Structured vs. Freeform
| Article Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Category | Workspace |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Target OS | Windows · macOS (coming soon) |
| Summary | Choose between Cicero’s planned sections and your own folder layout. |
The File Browser has two tabs at the top: Structured and Freeform. They’re two ways of organizing the same sheets. Every sheet appears in both views, and you place it separately in each.
Switching between them is always safe. Nothing moves or disappears when you switch.
Structured: a path from idea to final draft
Section titled “Structured: a path from idea to final draft”Structured view gives every project the same five sections, in the order most books get written:
- Planning
- Story Details
- Outline
- Manuscript
- Revision
Each section comes with starter folders (for example, Planning has Project Brief and Ideas & Research). Hover over a section’s ⓘ icon to read what it’s for.
What you can do:
- Add a sheet: hover over any section or folder → click + → type a name → press Enter.
- Rename a sheet: double-click its name, or right-click it → Rename.
- Reorder or move a sheet: drag it. Drop it onto a folder to move it inside, or between sheets to reorder.
- Delete a sheet: right-click it → Delete.
What you can’t do: rename, move, or delete the sections and starter folders. They stay put so every project shares the same map.
The “Other” section
Section titled “The “Other” section”Sheets you create in Freeform view show up under Other at the bottom of Structured view. Drag them into a section to file them. Other only appears when it has sheets in it.
Freeform: your own layout
Section titled “Freeform: your own layout”Freeform view starts empty, under one section called All Sheets. Build whatever structure suits you.
- Add a sheet or folder at the top level: hover over All Sheets → click the + sheet or + folder button. Or right-click All Sheets → New Sheet / New Folder.
- Add inside a folder: right-click the folder → New Sheet or New Folder.
- Rename a folder: right-click it → Rename.
- Rearrange: drag sheets and folders. Drop a folder onto another folder to nest it.
- Delete a folder: right-click it → Delete.
Which should I use?
Section titled “Which should I use?”| If you… | Try |
|---|---|
| Like to plan before you draft | Structured |
| Discover the story as you write | Freeform |
| Want both | Use both. Draft freely in Freeform, then file sheets into Structured as the book takes shape. |