
1:31 The toolbar has all the formatting tools you'd expect from a word processor.
1:37 You can even add comments and review them there.
1:42 Finally, hit Focus Mode to hide everything, so you can get down to the business of writing.
1:48 Start writing with Writing Desk today. Download the app for free.
There are two ways to get going, depending on where your manuscript already lives. Starting fresh: 1. Click Projects, then Create New Project. 2. Give your project a name. Writing Desk sets up a folder for it on your device. Bringing in an existing manuscript: 1. Save your manuscript as a .docx file if it isn't already. 2. Click Projects, then + Existing Project. 3. Select your .docx file to link it as a project. Either way, we recommend keeping each project in its own folder on your device, so all its related files stay organized together.
Project types are labels only. They help you organize and identify your work, but they don't change how the app behaves, whatever type you choose, you get the same full set of features.
A Note is a simple one-off file that isn't linked to a project. It's a good fit for story ideas, quick notes, or anything you don't need a full project folder for.
Yes. If you're working on a poetry or short story collection, you can link multiple files together within the same project.
On your own machine. Writing Desk saves a .docx file plus a .wdjson sidecar file alongside it in your project folder.
Moving your files out of their original folder breaks the link the app uses to find them. If that happens, just click Open Existing File and select your manuscript from its new location to reconnect it.
A single folder for all your story-related notes, screenshots, images, and PDFs. Link it from the Resource section and you'll have quick access to everything in it from the writing zone.
A collapsible notes panel that sits alongside your manuscript, scoped to the chapter you're working on. You can import your Story Plotter notes for the current chapter into it with one click, and use it for quick ideas or chapter thoughts as you write.
Import runs one way, from Story Plotter into The Pad, and it's manual rather than automatic. This keeps your content from duplicating across the two.
A place to build out characters, locations, and other worldbuilding material, with support for images and galleries on character and location entries.
Only fields you've explicitly marked as shareable with AI are ever included in an AI request. Anything marked private is never transmitted, no matter which AI feature you use.
Yes. Save your file as a .docx from Word or Google Docs, then open it with Writing Desk.
Writing Desk will import most standard formatting from your file, but unusual or non-standard heading styles may not carry across perfectly. It's worth checking your chapter breaks after import.
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