FAQ

What makes Editorial different from other writing and text editing software?

Most writing tools are built around destructive vertical editing. You rewrite a paragraph and the previous form disappears unless you keep copies elsewhere. Editorial introduces horizontal editing. Each paragraph can hold multiple alternate versions inside the same document, so you can compare tone, pacing, structure, and voice before committing to a final choice. It is less like replacing text and more like editorial comparison built directly into the manuscript.

So I can keep multiple versions of the same paragraph, at the same time?

Yes — this is one of the core ideas. A paragraph block can contain: • the original version • tighter rewrites • alternate tone • AI-generated versions • different pacing options • script-assisted alternatives One version remains the live version, while the others stay available for comparison. This is on a text block basis. This makes Editorial ideal for serious revision work.

What are blocks in Editorial?

A block is the basic writing unit in Editorial. In most cases, a block is a single paragraph, which makes paragraph-level revision, movement, and comparison very precise. But blocks are not limited to paragraphs. They are fully user-definable writing units, so a block can also be: • a paragraph • a beat of dialogue • a scene transition • a short outline note • a summary • a lore note • any custom text unit you want to revise independently This flexibility is what makes Editorial different from traditional writing software. Instead of treating the manuscript as one endless vertical stream of text, Editorial treats it as a structured stack of meaningful revision units we call blocks. Each block can: • be moved or rearranged • split • joined with others • labeled • rewritten independently • hold multiple alternate versions • be processed by the AI agent • participate in scripting workflows One version remains the live version, while the others stay available for comparison. This happens on a block-by-block basis, whether your block is a paragraph, a dialogue beat, or any user-defined unit. That makes Editorial exceptionally strong for serious revision, scene restructuring, and AI-assisted manuscript workflows.

Is Editorial good for novel writing?

Editorial is aimed at writing and editing after the first draft, when inspiration has already done its wild and glorious damage. The first draft is often written intuitively and sometimes slightly unhinged. Many people also prefer distraction-free writing. Whatever is your method, Editorial is the second step where real shaping happens. Once the raw draft exists in some form, Editorial will help you to break the wall of text into meaningful blocks and you can start tightening pacing, rewriting dialogue or testing different emotional beats. This makes Editorial ideal for developmental editing and draft refinement. Instead of wandering through a 90,000-word manuscript wondering “did I already fix this scene?”, you revise scene by scene, paragraph by paragraph, block by block. The version numbers tell you immediately which blocks have already been reworked, which ones are still on their reckless first draft, and exactly where the manuscript still needs surgery.

Is Editorial for AI writing?

Not at all. The block-based writing and paragraph variation workflow is already powerful without AI. AI simply makes the comparison workflow wider and faster. Writers who never touch AI can still use Editorial as a manuscript editor, revision workspace, scene restructuring tool block-based writing environment. AI is a power layer, not a requirement.

So how about the AI?

It is woven into the software at multiple levels, from simple paragraph rewrites all the way to fully programmable manuscript workflows. AI Assist >> AI Agent >> AI Programming Level 1: AI at block level At any block, you can directly ask AI to: • fix grammar • rewrite text • tighten prose • improve pacing • fact-check • generate alternate versions You can manually use only the parts you like, or let the result become a new block version. The AI also has access to summaries and lore, which means it can preserve continuity, maintain constraints, and even help fact-check your writing against the context stored in the document. Level 2: The Editorial Agent The next level is the Editorial Agent. Think of it as a self-running AI loop that moves through your manuscript block by block, performing structured editorial tasks across the whole document. This loop can rewrite blocks, create new versions, generate summaries and handle some housekeeping. The best part is that this is done in a highly visual way, so the process remains understandable instead of disappearing into an invisible automation pipeline. Level 3: AI scripting language The deepest level is the scripting language, where blocks and AI become fully fused together. The script has access to every blocks and versions, summaries, lore and can build prompts dynamically, run repeated AI passes and even orchestrate multi-stage writing pipelines.

How is the AI used? Is it some subscription?

No subscription. We strongly believe in Bring Your Own API. Editorial does not force on you some monthly fee, proprietary credits, or a mysterious cloud service that suddenly stops. Instead, Editorial fully supports both cloud AI providers and local LLM models. That means you can use: • your preferred cloud API provider • your own locally running models • private offline LLM workflows • different models for different editorial tasks And no, there is no ritual required to set it up. It’s very easy. This makes Editorial ideal for writers who want privacy and no vendor lock-in.

Does Editorial support formatting?

Editorial supports basic Markdown-style formatting and structure, making it easy to keep your manuscript clean, readable, and ready for further formatting. This includes support for: • multiple levels of titles and headings • bullet and numbered lists • page breaks • bold • italics • code blocks • structured section formatting The syntax is intentionally familiar and similar to Markdown, so writers can use lightweight formatting without turning the document into a technical mess.

Can I export the text?

Editorial will export the live version of your manuscript to markdown, DOCX or PDF. The Export will follow the internal markdown syntax so your document will have titles, bold/italics or page breaks.