Storybook 4_0 Manual

7/30/2019 Storybook 4_0 Manual

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Storybook 4.0 Manual 1 / 39

Storybook 4.0 Manual

The latest version is available onwww.novelist.ch

2012 by Intertec. All rights reserved.

2012-07-09 Storybook - Open Source Novel Writing Software www.novelist.ch
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Scenes, chapters and parts........................................................................................3Chapter 2: Create a new file........................................................................................................4Chapter 3: Characters, the object editor, tables...........................................................................6

Input validation........................................................................................................................7Genders..................................................................................................................................7Character Categories..............................................................................................................7Tables...................................................................................................................................... 8

Chapter 4: Locations, the object tree, context menus..................................................................9The object tree...................................................................................................................... 10Context menus...................................................................................................................... 11

Chapter 5: Scenes, view options................................................................................................12Chapter 6: Strands (plot lines, story lines), informative scenes..................................................15Chapter 7: Chapters, manage scenes.......................................................................................18Chapter 8: The book view..........................................................................................................20

Chapter 9: The reading view......................................................................................................21Chapter 10: From Storybook to the final book............................................................................23How to create a new OpenOffice document..........................................................................23How to update an OpenOffice document...............................................................................25How to use an existing OpenOffice document.......................................................................25

Chapter 11: Document styles.....................................................................................................26Chapter 12: Docking windows and layouts................................................................................28

Docking Windows..................................................................................................................28Layouts................................................................................................................................. 29

Chapter 13: Items......................................................................................................................30What are items and tags for?................................................................................................30What is the difference between items and tags?...................................................................30

Creating items.......................................................................................................................30Item assignments..................................................................................................................31

Chapter 14: Tags....................................................................................................................... 33Creating tags.........................................................................................................................33Making tag assignments........................................................................................................33Using tags to define relationships..........................................................................................33Using tags to track events.....................................................................................................35

Chapter 15: Charts....................................................................................................................36Chapter 16: Tips and Tricks.......................................................................................................37Chapter 17: Hotkeys..................................................................................................................38

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Chapter 2: Create a new file

Start Storybook, then from the menu File choose New. In the dialog enter the file name and thefolder where the new file will be saved.

What is formatted text?Formatted text is in contrast to plain text text which can have formats. Example:This is a plain text. All letters are of the same size and font. There is no bold or italicword.

This is a formatted text. Some words have a different size, or a different font.Some words are bold oritalic.

Formatted text for both may work for most people. If you want to use Storybook for

plotting only, consider to deactivate the first check box. For just scene summaries plaintext may be enough.

An important note about the file name: Don't use special characters such as / \ ? * :and others. For more information see this article on Wikipedia. A safe file name containsonly alphanumeric characters (A-Z,a-z,0-9), spaces and hyphens.

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After the file has been created, Storybook looks like this:

Note the windows inside the Storybook main window. These windows are called dockingwindows. Docking windows act similar, but not exactly the same, as normal windowsknown from Microsoft Windows.

Docking Windows can be moves, closed, minimized or maximized. For now we leaveeverything as it is. If you have accidentally closed some docking windows and can't findthem anymore, you can always use Default Layout from the menu Window to set thelayout the one shown above.

[1] In this docking window the object tree is shown. The object tree shows all objects such ascharacters, locations or scenes in a hierarchically order.

Click on the small person icon. All characters will be hidden from the tree. Click the sameicon again, and all characters are shown again.

Click the plus sign (+) on the right side. The tree will be expanded. Click the minus sign(-). The tree will be collapsed.

[2] This view shows information about an object. It is linked to the object tree. Click on an objectin the tree, and the information will be shown in the view below.

[3] This view is called Chronological View. The Chronological View shows all scenes inchronological order. As you can see, the first scene was already created for you.

[4] Docking windows can be arranged in tabs as known from Firefox. Four of these tabs are

currently opened and shown. Click on a tab title to switch the view.



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Chapter 3: Characters, the object editor, tables

Check out the menu New Object. Choose the submenu Characterto create a new character.The editor shows up:

[1] Usually the editor is hidden. It pops up whenever you create or edit an object. Click on thetab named Editorto open or hide it. The editor also hides if you click somewhere outside it, e.g.if you into the chronological view. Click on the Editor tab to show it again.

