StoryShape for iPad

What’s the same

StoryShape for iPad has Ideas, Plan, Board, Write, Revise, World, Progress and Publish, and works the same way as the desktop app. Most of this guide applies to both. Projects use the same .storyproj format, so a project made on one opens on the other.

It works offline, with no account and no subscription. There are no in-app purchases.

It needs an iPad with iPadOS 18 or later.

First launch

The first time you open StoryShape on iPad, it creates a project called Untitled Story and opens a blank scene in Write, so you can start writing straight away. Later, StoryShape reopens the project you were last using.

If you have projects but none is open, a welcome screen offers Start writing, Open project library, Explore Wonderland demo and Offline guide.

The project library

Tap Projects to open the Project library:

• New project asks for a Project title and creates it.
• Start writing in a blank project creates one and opens a blank scene.
• Explore Wonderland demo adds an editable copy of the demo.
• Import project from Files… brings in a project from the Files app.
• New window opens another StoryShape window, so you can work on two projects side by side.

For the project that’s open, Current project has Save a separate local copy, Backups & recovery…, Trash…, Import manuscript from Files…, Import Scrivener project…, Export manuscript…, Export project to Files… and Export readable project and Wiki….

Where projects live on iPad

Projects are stored on the iPad, in On My iPad › StoryShape in the Files app. StoryShape doesn’t sync them through iCloud.

When you import a project from Files, StoryShape shows a review of it (format, records, words and files), then copies it onto the iPad with Import copy. The original you chose is never changed.

Move projects between iPad and desktop

From the iPad to a computer:

1. On the iPad, open the project and choose Projects → Export project to Files….
2. Save it somewhere your computer can reach, such as a cloud drive folder or a USB drive. The exported project is named StoryShape.storyproj; rename it if you like, keeping the .storyproj ending.
3. On the computer, choose File → Open Project… and open it.

From a computer to the iPad:

1. Close the project in StoryShape on the computer.
2. Copy the whole .storyproj folder somewhere the iPad’s Files app can reach.
3. On the iPad, choose Projects → Import project from Files…, choose the project, review it and choose Import copy.

There’s no automatic sync. Each move makes a copy, so keep track of which one is current, and keep a backup before you open a project in a newer version.

Finding your way around

• The workspace bar is at the bottom of the screen: Ideas, Plan, Board, Write, Revise and World, then Publish, which opens full screen.
• The top bar has Projects, then, on the right, Theme, Layout, Commands, Map, Writing progress, Writing goals and session, Undo, Redo, Save project, the inspector, and the word count.
• The sidebar has search (Search project and collections) and a + menu to add a book, part, chapter, folder, scene, board or idea.

Layout and themes

Tap Layout to choose, for each workspace, whether to Show project library and Show inspector, and their widths. In Write you can also Show reference beside the draft. Under Interface theme on this iPad, choose Standard or StoryShape Premium. Appearance for this project sets System, Light or Dark. Choose Save layout.

The Theme menu switches between System, Light, Dark and StoryShape Premium in one tap.

Writing on iPad

Write works as it does on the desktop, with a few differences.

• The Scene menu above the draft has Snapshots…, Duplicate as alternate draft…, Open continuous chapter, Pin as reference and Move to Trash.
• Open beside edits two scenes at once. In a narrow window, the two panes stack instead of squeezing the text. Close split returns to one scene.
• References opens your pinned references. Show one beside the draft in a wide window and drag the divider, or open it as a panel in a smaller window.
• World in passage shows the World entries named in the paragraph you’re in.
• Focus clears the screen around the draft.
• More writing tools → Spelling & typing preferences… has spelling, autocorrection, smart quotes and smart dashes, each set to Use system setting, On or Off. Live spelling follows your active keyboard’s language.
• Read aloud uses your iPad’s installed voices. Select a passage and choose Read aloud, or read a whole scene from Revise.

With a hardware keyboard, the shortcuts below work too.

Handwriting on the Board

The iPad Board can hold handwritten notes.

1. In Board, tap Handwrite.
2. Give the note a Note title.
3. Draw with Apple Pencil or your finger. Pinch to zoom; use two fingers to move the paper. Use the iPadOS drawing tools to change pen, colour or eraser.
4. Tap Save note, or Keep draft to finish later. Undo stroke and Redo stroke fix mistakes.

The original drawing is kept with the project, and included in copies and backups. On the desktop, handwritten notes appear as pictures you can move, colour and link.

Handwriting stays as a drawing; it isn’t turned into text.

The iPad Board can also add images From Photos…, From Files…, or with Paste image.

Markup with Apple Pencil

In Revise, mark up a scene with Pen, Highlight and Erase, in Red, Blue, Purple or Gold, then tap Save markup. Turn on Finger drawing to mark up without a Pencil. The manuscript stays read only while you mark it up, and markup is saved separately from the text.

Publish on iPad

Publish on iPad makes the same paperback interior PDF and EPUB 3 ebook as the desktop app, offline, with the same trims, themes, fonts, margins, headers, drop caps, hyphenation and checklist. See Publish.

Use the Get your book menu to Typeset paperback, Preview paperback, Export paperback PDF…, Preview ebook and Export EPUB…. Files are saved through the Files app. Publishing settings are saved with the book, so they’re the same on every device.

Import and export on iPad

• Import manuscript from Files… brings in TXT, Markdown, RTF or Word (.docx) files, with the same review as the desktop, including Split at lines containing only ***.
• Import Scrivener project… takes a complete .scriv package or folder, or a ZIP. Close Scrivener first. Afterwards, the book’s inspector has Scrivener report and complete original….
• Export manuscript… saves Plain text, Markdown, Rich text, Word document or PDF. The iPad presets are Submission · serif, double spaced, Submission · typewriter and Reading · serif, plus any presets you’ve saved. Choose Build current preview, then Save to Files….
• Export readable project and Wiki… saves a readable folder, like the desktop’s readable export.

Collections are in Search & collections.

Backups on iPad

Projects → Backups & recovery… has:

• Automatic Files copies — choose a folder in Files, including a cloud provider’s folder, for automatic copies outside the app.
• Automatic local checkpoints — every 15 minutes, with retention settings and Checkpoint now.
• Protected project milestones — Preserve this saved project keeps a named copy that’s never removed automatically.

Keep a copy outside the iPad. Projects live on the iPad itself. Set up Automatic Files copies to a cloud folder, or export important projects regularly, so a lost or broken iPad doesn’t mean lost work.

iPad keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Does
⌘⇧P	Commands
⌘S	Save
⌘Z / ⌘⇧Z	Undo / Redo
⌘B, ⌘I, ⌘U	Bold, italic, underline
⌘⌥⇧V	Paste and match style
⌘⌥M	Map reference
⌘⌥I	Show or hide the inspector
⌘⌥N	New window

The iPad has no shortcuts for switching workspaces; tap them in the workspace bar.

Differences at a glance

Only on iPad:

• drawing handwritten Board notes;
• marking up scenes with Apple Pencil;
• several windows at once;
• adding Board images from Photos.

Only on the desktop:

• keyboard shortcuts for switching workspaces;
• reading a whole chapter or book aloud (Windows);
• How Words Are Counted, Prepare Support Report, Planning Recovery and update checks.