The editor is where your words come to life. Everything else in Author's Forge—the library structure, the notes, the export tools—exists to support the time you spend here. So the editor is built on a simple principle: stay out of your way while giving you exactly the tools you need, and nothing you don't.
There are no floating panels demanding attention, no blinking cursors in a dozen sidebars. Just your text, a clean toolbar, and the quiet space to think.
Formatting
Use the toolbar at the top of the editor for formatting: bold, italic, headings, lists, block quotes, and more. Most standard keyboard shortcuts work too, so if you're used to pressing ⌘B for bold or ⌘I for italic, those habits carry right over.
The formatting options are intentionally focused on what books actually need. Headings help you structure longer chapters and non-fiction. Block quotes are perfect for epigraphs or excerpted material. Scene breaks and dividers let you signal a shift in time or point of view without writing "* * *" by hand. Because everything is stored as Markdown underneath, your formatting stays clean and portable.
Finding Text
Press ⌘F (Mac) or Ctrl+F (Windows) to open the find bar. Type your search term, then:
- Press Enter to jump to the next match
- Press Shift+Enter to go to the previous match
- Press Escape to close the find bar
Matches are highlighted in orange so you can spot them easily. Find is invaluable during revision—use it to hunt down a character's name, check how often you've leaned on a particular word, or jump straight to a scene you remember by a key phrase.
Editor Settings
Open Settings (gear icon) to customize your writing experience:
- Font: Size, family, and line height
- Display: Word count, character count, theme
- Zoom: Adjust text size to your comfort
These settings matter more than they might seem. The right font and a generous line height can make a long writing session feel comfortable instead of fatiguing, and a slightly larger zoom level is easier on the eyes during late-night drafting. Find what works for you—your preferences are saved automatically, so you only have to set them once.
Staying in Flow
If you find toolbars and counters distracting while drafting, lean on the settings to strip the interface down to just your words, then turn the extras back on when you move into revision. Many writers keep word count visible while drafting to hit a daily goal, then hide it during editing so they can focus on the prose rather than the numbers. The editor adapts to whichever mode you're in.