Mandatory fields are bold.

The abbreviation field is filled out automatically if you fill in the first name and the lastname, but it can also be set manually.

The arrows on the right side of a date field can be used to change the date to the firstdate used, the previous / next day, and the last date used.

It is a good idea to keep editing a short process. It is not possible to delete an objectwhile another object is loaded in the editor.

If you just want to show information about an object, you rather use the tree instead ofthe editor. Or you can also use Show in Info view from the context menu (the contextmenu is explained later).

Press OK to add the character and close the editor, or press Add to add the characterand leave the editor opened for further changes.



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Input validation

The editor validates your input. Errors and warnings are shown like this:

Move the mouse over an error icon to see the error message.

An object that has errors cannot be created or updated. Fix the input to proceed or presscancel to abandon your changes.

Genders

To create a new gender besides the existing genders, choose Genderfrom the menuNew Object.

The genders male and female can be edited but they cannot be deleted.

Character Categories

To create a new character category besides the excising categories, choose CharacterCategory from the menu New Object.

The categories major and minor can be edited but they cannot be deleted.



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Tables

Now switch to the character overview table (click on the third tab name Characters). Allcharacters are listed here.

Tables can be sorted. Clicking on the desired column, click again to sort in revers order. Show or hide columns: Click on the small button in the upper right corner (of table) to

open the table menu. Select or deselect the desired column.

Note the refresh (or reload) sign on the right of the table title. Click the refresh button torefresh the table. All views and tools have a refresh button.

Another way to create a new character (or to create a new object in general) is theusage of the new button on the bottom of the table. The other buttons are for editing,coping and deleting. To copy a character select the character in the table, then click onthe copy button. The copied character will be inserted instantly, marked with a (Copy)text in front of the first name - (Copy) Amy for instance.

A double click on a table row edits the chosen object in the editor.



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Chapter 4: Locations, the object tree, context menus

Choose Location form the menu New Object to create a new location. Enter a name, a cityand a country. Press OK to create the new location.

Now choose the same menu again to add another location:

Click on the arrow to show a list of all already entered cities. The same applies to thecountries. Click on the clear button on the right to clear the text.

To rename a city or a country, choose Rename City orRename Country from the menuPrimary Objects.



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The object tree

Let's have a look at the object tree now:

[1] If the new locations are not shown in the tree, press the refresh button.[2] To select or deselect an object type, click on the desired small button.[3] These four buttons are for:

Select all types.

Deselect all types.

Expand the whole tree.

Collapse the whole tree.

The object tree is linked with the Info window. Click to a location in the tree to show allinformation about it in the Info window.



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Chapter 5: Scenes, view options

Switch back to the Chronological View. Press the edit button on the first (already created)scene.

[1] Click on the edit button to edit this scene.[2] Click on the options button to adjust the settings for this view, for instance the zoom factor.

Enter the scene title and the date (Fixed date, Jun 11, 1990):



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Switch to the tab Characters and select Amy.

Switch to the tab Locations and select Amy's flat.

Press OK to close the editor.

The scene now looks like this:

[1] Click on the title field to directly edit the title (without the usage of the editor).

[2] Click on the text field to directly edit the text.

Note that Amy's abbreviation as well as the selected location is shown now. Also note thechanged date.



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The second scene plays on the same date. Note the three small buttons in the image above:

The fist button is for editing.

With the second button this scene can be deleted.

The third button opens the editor to create a new scene with the same date and strand(strands are explained later) as the existing scene.

Click the third small button, enter the scene data as before. If relevant for your scene, a scenetime can also be set. We set the time to 10:30 PM is this example. The scene time (if any) isshown above the title.

[1] Note the second date row on the bottom. To create a scene that plays on the next day,double-click on the plus sign.

Move the mouse cursor over a character abbreviation to show its important data in a tooltip. The age of the character in relation the scene date is also shown here (if a birthday isset).



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Chapter 6: Strands (plot lines, story lines), informativescenes

In this tutorial the first (already created) strand is used for Amy's POV (point of view). Every

scene from Amy's POV will be added to that strand. So we better called Amy instead ofDefault Strand. Choose Strand from the menu Primary Objects, double-click on the only item inthe table, and change the name and the abbreviation. Also change the color a nice pink.

