Import, export and collections

Export a manuscript

Exporting makes a copy of the scenes you choose. Your project stays editable and unchanged.

1. Choose Projects in the top bar, or File → Export Manuscript…, to open the project hub.
2. In the Current project box, open Export manuscript… and choose a format:
   • Plain text (.txt)
   • Markdown (.md)
   • Editable rich text (.rtf)…
   • Word document (.docx)…
   • Paginated PDF (.pdf)…
3. Choose what to export, the layout and the presentation (below).
4. Choose Preview export and check the result.
5. Choose the export button at the bottom, such as Export DOCX… or Export PDF…. Pick a name and place, and choose Export.

The file saved is exactly what you previewed. If anything changes after the preview, StoryShape asks you to preview again.

For a paperback interior or an ebook, use Publish instead.

Choose what to export

• Scope — the Whole project, a book, or a chapter.
• Collection — or use a saved collection instead of a scope.
• Tick and untick individual scenes in the list. Included manuscript only selects the scenes included in the manuscript; All scenes in scope selects every scene, including excluded ones; Clear unticks everything.

Layout (Word, RTF and PDF)

Start from a preset, then adjust anything:

Preset	Gives you
Submission · double spaced	US Letter, Times New Roman 12 pt, double spaced, half-inch first-line indents, 1-inch margins, page numbers
Typewriter	The same, in Courier
Reading · stored formatting	Your own paragraph formatting, slightly spaced, no page numbers
Use writing-view paper & margins	The paper and margins you use in Write

Then set the Paper size, Font, Font size · pt, Line spacing, Paragraph after · pt, First-line indent · pt, Margins · inches, and Page numbers.

The font list has the three fonts On every computer and the 23 included fonts. PDFs include the font. Word and RTF files only name it, so someone without that font sees a substitute; use Times New Roman or Courier when sending a Word file to someone else.

Presentation

• Separate scenes with *** — puts a scene break between scenes. Otherwise scenes are separated by a blank line.
• Paragraphs — Use the output layout throughout, or Keep stored paragraph formatting from Write.
• Headings — No chapter or part headings, Chapter and part titles, or Numbered chapter and part titles (such as “Chapter 1 — The Door”).
• Book titles and Scene titles — add them as headings.
• Start chapters and parts on new pages.

Folders never produce headings.

Save your settings as a preset

Under Export preset, type a Preset name and choose Save new. Presets save the format, layout and scene breaks, but not which scenes are selected. They’re saved in the project, so they travel with it. Replace updates a preset, and Move to Trash removes it.

What each format is good for

Format	Use it for
Word document (.docx)	Agents, editors and anyone using Word or Google Docs
Editable rich text (.rtf)	Other word processors
Paginated PDF (.pdf)	Reading, printing or sending a fixed copy
Plain text (.txt)	Anything; headings and text, no formatting
Markdown (.md)	Other writing tools and websites; keeps headings, bold, italic and underline

Manuscript exports contain only your prose. Notes, comments and World pages need a readable project export.

Export a readable project

File → Export Readable Project… saves the whole project as a folder of linked Markdown pages anyone can read, in any text editor, with no StoryShape needed.

1. Choose File → Export Readable Project….
2. Choose a name and place for the new folder, and choose Export.

The folder opens when it’s done. Start with INDEX.md, which links to the World, the manuscript and each book. Inside are:

• INDEX.md, the home page;
• World.md, your Wiki, grouped by type;
• Manuscript.md, the included manuscript;
• a page for every scene, chapter, World entry, idea, note, plot and task;
• your attachments, and the data StoryShape needs to restore it.

A readable export is also a complete backup: you can restore it with Restore a copy…. Changes you make to the Markdown files aren’t brought back when you restore.

Import a manuscript

Bring in a draft from another app as new scenes.

