Bring the book without losing its history.

01 / Preserve

Back up the project before compiling.

Keep a separate, recoverable copy of the original Scrivener project. Make an inventory of the manuscript, research, notes, snapshots and metadata you want to retain. A readable export is useful, but it should never be your only backup of the project.

02 / Select

Export a chapter you know well.

Use Scrivener’s Compile or export controls to produce a manuscript format supported by your NarrativeForge edition. Check the current compatibility guidance first. Choose a chapter with a scene break, italic text, dialogue and any notes that matter to your normal writing. Keep a reference copy of the rendered output.

03 / Compare

Check the book’s structure as well as its words.

Review chapter titles and order, paragraph boundaries, emphasis, scene breaks and notes. Make sure excluded research has not been mistaken for missing manuscript text. Keep a separate record of material that remains in the source project and decide deliberately how you want to access it.

• A compiled document can flatten or omit project-specific information.
• Do not assume binder labels, snapshots or compile settings transfer with prose.
• Keep the original available until the whole manuscript has been checked.

04 / Continue

Give the chapter a real working session.

Revise a passage and find it again. If you are preparing audio, check narration, dialogue assignments and difficult pronunciations on that chapter before expanding to the book. Once the workflow feels dependable, bring across the next part and repeat the same review.