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Formatting Text

Inkweld provides formatting options to structure and style your creative writing. All formatting is accessed through the editor toolbar.

Character Formatting

Basic Styles

Apply these styles using the toolbar buttons:

StyleToolbar ButtonKeyboard Shortcut
BoldBold buttonCtrl/Cmd + B
ItalicItalic buttonCtrl/Cmd + I
UnderlineUnderline buttonCtrl/Cmd + U
StrikethroughStrikethrough button

When to Use Each

  • Bold: Key terms, warnings, important information
  • Italic: Internal thoughts, foreign words, titles of works, emphasis
  • Underline: Rarely used in fiction; consider alternatives
  • Strikethrough: Showing edits, crossed-out items in notes

Combining Styles

You can combine multiple styles:

  • Bold and italic for strong emphasis
  • Apply styles in any order

Headings

Structure your documents with headings using the paragraph style dropdown in the toolbar.

Available Heading Levels

LevelUsage
Heading 1Document/chapter title
Heading 2Major sections
Heading 3Subsections
Heading 4-6Additional hierarchy if needed
ParagraphNormal body text

Best Practices

  • Use Heading 1 once per document (the title)
  • Use Heading 2 for major divisions (scenes, sections)
  • Use Heading 3 for sub-divisions if needed
  • Don't skip levels (e.g., H1 → H3)

Scene Breaks vs. Headings

For fiction, consider:

  • Headings: When you want visible section titles
  • Horizontal rules: For scene breaks without titles

Text Alignment

Align text using the alignment buttons in the toolbar:

  • Left align (default)
  • Center — for titles, poetry, or centered content
  • Right align — for signatures, dates, or right-aligned elements
  • Justify — for formal documents

Lists

Bullet Lists

Use for unordered items:

  • Character traits
  • Location features
  • Plot points to address

Create with the bullet list button in the toolbar.

Numbered Lists

Use for ordered sequences:

  1. First event
  2. Second event
  3. Third event

Create with the numbered list button in the toolbar.

Nested Lists

Indent list items to create hierarchy:

  • Main point
    • Supporting detail
    • Another detail

Use the keyboard shortcuts:

  • Ctrl/Cmd + ] to indent
  • Ctrl/Cmd + [ to outdent

Block Quotes

Use block quotes for:

  • Quotations from other sources
  • Epigraphs at chapter starts
  • Letters or documents within your story
  • Emphasis on key passages

"The only way out is through." — Robert Frost

Create with the quote button in the toolbar.

Horizontal Rules

Insert a horizontal rule for:

  • Scene breaks
  • Thematic breaks
  • Section dividers

Create with the horizontal rule button in the toolbar.

  1. Select the text you want to link
  2. Click the link button in the toolbar
  3. Enter the URL in the prompt
  4. Press Enter to confirm

To remove a link, select the linked text, click the link button, and clear the URL.

Use @mentions to link to project elements:

  1. Type @ in the editor
  2. Search for a character, location, or document
  3. Select from the dropdown

See Element References for details.

Inline Code

For technical terms or code-like text, use the inline code shortcut:

  • `Ctrl/Cmd + `` (backtick)

This applies monospace formatting to selected text.

Clearing Formatting

To remove all formatting from text:

  1. Select the formatted text
  2. Click the "Clear Formatting" button in the toolbar

This removes bold, italic, underline, and other character formatting, returning text to normal paragraph style.

Paragraphs and Spacing

Paragraph Breaks

  • Press Enter for a new paragraph
  • Paragraphs have automatic spacing

Line Breaks

  • Press Shift + Enter for a line break without paragraph spacing
  • Useful for poetry or addresses

Undo and Redo

Made a mistake? Use the undo/redo buttons or keyboard shortcuts:

  • Undo: Ctrl/Cmd + Z
  • Redo: Ctrl + Y (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + Z (macOS)

Next: Local-First Design - Your work saves locally first, then syncs when connected.