The First Draft Pro logo: a rainbow gradient over a book with text in charcoal.

Write & plan your

novel

story

thesis

essay

Finally finish that novel

A writing tool for fiction and non-fiction writers. From that first spark to a finished draft.

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the manuscript with the left side menu visible.

Here's what people are saying

"It's easy to use. Unlike Google Docs it gives you access to specific parts of your work."
An image of a woman in a fashionable outfit, with her braids pulled back into a high ponytail.

Fiske Nyirongo

Writer

"I love the modularity of the sections, and it's great being able to see all my planning scroll past as I'm writing."
An image of a woman with cool hair and make-up, wearing a hoodie and leather jacket.

Anya Venter

Writer & Academic

"I've been loving First Draft Pro. LOVE how simple and clean everything is. It's been a real delight to work in."
An image of a woman who is also a horror story writer. She's holding a knife. It's all very ominous.

Sam Beckbessigner

Novelist & Screenwriter

"I love that it's called a workspace and I can keep multiple projects on there. It's so helpful to have the daily word count goal. And it's cute!"
An image of a woman in a cozy sweater.

Jessica Gregory

Writer

"I like how intuitive the app is. It's very comfortable to use. Love it."
An image of a man in a shirt, drinking coffee (or tea).

Andrew Hiatt

Writer

"It's easy to use. Unlike Google Docs it gives you access to specific parts of your work."
An image of a woman in a fashionable outfit, with her braids pulled back into a high ponytail.

Fiske Nyirongo

Writer

"I love the modularity of the sections, and it's great being able to see all my planning scroll past as I'm writing."
An image of a woman with cool hair and make-up, wearing a hoodie and leather jacket.

Anya Venter

Writer & Academic

"I've been loving First Draft Pro. LOVE how simple and clean everything is. It's been a real delight to work in."
An image of a woman who is also a horror story writer. She's holding a knife. It's all very ominous.

Sam Beckbessigner

Novelist & Screenwriter

"I love that it's called a workspace and I can keep multiple projects on there. It's so helpful to have the daily word count goal. And it's cute!"
An image of a woman in a cozy sweater.

Jessica Gregory

Writer

"I like how intuitive the app is. It's very comfortable to use. Love it."
An image of a man in a shirt, drinking coffee (or tea).

Andrew Hiatt

Writer

Meet your manuscript

Your clean, organized writing workspace keeps your focus on what matters: your masterpiece.

An icon of a dartboard

Set writing goals and stay motivated

An icon of a notebook

Notes and outline alongside your manuscript

An icon of an ink pot with a quill, representing the craft of writing.

Wordcount tracking per scene, chapter, project

An icon of a bat signal

Write in focus mode and dark mode

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the manuscript.

Outline your book

Your outline means you'll never lose the plot again! Drag and drop to reorder scenes as you write.

An icon of a map

Chapter outline and plot outline

An icon of a page with a magnifying glass.

See scenes alongside your manuscript

An icon of a page of references

Auto-summarize scenes as you write

An icon of a colour palette.

Change colour of scene cards

An icon of two pages with arrows

Drag and drop scenes to reorder

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the novel outline.

Manage multiple plots

Manage multiple plots in your novel using chapter-by-chapter plotting, and by tracking plotlines.

An icon of plotlines.

Add multiple plotlines

An icon of an item being added.

Allocate scenes to plotlines

An icon of a colour palette.

Change colour of scene cards by plot

An icon of a page of references

Minimize/expand scene cards

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the feature for managing multiple plotlines.

Keep notes organized

Ditch the wall of post-it notes and organize your ideas, research, and notes alongside your manuscript.

An icon of a happy folder

Notes folder for each project

An icon of a mindmap, representing the planning and brainstorming involved while writing.

Wiki-style linking between notes

An icon of a link

Link notes to specific scenes

An icon of a pin.

Pinned notes in your manuscript

An icon of sub-folders.

Sub-folders & drag and drop organization

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the notes folder for your novel.

Work with co-authors

Team up with co-authors and editors! Collaborating shouldn't feel like a slow game of 'pass the parcel.'

An icon of two people with speech bubbles above their heads, representing collaboration.

Invite collaborators

An icon of a notebook

Shared source of truth for worldbuilding

An icon of speech bubbles

Comments and comment threads

An icon of two pages with arrows

Synchronous co-authoring

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of two co-authors collaborating.

Share with readers

Share your work with friends, beta readers, or your mom. Select specific chapters, or share the whole thing.

An icon of a link

Create read-only sharing links

An icon of a book, representing research materials.

Share single chapters or entire manuscripts

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the share with readers feature.

Edit with ease

Whether you're working with an editor, or doing a solo edit, take your work from rough draft to a polished gem.

An icon of a page with a magnifying glass.

Track changes

An icon of two versions of a document.

Scene-by-scene version history

An icon of two people with speech bubbles above their heads, representing collaboration.

Invite an editor

A screenshot of the first draft pro writing app, showing a view of the track changes feature with edits made in the manuscript.

Writing app features you'll love

An icon of a bat signal

Write in dark mode

Reduce eye strain and fatigue, work in low-light conditions, or just look more hardcore. We got you. 🤘

An icon of a map

Track your changes

Track your changes as you write, review your progress and see how your story is evolving.

An icon of an image.

Add images

From maps, to character illustrations, to charts and graphs — add images to your notes and manuscript.

An icon of two versions of a document.

Manage versions

Easily manage different versions of your story, so you can review and compare drafts as you write.

An icon of a planet

Worldbuilding notes

Save time and keep your creative process organized, so you can focus on writing your story.

An icon of a dartboard

Stay on track

Write more efficiently by setting goals and using focus mode to minimize distractions.

An icon of a page of references

References & footnotes

Help readers identify sources with clear and concise attribution, or add additional information.

An icon of an open application window

Structure templates

Choose templates from different genres and styles to find the perfect structure for your story.

Start 100% free

There's no time-limit on our free plan. Start free, and upgrade once you're sure.

Starter plan
$0/mo
Free forever
Basic plan
$7/mo
or $70 yearly
Compare features
Premium plan
$18/mo
or $180 yearly
Compare features

The world needs your story

A colourful gradient that changes colour from purple, to blue, to teal.