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Composition mode

Composition mode (distraction-free writing) hides the whole app around the editor and leaves only your chapter on a calm writing surface. It keeps your attention on the text, not on the tools.

What it does

While composition mode is on:

  • App chrome hidden: the chapter sidebar and the editor toolbar disappear. Only the chapter remains.
  • Paper backdrop: the text reads as a floating sheet on a quiet backdrop, with extra breathing room above and below.
  • Paragraph dimming: every paragraph except the one your cursor is in is dimmed. The paragraph you are editing stays fully visible, so your eye naturally stays there.
  • Typewriter scrolling: the line with your cursor is kept centered vertically. The text scrolls under a fixed writing line, the way a mechanical typewriter keeps the carriage in place.

How to use it

  1. Open a chapter in the editor.
  2. Turn on composition mode, either with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D or with the composition-mode button in the editor toolbar.
  3. Write. The chrome is gone, the active paragraph is highlighted, and the writing line stays centered.
  4. To leave, press Esc, click the floating Exit composition mode button near the top, or press Ctrl+Shift+D again.

Your text auto-saves in composition mode exactly as it does in the normal editor. You lose nothing when switching the mode on or off.

Where to find it

Composition mode is available in the chapter editor. Reach it through the button in the editor toolbar, or directly with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+D.

Tips

  • The shortcut is a toggle: the same combination turns the mode on and back off.
  • Esc is the fastest way back to the normal view.
  • Paragraph dimming follows your cursor. Click or type into a different paragraph and the highlight moves with you.
  • Composition mode is best for long writing sessions where you want to write straight through without the usual controls in view.