Now let's add a new strand for Ben, our second character in the story. Call it Ben, abbreviationBM (Ben Miller), color blue.

Switch back to the Chronological View and refresh it, if necessary.

Every scene from Ben's POV will be added to Ben's strand.



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[1] Ben has to work this evening. In our example that information is not part of the story, so weselected the field informative in the scene editor. Informative scenes are not exported norshown in the reading view, and they have a white background.



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The next scene play on the next day, in the Central Park, where Ben meets Amy. Select bothcharacters from the character list. Add a new location named Central Park.

[1] Since this scene is linked to Amy's strand (but still Ben's POV), we set the strand link toAmy's strand in the editor.

Move the mouse over the strand abbreviation to see its full name.



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Chapter 7: Chapters, manage scenes

In a final book, scenes are not necessarily in a chronological order. To define the order of thescenes as it should be in the final book, we have to switch to the view Manage Scenes (fromthe menu View).

Drag-n-drop scenes from Unassigned Scenes to Chapter 1 (the dark gray area).

Drag-n-drop scenes inside a chapter to change their order.

Right-click on a chapter (the light gray area) to show the context menu.

Choose Re-sort from the context menu to re-sort the scenes.

Choose Order by time to order the scenes by their time. Note that make onlysense if all scenes inside a chapter has times.



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This is how Chapter 1 should look like after all scenes has been assigned:

Both, chapter and scene number, can also be set in the editor.

It's fine to assigned informative scenes to chapters, too. Informative scenes are not

shown in the Reading View, nor exported to the final book. Switch back to the Chronological View. The chapter and scene number is shown now in

the upper left corner.



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Chapter 8: The book view

The Book View shows the scenes in the order of the final book, the order we've defined beforein the view Manage Scenes.

Scenes which are not assigned to a chapter are not shown (are not part of the finalbook).

[1] The first two buttons are for editing and deleting. The last button creates a new scene with

the same strand and date as the existing scene.



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Chapter 9: The reading view

The reading view shows the final book text. The book elements which should be exported canbe set in the Document Preferences.

Open the document preferences from the menu file.

Select all Book Export Settings but Roman numerals.

The result is shown in the reading view:



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Open the document preferences again and deselect all but Export chapter numbers.

These are the most common used export settings.

The result in the reading view:

Note the panel at the right. Select or deselect strands to show or hide the strand text.



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Chapter 10: From Storybook to the final book

How to create a new OpenOffice document

1. Export the book text from Storybook (File Export book text ).

The file name is automatically set to the Storybook file name but can also bechanged.

The exported file is a HTML file, therefore its extension is .html.

2. Download and save a book template from here. Rename the downloaded file to the

name of your book.3. Open it with OpenOffice.4. Find the book text section on page 7, click somewhere inside the text.5. Press Ctrl - A to select all text inside the current section (or use the menu Edit Select

All).

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6. Press Delete to delete all text of the current section.7. Choose Insert File and select the HTML file exported from Storybook.

8. Save the OpenOffice file.

Notes

The title field used in the template can be changed very easy. Double click on it, changethe field value and it will change everywhere used.

The Storybook Reading View uses the same settings as the book text export. Thesame book elements (part numbers, chapter titles etc.) which are shown in the ReadingView will be exported to the HTML file. These settings can be changed in the documentpreferences (File Document Preferences ).

For Storybook files which don't use formatted text, plain text is exported instead of HTMLtext (file extension .txt).



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How to update an OpenOffice document

1. Export the book text from Storybook (File Export book text ).2. Open the created OpenOffice document, see section above.3. Find the book text section on page 7, click somewhere inside the text.

4. Press Ctrl A to select all text of the current section.5. Press Delete to delete all text of the current section.6. Choose Insert File and select the HTML file exported from Storybook.

How to use an existing OpenOffice document

The important point is to use a so called section to make the update process very easy:

1. Export the book text from Storybook (File Export book text ).2. Open the existing OpenOffice document.3. Find the place where you want to insert the book text.

