Working With a Sample Manuscript
Last updated
Last updated
When you open Granthika for the first time, you will be asked to create a new project.
First, click here to download a sample project, and save it on your computer in a location where you can find it easily.
The sample project you’ll download is Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story, “The Veiled Lodger,” which we’ve divided up into chapters.
To import the project you just downloaded, open the Application Menu by clicking on the white “g” at the top left of the Granthika window. Then:
Click on the IMPORT option in the Application Menu.
Select PROJECT.
Click on the Browse button.
Select the project file you have just downloaded.
You will now see the Import file dialog again.
Click on the Import button.
Click on the CHARACTERS tab and you will see a number of characters who are part of this story.
To create an additional character, press the Add button toward the upper left.
Enter the character’s name and (optionally) a description. Press the Create button.
The new character will appear in the list on the left of the Character Manager.
On the EVENTS tab, click on the Add button and enter the event’s name and (optionally) a description. Press the Create button.
The new event will appear in the list on the left of the Event Manager.
If you add a specific date or a time-span to an event, you will see it on the Timeline.
Granthika will not put an event on the Timeline if it is unable to work out when the event occurred.
You can also relate an event to other events by opening the RELATED tab for event and then specifying relationships.
Use the Location Manager and the Object Manager to create new locations and objects, as you've just done with characters and events.
Click on the TIMELINE tab.
You can scroll to left or right or up and down using the scrollbars.
Double-click on an event to see its details.
You can also hover over an event to see these buttons:
A mention is an inline reference within the manuscript to a story element. Granthika’s mentions are similar to those you might be familiar with in Twitter and Facebook. A mention in the manuscript allows you to move swiftly between the manuscript and the details of the story element it connects to.
Within the Editor, when you have “Show mentions” turned on, any existing mentions will appear with colored backgrounds. A mention that you have selected by clicking within it will have a darker line appearing beneath it.
You can create a mention by using the “@” shortcut, which might be familiar to you from Facebook or Twitter. Type the “@” character followed by a few characters. Then choose the story element you want to connect to your text from the drop-down menu. When you finish, the selected name or alias will be inserted into your text, and a connection will be automatically created.
You can also create a connection using the Context Menu, as described below.
When you select text in the Editor, you will see the Context Menu, which allows you to:
Create a new Character, Location, Object, or Event from the selection.
Mention a new Character, Location, Object, or Event from the selection.
Remove a mention of a Character, Location, Object, or Event from the selection.
For a mention, open the Quick Details dialog.
For a mention, open the connected story element in its manager.
Click on the hamburger menu next to “Manuscript” in the Table of Contents. Click on “Add Chapter” to create a new chapter and enter the title of the chapter.
Using the same hamburger menu next to the chapter, you can add a section or scene to that chapter.
You can also create a part, chapter, section, or scene from text selected in the Editor. Once you've selected the text, right-click to see the Context Menu and select the choice to make the element you want.
You can use the Connections Panel to view all the characters, events, etc., that you have mentioned in your manuscript.
You can filter these entities by type by clicking on the buttons at the top of the Connections Panel, as shown in the image above.
In the Connections Panel, click on a character or other entity to see the details of this entity in the Knowledge Explorer (see below).
To see a Quick Details dialog that shows the details of the any entity mentioned in your manuscript, select the text of the character or location or other entity and use the Control-Q shortcut key.
Once you’ve selected the text of the mention, you can also right-click to see the Context Menu. Then:
Here, you can add a description for this chapter, scene, etc.
You can add labels to add information.
You can add notes.
A chapter, scene, etc., can depict an event. In the Details Panel, you can specify which events this element depicts.
A chapter, scene, etc., can be told from the point of view of a character. The Details Panel allows you to specify the point of view.
Click on the correct tab (CHARACTERS, LOCATIONS, OBJECTS, or EVENTS) to see the Manager for the type you want to see or it.
Find the entity in the list on the left of the Manager and click on it. You’ll see the details for that entity on the right.
Alternatively, select the entity in the Editor and use the Control-M shortcut key. You will be taken straight to the appropriate Manager with the entity already selected for your viewing.
To sort the entities you see in the Manager's list, click on the hamburger menu at the top of the list and select a sorting order.
The Knowledge Explorer is a panel to the right of the Editor that shows you the details for a character, event, etc. Through simple mouse clicks, this panel lets you move quickly through the network of connections between your manuscript and the elements of the story you are telling (such as events, characters, etc.).
Open the Knowledge Explorer by clicking on one of the entities displayed in the Connections Panel.
Click on any element in the information displayed in the Knowledge Explorer to see its connections.
Click on any of the buttons in the menu displayed in the Knowledge Explorer to see different types of information.
As you move through the network of information, notice that you can use the Navigation Buttons at the top of the Knowledge Explorer to move backwards and forwards along this network.
Save Your Work
Granthika will automatically save any changes you make in the Editor.
If you make any changes in the Details Panel or in any of the Managers, you must click on click on the Save button to preserve your changes.
On the Application Menu, click on “FEEDBACK” to open the Feedback Dialog.
Enter your name and email address, and tell us what you think in the comment field.
We would love to hear your reactions to Granthika, your suggestions for improvement and additional features, and reports of issues and bugs. If you are reporting a bug or an issue, click on the checkbox at the bottom of the dialog, and Granthika will send additional information about the issue to us.
Read the detailed documentation for Granthika, starting with the introduction.
Join us at our forums to discuss Granthika and the writing life.
Click on this button to see the details for an event.
Click on this button to edit an event in the Event Manager.
Click on this button to show or hide the Connections Panel.
Click on the Details button to see the Quick Details dialog.
Click on this button in the Editor Toolbar above the Editor to show or hide the Details Panel.
