An Overview of the Novel Factory

The Novel Factory’s key features and functions are split into sections, which are loosely grouped as follows:

• The Roadmap
• Planning and Structure
  • Premise and Synopses
  • Plot Manager
  • Subplot Manager
• Your Manuscript
• Supporting Data
  • Characters
  • Locations
  • Items
  • Notes
• Statistics

The Roadmap

The Roadmap contains a step by step guide to writing a novel. This consists of guidance articles, videos and a checklist for you to mark off your progress through the steps.

Planning and Structure

Includes sections: Premise and Synopses, Plot Manager and Subplot Manager.

This group of sections contains a range of tools to help you get a high level overview of your novel, including a premise breakdown, drag and drop index cards and a more detailed drag and drop grid tool to allow you to keep track of subplots.

Your Manuscript

This is the word processor, where you write your actual novel.

Supporting Data

Includes sections: Characters, Locations and Items.

The first three sections in the ‘supporting data’ group all work very similarly: characters, locations and items. For each of these, when you add one (a character, or a location, etc) it create a card, which you can then open up for more detail.

Notes works slightly differently, and is more freeform, allowing you to add, shuffle around and organise your notes on a board.

Statistics

This shows you graphs to keep track of your progress and the structure of your novel.