Question 1

What is Chronicle Builder?

Accepted Answer

Chronicle Builder is a single studio for long-form fiction. Your manuscript, characters, world bible, story structure and an assistant that knows your canon all live in one project — so you stop juggling a dozen documents and keep your whole book in one place.

Question 2

Do I need to finish my outline before I start writing?

Accepted Answer

No. The editor, characters and world bible are all independent — start anywhere. Many writers draft a chapter, capture a character or location as it appears, and let the world bible grow alongside the manuscript rather than ahead of it.

Question 3

Is Chronicle Builder only for fantasy and sci-fi?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. The world bible suits any genre with a lot to track — historical fiction, mystery series, literary sagas. If your story has a cast, a setting and a structure worth keeping straight, it fits.

Question 4

What do the Free, Pro and Studio plans include?

Accepted Answer

Free covers a single project with the core editor and world bible. Pro unlocks story-structure tools, the tension graph and unlimited projects. Studio adds shared canon across a multi-book series and continuity checking. You can compare them in full on the Pricing page.

Question 5

Can I change or cancel my plan later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Upgrade, downgrade or cancel at any time from Account → Plan & billing. Changes take effect at the start of your next billing cycle, and your writing is never locked behind a downgrade — you keep full read and export access to everything.

Question 6

What happens to my data when I switch from a paid plan to Free?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is deleted — ever. When you cancel or your paid period ends, your account drops to Free at the start of the next billing cycle, but every project, chapter, character, location, map, route and note stays exactly where you left it. You keep full read and export access to all of it. What changes is access to the tools that sit above Free: Pro and Studio features — Story Bible tools, the tension graph, continuity checking, snapshots, AI workspaces, network graph and full-manuscript analysis — are hidden behind an upgrade prompt rather than removed. The data you created with those features is preserved in your project and reappears the moment you resubscribe; nothing is lost in the meantime. Purchased credit packs never expire and carry over unchanged, and your bundled monthly AI allowance simply resets to the Free amount (50 credits) at your next cycle.

Question 7

Will I lose access to my manuscript if it's over the Free 50,000-word limit?

Accepted Answer

No. The Free word cap only blocks you from adding new words once a manuscript is over 50,000 — it never locks or hides existing content. You can still open, read, export, edit, trim and rearrange everything you've written, including manuscripts well over the limit. The cap simply pauses new word growth until you upgrade again, so your work is always safe and always yours.

Question 8

How do AI credits work?

Accepted Answer

Credits are deducted from your balance based on the actual token usage of each answer — the assistant shows a breakdown (prompt tokens, completion tokens, total, and credits charged) under every reply. Cheaper models like GPT-5 Nano or Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite typically cost 1 credit per short reply; balanced models like Gemini 2.5 Flash or GPT-5 Mini usually land at 1–2 credits; Gemini 2.5 Pro can run 5–10 credits for a long, detailed answer. Every answered question costs at least 1 credit. Paid plans include a monthly allowance that refreshes each cycle, and you can top up any time with credit packs. Unused included credits do not roll over; purchased packs do not expire.

Question 9

Is the World Assistant trained on my book?

Accepted Answer

The assistant answers from your own entries — characters, locations, lore and timeline — and cites which entries it drew from. It is grounded in your canon rather than generic knowledge, so it will not invent facts that contradict your world.

Question 10

Is my manuscript used to train AI models?

Accepted Answer

No. Your manuscript and world data are never used to train any model. They are yours; the assistant reads them only to answer your questions, and nothing leaves your project for that purpose.

Question 11

Can I turn the AI features off entirely?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and this is a first-class part of how Chronicle Builder is designed. Every account has a global AI Features toggle in Settings. When it's off, all AI surfaces are hidden entirely — no buttons, no nudges, no upsells — and the app is a complete worldbuilding and manuscript workspace on its own. You can change your mind any time.

