User Guide

From opening your first work, through organizing your manuscript and memos, to keeping a copy of what you've written.

This is a simplified, text-only translation of the Japanese manual. Screen references (menus, buttons, icon positions) describe the Mac and iPhone apps.

1. Starting your first manuscript

The first time you open the app, a shelf, box, and file are already there with placeholder names, along with a chapter and section to start writing in. You don't need to create everything from scratch.

Rename the placeholder shelf, box, and file to your own author name, work title, and manuscript name whenever you're ready. You can add more chapters and sections as your writing grows.

Reading this guide on your device

Mac: structure, body text, and memos are arranged side by side. iPhone: you move from the section list into the body text, and memos open in their own screen. iPad's layout changes depending on screen width and orientation.

The first time you open the app, you can choose "offline" (this device only) or "online" (shared across devices via an account). You can change this later from Settings → Account & Sharing.

2. Organizing your work

On the Home screen, your work is organized from the largest grouping down: Shelf → Box → File.

• Shelf — the top-level container, typically grouped by author name or activity.
• Box — groups everything for one work; give it a name you'll recognize, such as a title.
• File — a single manuscript. Also useful for tracking drafts and revisions (first draft, second draft, and so on).

Opening an existing work

1. Find the box you want on the Home screen.
2. Click the file inside the box (tap it on iPhone).
3. Click or tap the section you want to write in from the section list.

Renaming a placeholder

Open the hamburger menu next to a shelf, box, or file, and choose "Edit Name" or "Rename." Chapter titles are edited in the chapter heading field, and section titles at the top of the body screen.

Creating new ones as you need them

Use the "+" at the top of Home to add a shelf. The "+" inside a shelf or box adds a box or file, respectively — check which level you're adding to. Renaming and duplicating are available from each item's menu.

The free plan allows one shelf, one box, and one file, with 200MB of online storage. Paid plans remove the item-count limit and increase storage depending on the plan.

3. Writing and saving

Mac: choosing a section from the list

• Left: the chapter/section list. Click to switch which section you're editing; the start of its memo is shown under the section title.
• Center: title and body text, in separate fields you can edit independently.
• Right: the selected section's memo, and the memo shared across the whole work.

1. Select the section you want to write in from the section list.
2. Click into the body text in the center to type. Edit the title in the field above it.
3. At a natural stopping point, click the round up-arrow "Save" button next to the section title.

iPhone: from the section list into the body text

1. Open a file to see its chapter/section list, and tap the section you want.
2. Tap into the body text to type. You can also edit the section title at the top.
3. Save with the round up-arrow at the top. The back button at the top left returns you to the section list.

If the toolbar at the top gets hidden while scrolling, scroll the body text back up slightly to bring it back.

The page count shown for a section or an entire file is an estimate based on the traditional 400-character manuscript-paper standard. It differs from the actual PDF page count, and changing the export paper size alone will not change this number.

4. Building chapters and sections

Split your writing into "sections" by scene or topic, and group sections into "chapters." Start with sections for shorter pieces, and add chapters as needed.

• Add a section: selecting a section reveals a "+" at the end of its chapter; use it to add a new section.
• Add a chapter: use "Add Chapter" below the section list.
• Reorder the structure: use the drag handles in the list, or the "Reorder" button. Double-check what you're moving and where.
• Insert reference material: use the photo/document icons on the add-row inside a chapter to insert images or PDFs.

If you don't see a "+", select a section within that chapter, or click the blank area at the end of the chapter to reveal the add-row.

The amount of text that fits in a single section is roughly 300 sheets of Japanese manuscript paper. If your writing is longer, please split it across multiple sections.

5. Using section memos

A section memo is a place to jot down revision notes, structural ideas, or things to research for that section. It's saved separately from the body text, and switches automatically with whichever section you have selected — so you can keep working notes without writing them into the manuscript itself.

Mac: open it beside the body text

1. Select the section whose memo you want to see, from the section list.
2. Click the section memo at the top right of the horizontal-writing screen to open it.
3. Read and edit the memo while viewing the body text. If the memo is long, scroll within its own area.

iPhone: open it from the memo button above the body text

1. Open a section to reach the body-text screen.
2. Tap the memo-shaped button at the top right.
3. Check or edit the section memo at the top of the screen that opens.
4. Swipe the memo screen down to close it and return to the body text.

The "+" at the bottom adds a global memo. You don't need to press "+" just to write in the memo for the section you already have open.

Section memos vs. global memos vs. reference material

Keep notes specific to one section in its "section memo," and information relevant to the whole work in a "global memo." Use the photo/document icons in the memo area to attach images or PDFs as reference material.

To embed an image or PDF in the manuscript itself, add it from the chapter/section list rather than the memo area.

6. Writing vertically

1. Open a file, then click the "Horizontal" button in the editor.
2. The view switches to vertical writing: the section list moves to the right, the global memo to the left, and the section memo below the body text.
3. Scroll the body text left and right to read through it. Click the "Vertical" button to switch back to horizontal writing.

Vertical-writing editing is a Mac-only feature. On iPhone and iPad, body text is always edited horizontally.

7. Adjusting the writing feel

1. From the editor, use the back button to return Home, then click or tap the gear icon.
2. Under "Display Settings," choose the on-screen font size, background color, and line color.
3. Under "Horizontal Settings" and "Vertical Settings," adjust the font, size, and line spacing for body text and memos.
4. Adjust the maximum characters per line/column and the margins, and check how it looks. On Mac, you can use the live preview in the settings screen.

8. Continuing on another device

1. On each device, sign in to the same account from Settings → Account & Sharing.
2. Turn on "Enable Sync."
3. On the device you're writing on, save the body text, then check the sync status on Home.
4. Check sync on the next device too, before opening the same file.

Home shows a status such as "Syncing" or "Synced." Tap the sync status button for details. If you can't connect, check your network and try again.

"Saving" and "reaching your other device" don't always happen at the same moment. If a conflict is shown, compare the two versions to resolve it. Manuscripts in offline mode stay on that device only.

9. Exporting to PDF and HTML

Mac: turning a manuscript into a PDF

1. Open the file you want to export, and click "PDF" (the printer icon).
2. Choose paper size, orientation, and writing direction.
3. Set characters per line, lines per page, margins, page numbers, and the cover page.
4. Check how chapter/section titles and page breaks are handled.
5. Click "Export with These Settings" and choose where to save.

Choosing "Also save these settings as my default" keeps today's export settings for next time.

Export always applies to the whole open file. Selecting a single section on screen does not limit the export to just that section.

iPhone: saving and sharing a PDF

1. Go back from the body-text screen to the chapter/section list.
2. Tap "PDF" at the top right.
3. From the share sheet, choose how to save or share it, such as "Save to Files."

On iPhone, the PDF is created using your saved export settings, in horizontal writing. The full export-settings sheet available on Mac does not open here.

Mac: exporting only the open file as HTML or TEXT

Use "HTML" or "TEXT" in the editor to export just the current file. HTML is meant for reading in a browser; TEXT is meant for handling your writing as a plain text file. This is different from exporting your entire library.

Exporting your entire library as HTML

1. Go to Settings → Export → "Export Library as HTML."
2. On Mac, choose a destination folder and click "Export Here." On iPhone, choose "Save to Files" from the share sheet.
3. Open the HTML file inside the exported folder in a browser.

This exports every shelf, box, file, memo, and attachment together. The same export is also available from the "Save to This Device" button on Home. Keep the exported folder's contents together, since links to images and PDFs depend on the folder structure.

The HTML export is a format for reading your work without the app. It's separate from restoring data inside the app.

10. Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Contact support ↗