Plotra DocsWorking together
Write with co-writers live and get feedback without sending files. Who can do what, what happens when two people write at once, and where each tool is covered.
Write with a co-writer in the same scene, hand a draft to a beta reader, or let an editor suggest changes, and no file ever leaves the project. There is one draft, and everyone is looking at the latest one.
Who can do what
Access works like sharing a document. It is set in two places and nowhere else.
The workspace. Everyone in a workspace can open and edit every project in it.
| Workspace role | Can |
|---|---|
| Member | Read, comment and edit in every project of the workspace, and create projects |
| Admin | The same, plus manage each project (its settings and sharing) and the workspace's members |
| Owner | The same as an admin, plus the workspace's plan. Whoever creates a workspace is its owner |
The project. A project can be shared with anyone by email. That includes people outside the workspace, who then see only that project.
| Project role | Can | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer | Read | A friend reading a draft |
| Commenter | Read and comment | A beta reader |
| Editor | Read, comment and edit | An editor or co-writer who shouldn't see your other projects |
If someone is both a workspace member and has a project role, they get whichever lets them do more.
There are no permissions on single notes or folders. Everything in a project follows the project. A viewer reads the whole project, unrevealed secrets included. If part of a story must stay hidden from someone, put it in a separate project, or give them an export or wiki made at a spoiler horizon.
All of these roles are on both plans of the hosted version. How many people you can add depends on the plan: Free allows 3 workspace members, counting the owner, and 5 people on each shared project; Pro allows 25 members and 200 people on each project. See Plans and billing. A Plotra you host yourself has no limit on members, and 200 people on each project.
The full list of what each role can do, action by action, is on Roles and permissions.
Writing at the same time
Open the same note as someone else and you see their cursor and selection in their colour, with their name. Text from both of you is merged as you type; you don't take turns and nothing needs to be locked.
| Where | What you see |
|---|---|
| In the text | Other people's cursors and selections, labelled with their names |
| On a tab | A coloured dot for each other person who has that note open |
| In the status bar | An avatar for each other person in the project, up to five, then "+2" for the rest. Hover to see which note they are in; click to open it. |
What is live:
- Text, in the editor and in the Manuscript view, letter by letter.
- Canvases and dialogues, as cards and connections are added and moved.
- The binder. A new note, a rename or a move by someone else shows up for you a moment later.
- Comments and versions. The panels refresh when someone adds one, and every half minute.
Viewers and commenters are connected read-only: they see changes live but can't type. Their presence shows to others like anyone else's. A note in a locked review stage is read-only for everyone except its approvers; see Review and editorial.
If your connection drops
Keep writing. Your changes are kept in your browser and merged with everyone else's when the connection returns. This works for notes you have already opened in that browser.
The status bar shows where you stand: Synced, Connecting… or Offline. While you are offline, other people's cursors freeze and their changes wait; nothing of yours or theirs is lost when you reconnect, because the two sets of changes are merged, not chosen between.
Only text works offline. Comments, versions, sharing and changes to the binder need the server. The details are on The editor.
Review workflows
Every project can have its own list of stages in place of Draft, Revised, Final, for example Draft, Beta read, Edit, Proof (see Project settings). A stage can be locked, so only approvers can change notes in it, or need approval from named reviewers. The Review & editorial module adds the Reviews view, which collects what is waiting for you, the review section on each note, and reactions for beta readers. Reviewers are told by notification. See Review and editorial.
In this section
Inviting and sharing
Add people to the workspace, share one project by email, or hand out a read-only link.
Comments and suggestions
Threads on a passage, mentions, and track changes that someone accepts or rejects.
Version history
Named and automatic versions of a note, and how to look at one or restore it.
Notifications and activity
The bell, the activity feed, and which notifications are emailed.
How is this guide?
Secrets and continuity checks
Track which character knows which secret and where they learn it, pair every setup with its payoff, and let plain rules find the contradictions in your story.
Inviting and sharing
Let people in: invite them to the workspace, share a single project by email with a viewer, a commenter or an editor, or switch on a read-only link.