Question 12

Does the editor support scenes, chapters and drafts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Chapters and scenes are first-class, with word counts, status (Draft, Planned, Revising, Done) and per-chapter summaries. The distraction-free Focus mode hides all chrome for pure drafting.

Question 13

What is the tension graph?

Accepted Answer

It plots the emotional intensity of your story beat by beat across chapters, so you can see pacing at a glance — where it sags, where it spikes, and whether your climax actually lands where you think it does.

Question 14

How does shared canon work across a series?

Accepted Answer

On Studio, characters, locations and lore belong to the series rather than a single book. Update an entry once and every book stays consistent — and continuity checking flags contradictions before your readers find them.

Question 15

Can I import an existing manuscript?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Smart Import reads a .docx, .txt, .md, .rtf or .pdf the way an editor would — splitting chapters, surfacing characters, locations and lore, and letting you choose what to add to your project before anything is created.

Question 16

Can I export my work?

Accepted Answer

Always. Export your manuscript and project data at any time. Your writing is portable by design — there is no lock-in, on any plan.

Question 17

Is my work backed up?

Accepted Answer

Projects autosave continuously and are stored securely. Your manuscript, characters and world bible are kept safe so a lost tab or closed laptop never costs you a sentence.

Question 18

What does the Language setting on my Account do?

Accepted Answer

It sets the default document language embedded in your exports — EPUB, PDF, HTML and Markdown — so e-readers and browsers apply the right typography, hyphenation and screen-reader voice. It does not change the app's interface language and does not translate your writing.

Question 19

Can I pick a different AI model for each feature?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every AI feature — World Assistant, Custom AI Workspace, chapter summaries, scene beats, book and series continuity, Smart Import and full-manuscript analysis — has its own Model picker, and your choice is remembered per feature. Pick a cheap model like Flash Lite or GPT-5 Nano for quick drafts and a premium model like Gemini 2.5 Pro for the heavy passes.

Question 20

Does Chronicle Builder work on mobile and tablets?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On phones the app uses a bottom tab bar for one-thumb access to Home, Write, Cast and World, plus a More sheet for every other section. The topbar stays slim, the editor reflows for touch, and safe-area padding keeps buttons clear of the home indicator. It's great for capturing notes and reviewing your bible on the go; most writers still prefer a laptop for long drafting sessions.

Question 21

Do I get a demo project when I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Every new account ships with The Ashen Compact, a seeded standalone novel with three full chapters, characters, locations, artwork and lore. It does not count against your project limit and you can delete it any time once you're comfortable.

Question 22

Is there a free trial of Pro or Studio?

Accepted Answer

The Free tier is permanently free — no card required — so you can try the core editor and world bible for as long as you like. Pro and Studio are billed from the moment you upgrade, but you can cancel any time and keep full read and export access to your work.

Question 23

Do you offer annual billing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pro and Studio are both available on monthly or annual plans, with annual saving roughly two months versus paying monthly. Switch between the two from Account → Plan & billing at any time.

Question 24

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

If something goes wrong within 14 days of a new charge, email support@chroniclebuilder.com and we'll make it right. Full terms live on the Refunds page.

Question 25

Which AI models power the assistant, and can I choose one?

Accepted Answer

Every optional AI feature — the World Assistant, continuity checks (book and series), full-manuscript analysis, Smart Import, chapter summaries and scene beats — uses the same Model picker. You can pick between Gemini (2.5 Flash, Flash Lite, Pro, 3 Flash preview) and OpenAI (GPT-5 Mini, GPT-5 Nano), or any model from your own connected key (see Bring Your Own Key below). Your choice is remembered per feature. Premium models — Gemini 2.5 Pro and GPT-5 Mini — are locked to Pro plans; Free users see all models but need to upgrade to select the premium ones. Credits are always deducted from actual token usage per model, so the cost depends on both which model you pick and how much text is involved.

Question 26

Can I use my own AI API key?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On Pro and Studio you can connect your own key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI or OpenRouter in Account → AI Keys. Keys are encrypted at rest with AES-GCM and are used only to run your requests — they are never exposed or shared. When a key is active, AI calls route through your provider and your own limits, so they do not consume any Chronicle credits. You can add, edit, delete and test a key at any time.

