Begin with the next part of the book, its first chapter and the scenes you can already name. Add more structure as the manuscript becomes clearer and each division earns a purpose.
The five-step route
- Open Writing.
- In the document navigator, create a New Part.
- Add a New Chapter inside that part.
- Use New Scene for each scene needed in the next movement of the story.
- Use Book view to check their place in the full manuscript.
1. Give the manuscript three levels
The Writing navigator shows parts, chapters and scenes in one hierarchy. Give each level a distinct job:
- Part: a major movement that ends with the book heading in a new direction.
- Chapter: a unit of reading rhythm, tension or point of view.
- Scene: continuous action that produces an identifiable change.
Starting tip
Build the next section you can name
Thirty empty chapters create thirty promises to maintain. Set up the next movement of the book first. Add a part or chapter when you can describe what makes it distinct.
2. Name scenes so you can find them
“Scene 12” records position. A short title can also recall the location, confrontation or turn: “At the gates of Roumat”, “The altered fragment” or “Varek denies entry”.
When a scene is open, its path shows the parent chapter and part. The scene selector in the lower bar lets you move to another passage without climbing back through the hierarchy.
3. Choose the view that answers your question
Book view shows the complete reading order. Arc and Character views let you inspect the manuscript through a particular story thread or presence. Return to Book when you need to judge the overall rhythm.
A simple example
- Part II
- The Return: Tobias travels towards a city he left twelve years earlier.
- Chapter 2
- The Crossing: the approach to Roumat increases the pressure until the gates close.
- Scenes
- Goat Pass, At the gates of Roumat, then The Ramparts. Each title points to a place and a stage of the return.
4. Keep useful context nearby
The context panel separates entities present in this scene from those stored elsewhere. Connect a character, place or other world element when the scene depends on it. The relevant context remains available without turning the prose into notes.
In World, entities can be characters, locations, objects, concepts, species, languages or histories. Relationships shows how they connect, while Plot, Timeline and Locations answer different questions about the same material.
5. Find and check your work
Use the navigator search once the hierarchy grows long. The lower bar also shows the selected scene, text statistics and the Saved on this device state. Before ending a session, check the scene name and confirm that this state is visible.
If a filtered view leaves you unsure of the surrounding structure, switch to Book. The full hierarchy returns, with the current part and chapter available for navigation.
Three useful habits
Give each scene a changed ending
Complete the sentence “By the end of this scene...” in your notes. Name the decision, discovery or relationship shift that earns the scene its place.
Prepare one scene ahead
When planning begins to replace drafting, open the next scene and write its objective, obstacle and exit. Further decisions can wait until the prose reaches them.
Grow the world from the text
Create and connect entities when a scene needs them. The world then develops around the manuscript and stays tied to the reader's experience.
Prepare the structure before opening Plumelin
The novel outline template helps define major movements and scene changes before you place them in the Writing navigator.
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