Guides for writers
How Markdown works, how long a novel should be, how to lay out a letter, how to make an ebook and how to keep your writing safe. Each guide shows how to do it in Retroprose.
Markdown
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Markdown for writers: every mark you need on one page
Headings, bold, italic, lists, quotes, tables, footnotes and page breaks in Markdown: what to type for each, and the keys that type it for you.
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How to add footnotes in Markdown
The two halves of a Markdown footnote, how the notes are numbered, where they go, and how they come out in Word, PDF and ebooks.
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How to turn Markdown into a Word document
Turn Markdown into a Word document with real headings, tables and footnotes, and choose a template for a letter, a report or an article.
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How to turn a Word document into Markdown
Upload a .docx file and get plain Markdown back, with its headings, lists, tables and footnotes kept. What comes across, and what is left out.
Writing a book
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How to organise a novel: chapters, parts and files
One file or one file a chapter? How to name, order and group the chapters of a book so you can find your way round it, and export it whole.
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How to make an EPUB ebook from your manuscript
Turn a folder of chapters into an EPUB with a cover, a contents page and a copyright page, ready for reading apps and ebook readers.
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How long is a novel? Word counts for novels, novellas and short stories
Typical word counts for short stories, novellas and novels in the main genres, and how to set a word goal for the book you are writing.
Words, spelling and letters
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How many pages is 1,000 words? Pages and reading time
How many pages a word count fills, single or double spaced, and how long it takes to read or read aloud, from 500 words to a whole novel.
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How many words should you write a day?
Choosing a daily word goal you can keep, what it adds up to over a year, and how a streak helps, counting only the words you type.
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Ise or ize? British, Oxford and American spelling
Is it organise or organize? When British English uses -ise and -ize, the words that are always -ise, and the other spellings that differ.
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How to lay out a formal letter in the UK
Where the addresses and the date go, Dear Sir or Madam or a name, Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully, and a letter template that fills itself in.
Working in Retroprose
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How to keep writing with no internet connection
Write on a train, a plane or in a power cut: what works with no connection, how to install Retroprose as an app, and how your words catch up.
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Block, Typeover and Undelete: the classic editing keys explained
What the Insert key does, how to choose text with Block, and how Undelete brings back words you deleted, even after you have typed on.
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How to back up your writing so you never lose a word
Autosave, older versions, the trash and a copy of everything on your own disk: a simple plan for keeping your writing safe for years.
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