Creating a new chapter

Creating a new chapter always happens inside a book. Chapters cannot exist on their own and are always tied to the book’s structure, rules, and current drafting state.

To create a new chapter, open the book you are working on and navigate to the chapters section. From there, you can start a new chapter if the book is still in the drafting phase and allows chapter creation or submission.

When you begin a chapter, you are taken into the chapter editor. This is where you write the chapter’s content, reference planning materials such as plot or character information, and revise your draft before moving forward. The tools available in the editor depend on the book type and your permissions.

In personal books, chapters are fully flexible. You can return to earlier chapters and edit them at any time, even after writing later chapters. This allows you to revise freely as your ideas evolve without restrictions.

In private group books and community books, the workflow is more structured. Once a chapter has been approved and added to the book, it is locked from further editing until the book is finished for its first draft. This prevents changes that could create plot holes, contradictions, or make later chapters irrelevant for other contributors who relied on that content.

In private group books, creating a chapter may either add it directly to the book or prepare it for review, depending on how the book owner has configured permissions.

In community books, creating a chapter prepares it for submission. Writing a chapter does not automatically add it to the book. You can revise your chapter as much as you like before submitting it for approval.

Chapter structure follows the book’s setup. In books with standard chapter structure, chapters are created in sequence. In books with loose or multiple chapter structures, chapters exist independently and do not require a specific order.

You can work on a chapter over time. Drafts are private and not visible to other contributors until they are submitted or approved, depending on the book type.

If a book has been marked as finished for its first draft, new chapters cannot be created. At that point, the focus shifts from drafting to editing and revision, and previously locked chapters may become editable again depending on the next phase of the project.

Creating a chapter is the starting point of the writing process, and everything that follows such as submission, review, and revision builds on this step.