How to import a Word manuscript into Quilly
Start with a copy of the original Word document. A careful first import makes it easier to catch chapter-boundary and formatting problems before you continue the draft.
Prepare a DOCX manuscript, inspect chapter detection, choose append or replace, and check the imported draft before continuing to write in Quilly.
Prepare an editable DOCX copy
Use a .docx file for manuscript import. Keep the original unchanged, and make chapter labels consistent. Headings such as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 are easier to interpret than decorative separators with no chapter text.
Decide what to do with unresolved editorial notes before transferring. Do not assume Word comments, tracked changes, headers, footers, or complex layouts will become equivalent features in Quilly. The transfer is primarily about manuscript prose.
Inspect the chapter preview
Upload the DOCX during new-book setup or use Import / Export in an existing book's settings. Inspect the detected chapters and select the ones you want. If the document is treated as one chapter, revisit the source headings instead of accepting a split you do not understand.
For example, a draft with a prologue and twelve chapters deserves a check of both the prologue boundary and the final chapter. A plausible chapter count alone does not prove every paragraph landed correctly.
Choose append or replace deliberately
In an existing book, append adds the selected chapters; replace changes the manuscript chapter set and requires confirmation. Export and create a manual snapshot before replacing valuable work. Keep planning notes separate from the prose you intend to replace.
- Open the first, middle, and last imported chapters.
- Check paragraph breaks, italics, headings, and scene separators.
- Look for duplicated chapters if you used append.
- Read the end of one chapter and start of the next.
- Export a sample DOCX and open it before committing to the workflow.
Organize the context after the prose is safe
Once the manuscript looks right, add character profiles, world references, and major plot points. Import does not automatically turn every proper noun into a complete story bible. Build the context you need for the next writing session, then expand it as revision exposes questions.
Put the idea to work in your draft
Good planning should reduce uncertainty and make the next writing decision easier. Use these steps to turn the ideas above into something concrete without adding unnecessary process.
Decide what this idea changes in your specific story before adding more detail.
Connect it to the chapter, character, event, plot point, or relationship it actually affects.
Write down the before-and-after state so the narrative consequence is easy to see during revision.
Use only as much structure as helps you make the next writing decision; stop before the planning becomes a second draft.