4. Insert a section (Insert Section ). Name it "Storybook book text".5. Choose Insert File and select the HTML file exported from Storybook.6. To update your OpenOffice document, see section above.



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Chapter 11: Document styles

All styles and other settings (page dimension and so on) will be kept if you use the updatetechnique described above.

It is very easy to adjust the styles used in the book text export.

1. Open the created OpenOffice document, see section above.2. Press F11 to show the style window. Select Applied styles from the combo box to show

only the applied styles. Depending on the book text export settings there are severalstyles shown now.

Style name Used for

Heading 1 Part numbers

Heading 2 Chapter numbers and titles

Heading 3 Subtitles (chapter dates and locations)

Heading 4 Scene titles

Text body The book text



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3. Right-click on the style that you want to edit and choose Modify.... For instance right-click on Text body.

4. Select the tab Font.

5. Choose Arial, 10pt and press apply.

6. Save the document. If you want to update the book text, follow the steps above.Remember: All styles and other document settings will be kept.



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Chapter 12: Docking windows and layouts

Docking Windows

A docking window is a view or a tool window inside the Storybook main window. A right-click on a docking window title shows the context menu. Closed docking windows

can be restored with Show View from the context menu.

Double-click on a window title to maximize the window. Double-click again to unset themaximize state.

Note the buttons at the right of each docking window title.

[1] Settings: Show the settings for this tool or view (for instance the zoom factor). Not all viewsand tools have settings.[2] Refresh: Circle arrow: Refresh this tool or view.[3] Undock: Undock this window (show it in a separate window).[4] Minimize: Minimize this window (minimized to the left border by default).[5] Close: Close this window.

Some tools have an export button (the charts, the Memoria tool):

[1] Export: Export the view or tool as PNG image.



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Layouts

The layout (the arrangements of all views and tools) can be reset with Window

Default Layout. Try the other available layouts from the same menu, too.

Layout can be saved. Once the views and tools has been arranged, choose Window Save Layout and enter a name.

To restore a layout choose Window Load Layout and select the layout you want torestore.

Saved layouts are also shown in the status bar. Select one from the combo box torestore it.



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Chapter 13: Items

What are items and tags for?Items and tags are used to add additional information to a scene, a character or a location.

What is the difference between items and tags?

An item is something that has a weight, for instance a tool or a vehicle. A tag on the other handis an abstract information such as a relationship between two characters or an event.

Creating items

Some examples what can be done with items: Tools and weapons

Vehicles

Artifacts

Everything else that is important to your story but not abstract things.

To add a new item choose New Object New Item:

Enter an item name and its category.

To choose an already entered category click on the down arrow.

An item category may be Tools for a hammer or Vehicles for a car. The category canalso be empty.

Secondary Objects Items shows all items in a table.



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Item assignments

To assign an item to a scene, a location or a character, choose Secondary Objects Item

Assignments and press the button New.

Now select the object you want to assign to the item.

The simplest assignment is to choose only one single object, for instance choose only acharacter, or a location, or a scene (the start scene, leave end scene blank). Such itemassignments endures forever, means they are assigned from the start of your story until to itsend.

Some items may not be assigned to a character all the time. That's why there is a second fieldcalled end scene. If you choose both, a start scene and an end scene, the item is assigned tothe chosen object from the start scene until to the end scene.

An example: Frodo was not in possession of the ring all the time. Therefore for Frodo we wouldadd an assignment that starts with the scene The ring finds Frodo and ends with the sceneFrodo destroys the ring:



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The number of assignments is unlimited. Press new again to add another assignment.

To edit existing assignments double-click on an item in the list or press the edit button.

If you remove an item, all assignments made for that item will be removed, too.



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Chapter 14: Tags

Creating tagsCreating a new tag is actually the same as creating a new item. Enter a name and a category,and you're done. Some examples what can be mapped with tags:

Feelings: From love to hate and everything between.

Moods: From overjoyed to depressed.

Relationships: Connect character to families, or pairs, or siblings (see below).

Track events (see blow).

Assign the actual weather situation to scenes.

Track the level of excitement.

Much more.

Making tag assignments

Excellently the same as for items.

