Lore & LilacLive editing · beta
One scene, every device, written live
Live editing is on by default. Type in the same scene on your phone and your computer at once, or beside a co-author in the same paragraph. Changes appear as you type, with each writer's name on their cursor.
No AI involved Live editing never uses AI. It only moves your words between devices, and never sends them to an AI provider.
Chapter 11 · Midnight
The knock came just after midnight. Mara set down her cup and crossed the hall, certain of who it would be.
Live · synced
Chapter 11 · Midnight
The knock came just after midnight. Mara set down her cup and crossed the hall, certain of who it would be.
Live · synced
Type in either device. Turn the signal off, keep writing on both, then turn it back on. Sample text is invented.
What you get
Live editing, in detail
- Write in the same scene on your phone and your computer at once; changes show up on the other device as you type
- Co-authors can type in the same scene, even the same paragraph, at the same moment — you see each other's named cursors. Co-authors follow the book owner's setting
- Works in the browser, the installed web app and the desktop apps — they load the same studio
- Offline words join up by themselves when a device reconnects, with no “two versions — which do you keep?” review in live mode
- If the very same words changed in two places in a way that can't be joined, the live typing stands and the other version is kept in the scene's History as “Kept from another device”. Nothing is silently lost
- History keeps saved versions while you write live — at most about one a minute while typing, with who typed them — so it doesn't fill up with keystrokes
- Story-bible citations, comments, word counts, writing stats, search and AI questions keep working; the server writes the live document back to the manuscript within about 15 seconds of a pause
- Labelled beta: switch it off for your books in Settings → “Live editing (beta)”. Nothing written is lost, and scenes go back to the classic save-and-merge way
How it works
In practice
Write as usual
Open a scene on one device, or invite a co-author to the book. Live editing is already on for everyone, so there is nothing to enable.
See each other
A co-author's cursor carries their name. Two people can type in the same scene, even the same paragraph, at the same moment.
Keep going offline
Lose the connection and keep writing. When the device reconnects, your words join the scene by themselves — there is no version to pick.
Check what happened
History shows “Saved while writing live”, with who typed each version. If a version couldn't be joined, it waits in History as “Kept from another device”.
Where we draw the line
What it never does
- Use AI to write, suggest or merge your prose
- Silently drop words typed on another device or offline
- Fill History with every keystroke
- Decide for you that one version matters less than another
- Keep live editing on against a writer's wish — each writer can switch it off for their books
These follow from our commitments. The studio never writes, suggests or rewrites your prose, anywhere.
Before you start
Questions writers ask
Do my phone and laptop need to be online at the same time?
Both need a connection to see each other's typing as it happens. If one is offline, you can still write there; its words join up when it reconnects.
What happens if I write offline?
Keep writing. When the device reconnects, your words join the scene by themselves, with no “two versions — which do you keep?” review in live mode.
Can my co-author and I type in the same paragraph?
Yes. With live editing on, a co-author can type in the same scene, even the same paragraph, at the same moment, and you see each other's named cursors.
Will history fill up with every keystroke?
No. While you write live, History keeps saved versions at most about once a minute, with who typed them, so it doesn't fill up with keystrokes.
Does it work in the desktop app?
Yes. The browser, the installed web app and the desktop apps load the same studio, so live editing works in all of them.
Can I switch it off?
Yes. In Settings → “Live editing (beta)”, a writer can switch it off for their books. Nothing written is lost, and scenes go back to the classic save-and-merge way.
Try live editing on your own draft
Import your draft from Word, Scrivener, RTF, EPUB or Markdown, or start on a blank page. The 14-day trial needs no card, and your book is exportable from the first word.