Collaboration features in First Draft Pro

A round-up of First Draft Pro's features for collaborating and writing together

Collaboration is such an integral part of storytelling.

When we put a single author’s name on a book, we can fool ourselves into thinking that just one person made it, but that’s never been true. Writing a story (and publishing it) has always been collaborative.

And, writing stories together can be a ton of fun! But, co-writers and editors don't always have the right tools for working effectively with each other — which is much, much less fun.

So today, I'll be diving into my favourite First Draft Pro features designed to help you work collaboratively and get the most out of your writing partnerships!

Write together with First Draft Pro

Invite others to write with you

Whether you're writing with someone else, or just roping in some help to spot typos and inconsistencies, it's easy to get others involved in the development of your manuscript.

Send an email invitation to any collaborator to ask them to join your writing project.

How do permissions work?

• Project leads have the highest level of access and can grant permissions to co-authors and editors to edit a project. Read more about understanding collaborator permissions.

• Change a collaborator's permissions at any time under your project's 'Sharing' tab.

Work transparently

Working towards a common vision is easier when the creative process is shared. What I love about collaboration in First Draft Pro:

• Shared outlines. Your chapter and plot outline is shared amongst all collaborators, so that you’re all clear on what the overarching story looks like.

• Shared notes. Worldbuilding notes and work-in-progress ideas give valuable context to your collaborators. Your shared notes repository lives right alongside your manuscript, making it easy to comment on and add to.

• Discussion threads. Not sure if a section is working, or need a second opinion? Leave comments for collaborators in your manuscript. Pick up the discussion at any time, and easily collapse the comment thread when you're done to reduce overwhelm.

Embrace the editing process

Refining a manuscript can create a lot of back and forth between writers and editors. Here's how to streamline your editing process with First Draft Pro:

• Turn on suggesting mode. See step-by-step changes made by you or your collaborators with track changes. Tracked changes appear alongside longer, in-line comments and suggestions, making it easy to integrate all feedback when you're ready.

• Juggle scenes around easily. The outline feature also makes it simple to drag and drop cards to move chapters and scenes around. Never fear, you won't lose anything in the restructure – any text associated with those scenes will automatically be reordered in your manuscript.

• Export to Google Drive. Need to share your manuscript with an external collaborator? Simply click the Drive icon in the top toolbar to export to Google Drive.

The power of collaborative storytelling

There really is magic in creating a story together. Although some parts of the writing process will be down to your individual genius, what better than to nerd-out with fellow story lovers about the nitty-gritty of your manuscript?

First Draft Pro is designed with exactly this kind of collaboration in mind. Invite others to write with you, keep notes, track changes, and refine your manuscript – together ❤️