6 replies to this topic

[Memoirist]

Hi All,

I am new to this, just one day actually, and going into this i knew there was somewhat of a learning curve. That being said I..I have searched everywhere to find a way to move an item such as a character or a chapter around in projects, like to a group, etc. I highlight the item or try and drag it to a new spot and the item just stayed there. What am I doing wrong?

I'm sure this is something so simple but I can't spend another hour trying to find this on my own even though I am learning about everything else while doing so

Thanks!

Pete

[Marguerite]

Are you trying to drag a chapter or a character from one project to another project? You can't, exactly.

Usually you can copy a section of text, paste it into an unnamed section in another manuscript or project, and rename the section. Sometimes you don't even have to rename it.

For characters, you can choose File, then Export, then Text and Image Files (.rtf or .rtfd). Check the "export files to folders matching project structure" option, then drag the exported files into the Project View (outline) of your second project and choose Character Sheet from the pull-down menu (or Setting or Plot or Text File/Note, as needed). You will have to copy/paste the text into place, but it should all be present.

You can export and import manuscripts, too, but usually cut and paste works fine.

If you are copying within a single manuscript, project, or collection, you can drag and drop. So I am guessing you aren't doing that.
Welcome to Storyist and the forums,
Marguerite

[Memoirist]

If you are copying within a single manuscript, project, or collection, you can drag and drop. So I am guessing you aren't doing that.
Welcome to Storyist and the forums,
Marguerite
[/quote]

Hi Marguerite,

Thank you for your welcome and help! It is good to see a great community of users.

I have only one manuscript, and am trying to rearrange the order of the characters and chapters in the Project Field. I really don't understand why I can't. I understand what you are saying about not being able to do this from one manuscript to another, but I am only working with one manuscript. An example would be me realizing a scene goes better before another chronologically so I try and drag it up the list. It won't budge. Am I missing something here? Is this a Lion OS glitch possibly?

Thanks!

Pete

[Marguerite]

It isn't a Lion glitch, because I use Lion. And it isn't a Storyist glitch, because I do it all the time. Right now I am typing from my iPad, which is a bit different, so I can't take a screen shot. But rest assured that you can drag chapters, sections, and characters around, and you can arrange characters in groups. (Chapters are already groups of sections, and manuscripts are groups of chapters.)

So, why is it not working for you? Not sure.
Let me think about it for a minute. If I can't find an answer, Steve will show up soon to help.
Best,
M

[Marguerite]

Okay. So you open a new file based on Novel. It arrives with two chapters with formatting advice, about seven sections, plus two characters: Protagonist and Antagonist. There is also a collection called PLOT, with one folder for Freitag's Pyramid and another for a romantic plot line--as well as a NOTEBOOK with a sample Title Page and some other things.

Without changing anything except clicking on the right pointing arrows to open them, can you position your cursor over the icon of any of the sample sections and drag it up or down? Can you reverse the position of Protagonist and Antagonist by dragging their icons? Can you move chunks of plot within the PLOT collection?

You probably can't move plot points in among the characters without resetting certain defaults, but you should be able to do all the things listed in the previous paragraph right out of the gate.

If not, maybe you could capture your screen and attach the photo. That might help to figure out where the problem lies.
M

[Memoirist]

Hi Marguerite,

I restarted my Macbook pro and now everything is fine lol. Items move about just as they should..

Thanks again for such a quick response! One reason I chose this product over others was that I heard it had a supportive community

Pete

[Marguerite]

Weird! Gremlins in the Macbook Pro!
Ah, well, it worked. Gremlins get hungry too, I guess. But why they want to munch on Storyist sections, who can tell?

You're welcome, of course. It's a great program and a great community. Enjoy.
All best,
M