Question 27

How do I pick a model with my own key?

Accepted Answer

Once a key is connected, the Model picker in every AI feature pulls the live list of chat-capable models straight from your provider, so you choose from a dropdown of IDs your key can actually call instead of typing a name by hand. Your active BYOK model appears at the top of each dropdown, marked with a 'Your key' badge. If a model is missing, click Refresh to reload the catalog; if your key is rejected, the picker shows the provider's exact error.

Question 28

What happens to my Chronicle credits when I use my own key?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is deducted. When a BYOK key is active, every AI request runs through your provider on your own usage and billing — Chronicle credits are not touched at all for those calls. Switch a key off (or delete it) and requests fall back to Chronicle's bundled allowance or purchased packs as normal.

Question 29

What is continuity checking?

Accepted Answer

Available on Studio, continuity checking reads your manuscript against your world bible and flags contradictions — a character in two places at once, an item destroyed earlier reappearing, a magic rule broken. You decide what to fix; nothing is changed for you.

Question 30

Can I write distraction-free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Focus mode hides the sidebar, topbar and panels and gives you just the page. Your word count and autosave keep running in the background; press Escape to come back.

Question 31

How do writing goals and streaks work?

Accepted Answer

Set a daily word target in Writing Goals and the app tracks every session against it. Streaks, weekly totals and a heatmap come from real session data — nothing is estimated. Per-book targets let you see exactly how close each book is to done.

Question 32

Can I reorder chapters?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Drag chapters in the editor sidebar to reorder them; chapter numbers recalculate automatically. Summaries, status and word counts follow the chapter wherever you move it.

Question 33

What export formats are supported?

Accepted Answer

Manuscripts export to .docx, .pdf, .epub and .md. Your Story Bible exports to PDF or Markdown with per-section toggles (characters, locations, magic, timeline, notes) so you can ship exactly what you need.

Question 34

Can I control how PDF exports look?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Export panel exposes line spacing (Single, 1.5 or Double), whether each chapter starts on a new page, and a decorative gold drop-cap on the first paragraph of each chapter. The drop-cap now indents the surrounding lines correctly so nothing overlaps, and turning off the new-page toggle keeps chapters flowing inline with a compact heading.

Question 35

Can I delete a project and start over?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open a project from the Series page, scroll to the Danger Zone and confirm. Deletion removes the project and all of its chapters, bible entries and notes — it cannot be undone, so export first if you want a copy.

Question 36

What is the Advanced Description on a character?

Accepted Answer

A long-form field for the deeper backstory — history, voice, private motivations, anything that doesn't fit in the short summary. It only appears on the character view when you've filled it in, so lightweight characters stay lightweight.

Question 37

Can I classify a project by sub-genre?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each project has a primary genre and an optional sub-genre (e.g. Fantasy → Grimdark, Sci-Fi → Space Opera), so series with a specific voice can be tagged more precisely and templates can adapt to match.

Question 38

Why is the sidebar hiding some sections on the Free plan?

Accepted Answer

To keep the app calm rather than overwhelming, groups that are mostly Pro or Studio features are collapsed by default on the Free plan. Click any group heading to expand it — your choice is remembered per browser, and Pro/Studio accounts see every group open by default.

Question 39

Where did the Story Bible menu items go?

Accepted Answer

The sidebar Story Bible group now only shows Overview and Continuity to stay tidy. Everything else — POV distribution, tension graph, themes, arcs, conflicts, subplots, story questions and foreshadowing — is one click away on the Story Bible overview page, which is the hub for all of them.

Question 40

What is Maps & Travel?

Accepted Answer

Maps & Travel lets you upload a map image, calibrate its scale (so many pixels equal so many miles or leagues), and drop pins that link to your Location entries. Draw routes between pins with draggable waypoints, tag each leg with terrain such as road, forest or mountain, and the travel calculator turns that into realistic days and hours for a given travel mode, pace and hours travelled per day. It is entirely non-AI — pure geometry and your own numbers.

