Choosing the right project type

Choosing the right project type

Project type controls the structure, labels, starter outline, targets and recommended rooms YOW uses for a new project.

Creating a Project

  1. Open New Project from the Library or continue through the welcome wizard.
  2. Review the six available types.
  3. Select the card that best matches the work you are creating.
  4. Enter the project details and select Create or Create Project.

The six project types

  • Novel uses Acts, Chapters and Scenes, with an 80,000-word default target and the broadest prose-worldbuilding defaults.
  • Novella uses Parts, Chapters and Scenes, with a 30,000-word default target and a lighter default toolset.
  • Short Story uses Parts, Sections and Scenes, with a 5,000-word default target and compact planning defaults.
  • D&D Campaign uses Story Arcs, Sessions and Encounters, with D&D-flavoured terminology and the Party character builder.
  • Tabletop Campaign uses Campaign Arcs, Sessions and Encounters, with system-neutral language and the Party character builder.
  • Comic / Graphic Novel uses Volumes, Issues, Pages and Panels, with a dedicated comic-planning workspace.

Choose by workflow, not length alone

Novel, Novella and Short Story share YOW’s prose manuscript editor, but their structural names, targets and starter outlines differ. Campaign types replace prose-oriented labels with session and encounter language. Comic projects replace the prose manuscript with page-and-panel planning.

Every active type can use YOW’s connected worldbuilding tools. A lighter type may hide heavier rooms by default, but you can enable them through Project Settings later.

D&D Campaign or Tabletop Campaign?

Choose D&D Campaign when the campaign is intentionally D&D-flavoured and benefits from fantasy-first labels. Choose Tabletop Campaign for another ruleset, another genre or a homebrew system. Both provide campaign structure and the Party room.

Important limitation

YOW does not currently offer a control for changing an existing project’s type. Choose the closest workflow when creating it. If you need a different type later, create a new project and use import or project merging where appropriate.

Play, Screenplay, TV Series and Video Game are not available in the current creation interface and should not be treated as supported launch types.

  • Creating your first project
  • Writing a Novel, Novella or Short Story
  • Planning D&D and system-neutral tabletop campaigns
  • Planning a Comic or Graphic Novel