1. Choose File → Import Manuscript…, or Import manuscript… in the project hub.
2. Choose a .docx, .rtf, .md or .txt file, then Review import.
3. Choose where to Add to: a book or chapter.
4. To split the file into several scenes, tick Separate scenes at lines containing only ***. Otherwise the whole file becomes one scene.
5. Check each scene’s title, and choose Preview to see its text.
6. Read the Conversion notes, then choose Import N scenes.

Existing scenes are never changed. The exact original file is kept inside the project too.

What comes across:

• Word: text, headings, bold, italic, underline, and paragraph formatting. Tables become paragraphs. Comments, footnotes, headers and footers, images, links and tracked deletions aren’t brought in. Page breaks become line breaks.
• RTF: text and emphasis.
• Markdown: headings, bold, italic and underline. Other Markdown stays as plain text.
• Plain text: text. Files must be UTF-8 (or UTF-16).

Files can be up to 64 MB.

One chapter per import works well. Import doesn’t split at headings or page breaks. Either import each chapter into its own chapter in StoryShape, or put a line with only *** between scenes in your file before importing.

Import a Scrivener project

1. Close the project in Scrivener.
2. In StoryShape, choose File → Import Scrivener Project… and select the complete .scriv folder. To import a ZIP instead, open the project hub and choose Import Scrivener… → Complete ZIP archive….
3. Review the summary: books, chapters and folders, scenes, research pages and words.
4. Check the Book title.
5. Read Needs your review and Conversion notes. If anything needs review, tick the box to confirm you’ve read it.
6. Choose Add to project.

StoryShape imports projects in Scrivener’s project format 2.0, the format Scrivener 3 saves. It needs the whole .scriv folder, not just the .scrivx file inside it. Your Scrivener project isn’t changed.

What comes across:

• The Draft folder becomes a new book. Folders and text groups become chapters, and text documents become scenes.
• Research and other binder items become World entries, and PDFs, images and audio become attachments.
• Synopses, notes, labels, status, keywords (as tags), “Include in compile”, word targets and the draft deadline.
• Scrivener’s Trash becomes a book in StoryShape’s Trash.

Compile settings, comments, snapshots, styles, footnotes and other Scrivener-only features stay in the original. A complete copy of the original is kept inside your StoryShape project; to save it again, open the project hub and use Save exact copy… under Retained source originals.

This is a one-time import, not a two-way sync.

Collections

A collection gathers related work in one place: a subplot’s scenes, everything about a character, or the chapters you’re sending to a beta reader. Collections never copy or move anything; they point to the originals.

Open them with Workspace → Collections… (Ctrl+Shift+K) or Collections in the project library.

Chosen items

A list you build by hand, in the order you choose.

1. Choose ＋ New chosen items and give it a Collection name.
2. Use Add originals to find scenes, notes, World entries and more, and add them.
3. Reorder with ↑ and ↓, and remove with −.
4. Choose Save collection.

You can also right-click almost anything in the library and choose Add to collection, or New collection with this item….

Saved filter

A collection that updates itself, based on rules.

1. Choose ＋ New saved filter and name it.
2. Set any of the rules:
   • Literal text in title, prose, aliases or tags;
   • Item kinds (scenes, World entries, ideas, notes and so on);
   • Tags, with Match tags: All tags or Any tag;
   • Statuses or book canon;
   • World entry type;
   • Book context;
   • Scene inclusion: any, included or excluded;
   • Scene-reference rules: Point of view, Location, Present, Discussed only, and Plot thread.
3. Choose a Sort: Title, Kind and title, Manuscript order or Recently edited.
4. Choose Preview matches to check the results, then Save collection.

For example: every included scene where Alice is Present, in manuscript order.

Use a collection

Open a collection to see its items. Open goes to an item; Pin keeps it beside your draft. If an item is in Trash or no longer available, the collection says so.

In the export dialog, choose a Collection to export just its scenes, in Collection order or Manuscript order. Chapters and books in a collection export as their scenes, and anything that isn’t manuscript is left out.