The Author Assistant is a freeform chat-style tool designed to help writers brainstorm, generate ideas, work through plot holes, logic problems, and other creative tasks without leaving the text editor.
Accessing the Tool
Click the Assistant icon at the top of the screen, then select the Assistant option on the far right.
Key Interface Features
- New Chat — Starts a fresh chat thread when you have an active conversation running
- Advanced Settings — Allows selection of language model and temperature adjustment for response variance
- Expand — Enlarges the chat to fill the screen
- Close (X) — Returns you to Draft mode
- History — Accesses previous chats (deleted after 30 days of inactivity)
- Context Select — Determines which book elements are included in the chat
- Chat Input Box — Where you enter prompts and questions
Context Selection
By default, the Assistant draws from all available resources: chapters, character cards, lore notes, and outline. You can manually select specific elements to reduce costs and keep the AI focused. The principle is straightforward: more context the AI needs to review, the more expensive the prompt will be to execute.
Practical Applications
- Answer specific questions about your manuscript
- Brainstorm plot developments
- Draft book descriptions and marketing copy
- Identify story continuity issues
- Conduct research
- Request beta reader-style feedback
- Flag grammar errors and typos