Getting Started
The first time you open Writers Notebook it walks you through a short setup wizard. After that, the app remembers your choices and takes you straight to your last project.
The first-run wizard
When there is no saved configuration (a fresh install), the onboarding wizard appears with a few steps:
1. Choose a data directory
This is the folder where all of your projects will be stored. The app suggests ~/Documents/WritersNotebook by default, but you can pick any location you like using the folder picker.
Everything you write is saved here as plain YAML and Markdown files, one folder per project. Because it's just files on disk, you can back the folder up, sync it, or move it to another computer at any time.
2. Create your first project
Give your project a title and an optional description. The title is used to name the project's folder and, later, appears on your exported title page.
Instead of starting blank, you can also choose Import a manuscript here to build the project from an existing EPUB, PDF, or text file. See Importing Manuscripts.
3. Choose an outline template
Select a structural scaffold to start from. Every count and word-count goal is a suggestion you can edit before generating, and you can add or remove levels of hierarchy. The available templates are:
| Template | Starting structure |
|---|---|
| Empty (Fiction) | A blank outline with no scaffold. |
| Novel | 20 chapters x 5 scenes, 500 words per scene. |
| Novella | 10 chapters x 5 scenes, 500 words per scene. |
| Short Story | 10 scenes, 1,000 words per scene. |
| Trilogy | 3 books x 3 sections x 10 chapters x 5 scenes, 500 words per scene. |
| Empty (Non-fiction) | A blank outline using non-fiction labels (Parts, Chapters, Sections). |
Don't worry about getting the structure perfect here; the outline is fully editable afterward. See Outlines.
4. Configure and generate
Adjust the counts and word goals to taste, then generate. The app writes your project files and drops you into the Workshop, ready to write.
After the first run
On every later launch, Writers Notebook loads your most recently opened project automatically and skips the wizard. You can create more projects or open other ones at any time from the project switcher.
Server (web) mode
If you run Writers Notebook in server mode, the same onboarding flow appears in your browser. If a password has been configured for the server, you'll see a login prompt first. See Installation for how to run in server mode.