Show scene text if there is no scene breakdown or title.

I’d love it if the scenes in outline mode could have a short, maybe a few lines or so, preview of the contents of that scene before the title/breakdown is edited. I sometimes like to write scenes first, then go back and edit the outline, and it can be confusing to see “Add Scene Title/Breakdown” with no other context. Or even having the first few words as the title automatically in the sidebar would be great too!

Ability to set own paragraph styles

Page Count Options

Loving the app so far! Could we get the ability to see what our page count would end up being? Just selecting a print size and getting an estimated page count would be good enough I think, without having to reformat the whole file just to see.

Character profiles section

A place to see and search all character profiles.

Collapse chapters

The ability to collapse chapters on the outline so that they take less screen space.

Show wordcount for highlighted text

When you highlight a section of text, show the total wordcount of the highlighted section.

Make our own templates or have a way to duplicate a project

Is there a way to duplicate a project so that we can start with the same structure with a new story? Or alternatively, to create our own templates?

Ability to Print Directly from First Draft Pro

Offer a clear printing feature directly from First Draft Pro’s dashboard

Wordcount widget for MacOS and iOS

A widget that shows you your writing stats on your homepage.

Notes Relationships

The ability to see the relationships between linked notes.

Ability to see one chapter/scene at a time

The ability to see only the scene you are working on unless you navigate to another scene.

Timeline

A timeline to help with plotting.

Random scenes folder

The ability to add scenes that are not yet allocated to a chapter to a folder where you can see them, but they are not counted towards your project total until you move them into the actual chapter outline.

Chapter statuses

Ability to change the status of a chapter from “unstarted” to “in progress” to “review” etc.

Split screen view

Ability to see the same manuscript in split screens (so that you can view two different sections at the same time).

Novel with "parts"

Ability to write a novel with different parts (ie: part one, part two). The ability to take advantage of this feature for both fiction and non-fiction projects.

Book Cover

Could it be possible to put a book cover on the dashboard, to get excited and to help spot the WIP at a quick glance? Thank you.

Character profile template

A standard character profile template for fiction projects.

Export to EPUB

Option to export to EPUB

Beta reader comments

The ability for beta readers to leave comments/feedback on shared excerpts.

Epilogue

The option to turn on an optional epilogue.

Mobile companion app

A mobile companion app would work alongside the desktop version of your app and provide a limited feature set that let you access parts of existing projects from your mobile device.

Search and replace

Ability to search and 'replace all' in the text of a manuscript and in the outline (ie: replacing a character name)

Loss of formatting upon exporting

As much as I have been enjoying this writing app, the one thing I don’t like is the export feature. I wish you were able to export into other formats, not just Google Docs. And when I do export to Google Docs, the formatting and spaces I’ve made are all gone. I can’t imagine finishing my 90,000-word story and having to go back and add indentations and line spaces, all because it didn’t export properly. If you could add more export options and make it so I don’t lose my formatting upon exporting, this would be a 10/10 program for me. Otherwise, I might have to leave.

Export to PDF

Options to export to PDF.

Tasks

Ability to add and manage a checklist of tasks associated with your project.

Advanced revision history

The ability to save named versions and roll back to any previous version of your manuscript.

Ability to log in with an email and password

Ability to log in with an email/password so that you don’t have to log in with a Google account. Prompted to log in another way if an adblocker is blocking Google login.

Paragraphs on a scene cards

Ability to create paragraph spaces in text on scene cards.

Title of Manuscript in browser tab

Would it be possible for ‘Manuscript’ in the browser tab to also include the title of the book? Sometimes I’m working on a couple of projects simultaneously and it would be helpful to quickly identify which is which. Thank you!

Export manuscript for Microsoft Word

The ability to export a .doc version of your manuscript.

Full dark mode

Dark mode across the entire app.

Even more inspiring daily wordcount tracker

An (even) more dynamic and fun tracker to keep motivation high.

Save the Cat structure template

I didn’t see this in the list so feel free to delete if it is already there - would love a Save the Cat template! Here is a good link resource with the structure: https://www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/plotting-save-the-cat **Crazy additional want - a meter at the bottom which shows what percentage you are currently at (out of your goal word count) and what part of the Save the Cat beat you “should” be in — with the ability to turn on/off or drag the meter to extend or shorten a beat. Hope that makes sense!!

New template: 3 Act Structure

Add a new template for books following the three act structure.

Easily accessible tab to opt out of all AI use

I keep seeing assurances that AI assistance can be completely turned off but I see no option to do so and I cant get a response from admin. Any pages relating to turning off AI is “page not found.” The app looks very promising but I don’t want to buy a subscription without these options being transparent.

New template: Romancing the Beat

Add a new template for romance books based on Gwen Hayes’ Romancing the Beat.

Privacy/Confidentiality

I can’t seem to find any verbiage on privacy/confidentiality. I want to be reassured that this program is for my work to be used by me only. Can I please receive confirmation that my work stays my work?

Connectivity issues every minute

I LOVE using first draft pro to write but it's nearly impossible for me to use it because every minute (or less, sometimes it's every 30 seconds!), it says there are connectivity issues and it freezes. This happens whether I use it in online mode or offline mode. I have full internet signal strength and good internet, but it keeps happening. I've just upgraded to a basic plan too which I'm now regretting and thinking I will have to go elsewhere, which is such a shame!

Goal streaks for wordcount goals

The ability to see how many days you’ve been on a writing streak.

"Save" button next to automatic syncing

Add a "Save" button next to automatic syncing, so that you can manually sync your changes to the cloud if you’re worried about them saving.