Using tags to define relationships

Tag can be used to map families and other relations between characters. The demo projectuses the characters of the TV cartoon show The Simpsons. Here how the tag assignmentswould be for the Simpson family:



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And here how that is shown in the Memoria Tool (the tag The Simpson Family is the focusedobject):

And the other way round (Homer is the focused object):



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Using tags to track events

Assigning events is simple. Let's say in a murder mystery a string of burglaries happens.

1. Create a new tag named string of burglaries, category Event.

2. Assign that tag to each scene that is affected, i.e. also scenes where characters talkabout the string of burglaries.3. Use the Memoria Tool to track it.



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Chapter 15: Charts

Click and drag the mouse inside the diagram (the dark gray area) to change the showndate range (horizontal zoom in).

To view the whole date range again, right-click inside the diagram and select AutoRange Range Axis.

Right-click Print prints the diagram directly.

Right-click Properties to change all kind of diagram properties.

The following image shows the same chart but zoomed in to the project duration:



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Chapter 16: Tips and Tricks

Right-click on a scene to switch between the 3 views very fast. For instance a right-click on a scene in the chronological view shows the entries Show in Book View andShow in Manage View. Not only the view is switched, it also scrolls to the chosenscene.

Right-click on a scene in the tree to show the chosen scene in one of the 3 views.

In the tree press the first letter(s) to jump to the desired item.

Want to know the age of a characterdepending on the scene's date? Move the mousecursor over the character abbreviation label. The age is shown on the quick info window.If a character is dead, the reached age is shown marked with a +.

Memoria Tool

Use Shift - Left-Click and move the mouse to rotate the graph.

Use Ctrl - Left-click and move the mouse to skew the graph. Use the mousewheel to zoom in / zoom out.

Want to see a location in Google Maps? In the tree, right click to a location andchoose Google Maps from the context menu! The URL used for Google Maps can beset manually. Open the preferences, select the tab Internet and enter the Google MapsURL of your country.

Troubles with wrong characters (for instance German Umlauts) after a CSV import inWord / OpenOffice? Choose Unicode (UTF-8) as character set.

In the editor right-click to show the context menu.

Most text fields have Drag-n-Drop support. To move text from Word / OpenOffice, justselect it, then drag it to the desired text field and drop it. You can also move text thesame way from one scene to another of course.



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Chapter 17: Hotkeys

Category Command Hotkey

View Zoom in / out Ctrl-+ / Ctrl--

Show Chronological View Ctrl-1

Show View Manage Scenes Ctrl-2

Show Book View Ctrl-3

Show Reading View Ctrl-4

Show Memoria Ctrl-5

Show Editor Ctrl-6

Show Tree Ctrl-7

Show Info Ctrl-8Show Navigation Ctrl-9

Refresh all F5

View Part 1 Alt-1

View Part 2 - 9 Alt-2 Alt-9

Scrolling (all directions) Alt-Cursor Keys

Vertical Scrolling Mouse Wheel

Horizontal ScrollingCtrl-Mouse Wheel

PrimaryObjects

Scenes Ctrl-Alt-S

Chapters Ctrl-Alt-H

Characters Ctrl-Alt-C

Locations Ctrl-Alt-L

Secondary

Objects

Tags Ctrl-Alt-T

Tag Assignments Ctrl-Alt-Z

Items Ctrl-Alt-I

Item Assignments Ctrl-Alt-O

Ideas Ctrl-Alt-F

File Open File Ctrl-O

New File Ctrl-N

Export / Print Ctrl-P



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Book Text Export Ctrl-Shift-P

Export Folder Alt-Shift-F

Close Ctrl-W

Objects New Scene Ctrl-Shift-S

New Chapter Ctrl-Shift-H

New Character Ctrl-Shift-C

New Location Ctrl-Shift-L

New Tag Ctrl-Shift-T

New Tag Assignment Ctrl-Shift-Z

New Item Ctrl-Shift-I

New Item Assignment Ctrl-Shift-OFlash of Inspiration Ctrl-F

New Idea Ctrl-Shift-F

Misc Close / cancel Dialog Esc

Task List Ctrl-K

Open Edit Scene Editor Ctrl-Enter

Close Edit Scene Editor Ctrl-Enter

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Storybook 4_0 Manual