Question 41

Can I customise how map pins look?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every pin has an icon (city, castle, village, forest, mountain, water, port, landmark, danger, star, home and more) and a colour from an eight-swatch palette. Set them when you create a pin or change them any time from the pin's detail panel — changes save immediately and render on the map.

Question 42

I already had pins on the old interactive map — do I have to redo them?

Accepted Answer

No. Legacy maps are brought forward automatically: the first time you open Maps & Travel on a project that only had the old interactive map, it appears in your maps list with its pins imported and linked to Location entries by name. You can also run Import legacy pins manually at any time.

Question 43

Which distance units does the Travel Calculator support?

Accepted Answer

Miles, kilometres, leagues (3 miles), nautical miles and meters. Set the unit when you calibrate a map's scale or calculate a journey — all route math converts automatically.

Question 44

Can I check a journey against my story's timeline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Journey simulation runs a multi-leg route through the Travel Calculator and validates the total travel time against the events it connects on your timeline — flagging trips that couldn't realistically fit. Timeline events can carry dates in your custom world calendar too.

Question 45

What is the Name Forge?

Accepted Answer

The Name Forge generates on-world names for characters, places and terms, grounded in your existing characters, locations and lore so suggestions stay consistent with your world. It works procedurally with no AI at all; an optional AI-powered mode produces more inventive suggestions using your chosen model (or your own API key), and those uses are recorded on the AI Disclosure page like any other AI feature.

Question 46

What is a World?

Accepted Answer

A World is the home for everything your series shares: its premise, genre, era and tone, plus every character, location, faction, magic system, map, calendar and gallery image linked to it. Worlds sit above projects — a standalone novel or a whole series attaches to one world, so canon stays consistent across books. You can create, edit and delete worlds from the Worlds section in the sidebar.

Question 47

Can I add images to my world?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Gallery tab on a world's page accepts multiple images at once — upload several pictures in a single pass, give each one a caption, and remove any you no longer want. Click any image to view it full size and step through the gallery with the arrow keys or on-screen arrows.

Question 48

Can I build a custom calendar for my world?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Calendars section lets you invent months of any length, weeks of 1–14 days with custom weekday names, and named holy days shown as coloured markers. You can keep multiple calendars per project — one per culture — and date timeline events in your world's own calendar.

Question 49

Can I add events to a world calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Click any day in a calendar's grid to add an event with a title, notes and a colour — useful for wars, coronations, festivals or anything else worth marking. Days with events show a small badge, and a timeline below the grid lists every event in date order; clicking an entry jumps straight to its day. Existing events can be edited or deleted at any time.

Question 50

What's on the Dashboard?

Accepted Answer

Your project at a glance: a World tile summing up your world's projects, characters, locations and maps, a timeline strip with the next upcoming events, a read-only preview of your world map with its pins, your most recently updated notes, and quick links into the tools you use most.

Question 51

What is the AI Disclosure page?

Accepted Answer

It is a transparency report of the AI assistance recorded inside Chronicle Builder for your project — grouped by category and chapter, with a suggested disclosure paragraph you can copy for publishers or platforms such as Amazon KDP. It only reflects what actually happened; it never overclaims. If you have never used an AI feature, the page simply says there is nothing to disclose.

Question 52

How much AI does my plan include?

Accepted Answer

Each paid cycle includes a bundled AI allowance that refreshes with your billing period: Free 50 credits a month, Pro 400 and Studio 800. Any legacy granted credits you already hold are preserved, and credit packs remain the top-up layer for heavy months. Bundled allowance does not roll over; purchased packs never expire.

Question 53

How do I get help or report a bug?

Accepted Answer

Use Help in the app for these answers, and Contact support to open a ticket — replies come back inside the app and by email. You can also email support@chroniclebuilder.com directly.

Questions, answered.