ExplainedWhy it exists
What is this feature actually for?
Not a manual and not another feature list. These articles explain the problem behind each B-Maker tool, when it becomes useful, and when you can safely ignore it.
A feature is useful only if you understand the problem it solves. Start with the problem; learn the button later.
Wave 1: the core model
Why do text versions exist?
When normal editing is enough, and when a rewrite deserves a separate state.
Read explanation →SafetyVersion vs backup
One protects a piece of writing; the other protects the whole project.
Read explanation →OrganizationCollection vs saved search
A curated working set versus a dynamic answer to a recurring question.
Read explanation →ViewsTree vs manuscript board
The book order and work status are different dimensions.
Read explanation →Idea MapWhy use an Idea Map?
Structure represents decisions already made. The map helps before the decision is ready.
Read explanation →PlanningNote, planning card, or chapter?
Where a thought belongs depends on how mature it is.
Read explanation →StoryWhy use Story Grid?
Read the manuscript across plotlines and character change, not only chapter by chapter.
Read explanation →EditorWhy read the whole manuscript?
Small sections help you write; a continuous view helps you hear the book.
Read explanation →EditingWhy editorial checks?
Spell checkers see sentences. Project-aware checks can also see manuscript problems.
Read explanation →PublishingPreview vs export
One answers “does the book look right?”; the other produces the deliverable.
Read explanation →PublishingWhy a publishing package?
A finished manuscript is not yet a complete submission.
Read explanation →AIWhy AI inside B-Maker?
Use AI as a tool in the workflow rather than as a new home for the manuscript.
Read explanation →AI + versionsWhy combine AI with versions?
Turn AI rewriting into a reversible experiment instead of destructive editing.
Read explanation →OwnershipWhy local-first?
Cloud can still be useful; the canonical project does not have to depend on it.
Read explanation →Editorial workflowComment vs note
Keep text-specific decisions with the text and broader thinking elsewhere.
Read explanation →Wave 2: deeper mechanics
Why lock a version?
Turn an approved, submitted or published revision into a stable reference point.
Read explanation →RevisionWhy compare versions?
See what a rewrite actually changed instead of trusting memory.
Read explanation →ProgressWhy goals and sessions?
Direction and the real history of work answer different questions.
Read explanation →CharactersWhy characters, relationships and arc points?
Track state, connections and change across the actual manuscript.
Read explanation →StoryWhy plotlines?
Chapters are reading order; plotlines follow individual narrative threads through it.
Read explanation →StructureWhy hide or exclude sections?
The author's working project and the reader-visible book are not identical structures.
Read explanation →ImportWhy import a DOCX?
Opening a document and turning it into a structured writing project are different things.
Read explanation →SafetyWhy an integrity check?
A backup gives you another copy; validation checks whether the project is internally coherent.
Read explanation →Wave 3: output, context and optional tools
Why several Idea Maps?
Keep one project while separating visual questions into focused boards.
Read explanation →LayoutWhy explicit page breaks?
Semantic structure and physical book layout are different things.
Read explanation →ExportWhy export one section?
The project can be larger than the deliverable you need today.
Read explanation →AnalyticsWhy writing metrics?
Word count, reading time, dialogue share and publishing units answer different questions.
Read explanation →AI + publishingWhy an AI-use declaration?
Submission requirements may make AI use part of the publishing package.
Read explanation →AIWhy is AI optional?
The writing project should remain complete without an external model.
Read explanation →Story planningWhy track locations?
A recurring place can accumulate facts and scene connections like a recurring character.
Read explanation →InterfaceWhy project atmospheres?
Visual context can distinguish projects without changing the manuscript.
Read explanation →Wave 4: how the pieces stay connected
Why a current version?
Many revisions can coexist, but the rest of the project still needs one canonical text now.
Read explanation →Idea MapWhy project-aware nodes?
Visual thinking should point to the real chapter, character or plotline instead of duplicating it.
Read explanation →Idea → manuscriptWhy turn an idea into manuscript?
Planning becomes writing without a copy-paste migration.
Read explanation →EditorFocus Mode vs Split View
Sometimes context is noise; sometimes context is the task.
Read explanation →Editor + portabilityRich editor vs portable Markdown
A comfortable writing surface and durable text storage solve different problems.
Read explanation →AssetsWhy keep assets with the project?
Cover and illustrations belong to the same book lifecycle as the manuscript.
Read explanation →SafetyWhy several safety layers?
Versions, Trash, backup, history and integrity checks protect against different failures.
Read explanation →Wave 5: hear, inspect and ship the manuscript
Why read aloud and export audio?
Use the ear as another editorial channel, keep listening inside the project, and create MP3 copies for proofreading away from the desk.
Read explanation →POVWhy track point of view?
Perspective belongs to manuscript sections and can be inspected as a stream across the whole book.
Read explanation →PlanningWhy publication plans and writing wizards?
Keep writing structure separate from the stages, deadlines, milestones and scaffolds needed to deliver the work.
Read explanation →AI analysisWhy separate AI analysis from rewriting?
Let reports make inspectable claims before any AI output is allowed to become a new text version.
Read explanation →Start with the question you actually have.
If a feature solves no current problem, you do not need to use it yet.