Your first Manuscript
A Manuscript in Trove is the container for one novel, novella, or short story collection. Here’s the ten-minute version of getting one going.
1. Start at the Desk
Section titled “1. Start at the Desk”When you launch Trove for the first time, the Desk shows your Manuscripts, Codexes, and recent activity. It’s empty. Click New Manuscript.
2. Name and stub it
Section titled “2. Name and stub it”Give the Manuscript a name — say, Bridgepoint. Trove slugs the name for the folder (manuscripts/bridgepoint/) but the display name can include any character. Pick a status (drafting, outlining, complete, or on-hold) and an optional word target.
Trove also provisions a Codex for the Manuscript automatically — the library its characters and locations will live in. (Writing in a shared setting? Link an existing Codex instead.) You can apply a Scaffold here too, to start with a three-act skeleton rather than a blank tree.
3. Add Folders and Scenes
Section titled “3. Add Folders and Scenes”Right-click in the Manuscript Tree (or use the + button) to create:
- Folders to group structurally — Act One, Act Two, Act Three; or Part I / Part II.
- Scenes to write in — Chapter One, Chapter Two, … (⌘ ⇧ N works from anywhere.)
Drag items to reorder. Drop a Scene on a Folder to nest it. Every Folder and Scene corresponds to a real entry on disk — scenes/act-one/chapter-01.md, scenes/act-one/chapter-02.md.
4. Write
Section titled “4. Write”Click into a Scene and start writing. The editor is Tiptap-based — Markdown shortcuts (# , **bold**, > quote) work as you type. Saves are automatic.
Use Sprints when you want a timed push with a word goal. The Session tracker rolls Sprint deltas into daily and weekly totals.
5. Populate the Codex
Section titled “5. Populate the Codex”Add a character or two — from the Codex view, or just type [[ in a Scene and create one on the spot. [[Character Name]] inserts a rename-safe link; the character’s References panel will list every Scene she appears in.
Two novels in the same setting later, link both Manuscripts to one shared Codex and the cast travels with you.
6. See it in different views
Section titled “6. See it in different views”The same files, different lenses:
- Folio — combine a Folder’s Scenes into one continuous scroll. Good for reading a chapter end-to-end.
- Board — index cards, an act-grouped Outline, a Timeline, and a POV lens. Drag to reorder; group into Acts.
- Codex — browse Entities by Type.
7. Snapshot before you cut
Section titled “7. Snapshot before you cut”About to rewrite a chapter? Right-click the Scene → Snapshot draft. Trove writes a read-only copy to .snapshots/ with a timestamp. You can compare or restore from Drafts later.
8. Compile when you’re ready
Section titled “8. Compile when you’re ready”When you want a single file to share, Compile the Manuscript:
- Markdown — concatenated, structure preserved.
- DOCX — for editors and beta readers.
- EPUB — for reading apps.
- PDF — print-ready book layout, themed.
- Shunn — standard manuscript format for submissions.
That’s it. Now go write.