How do I upload my manuscript?
Open Books & chapters, choose Upload manuscript on the book it belongs to, pick the file, and choose Import chapters. Who Where When splits the file into chapters and adds them to the book. Chapters appear as they're processed, and a progress line at the top of the page shows how far it's got.
You can upload a .docx, .md or .txt file of up to 20 MB of text.
Step by step
- Open Books & chapters. If there's no book yet, choose Add book.
- On the book, choose Upload manuscript.
- Choose Choose a file and pick your .docx, .md or .txt.
- Choose Import chapters.
New chapters are added after any chapters the book already has, so you can upload a book in parts.
How are chapters found?
The file is split at:
- Headings (Heading 1 to 3 in Word,
#to###in Markdown) - Lines like "Chapter 7", "Chapter 7: The Grey Roads", "Part Two", "Prologue", "Epilogue" or "Interlude"
- Lines with only a number or Roman numeral, like "12" or "XII"
Headings with almost no text after them, such as a table of contents, are skipped. If the file has no headings at all, it becomes a single chapter. Long front matter before the first heading becomes a chapter called "Opening".
If the split isn't quite right, rename chapters by clicking their titles, reorder them with the arrows, or delete stray ones. Open a chapter and choose Edit text to fix its text.
What happens after the upload?
- Each chapter shows its word count, and the Overview totals Words stored.
- Each entry's page lists where it Appears in, with a count per chapter.
- The Overview shows Names in your chapters: recurring names that aren't in your bible yet. Add each as a character, place, faction or item with one click, or dismiss it.
Uploading doesn't create facts. To pull facts, events and relationships out of chapters, open a chapter and choose Copy AI prompt, or use the prompts or connect your AI.
Can I paste a single chapter instead?
Yes. Choose Add chapter, open it, choose Paste text, and save. That's handy for a chapter you've just finished.
Your text isn't sent to an AI. See Is my manuscript private? for details.
Common questions
What file types can I upload?
Word (.docx), Markdown (.md) and plain text (.txt). PDF and other formats aren't supported, so export to one of these first.
Does uploading send my manuscript to an AI?
No. The text is stored in your universe so facts can link to it, but it isn't sent to an AI.
Does uploading fill in facts automatically?
No. It creates chapters, counts where existing entries appear and suggests new names. To extract facts, use the AI prompts or the AI connector.
Keep your story straight
Who Where When keeps every character, place and date in your books, and tells you when the story contradicts itself.
Start your story bibleMore in Start here
- What is Who Where When?Who Where When is a web app that keeps a novelist's story bible, checks it for continuity errors and can publish a spoiler-safe reader wiki.
- How do I create my first universe?Create a universe for your series, or open the sample, then add books, entries and a calendar. Here's what each step does.
- Does Who Where When work for a single novel?Yes. A standalone novel gets its own universe with one book. Everything works, though the reader wiki can only hide spoilers book by book.
Related
- How do I use ChatGPT or Claude with the prompts?Copy a prompt built from your bible, paste it into ChatGPT or Claude with a chapter, then import the reply. Here's each prompt and when to use it.
- Is my manuscript private?Your bible and chapters are private to you and the people you invite. Who Where When doesn't send your text to an AI unless you do.
- How to use Who Where WhenA step-by-step tour of Who Where When, from signing up to a continuity check and a published, spoiler-safe reader wiki.