Create and merge drafts
So, you’ve created a document and sketched out your rough draft. What now?
If you want to explore a few different directions—new dialogue, character development, narrative experiments—drafts let you do that without overwriting your main document.
What is a draft?
A draft is a standalone copy of your current document. You can use drafts to:
Test edits without affecting your main work
Brainstorm multiple versions of a scene or chapter
Co-write, beta-read, edit, and collect feedback
Keep notes or alternate versions in line
You don’t need to merge drafts back into the main document—many Ellipsus writers use them as separate working spaces.
Creating a draft
To create a draft:
Select Create new draft at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar, and give your draft a clear name.
Or, click the three dots on your document card and select New draft.
Your draft will copy over the current version of the main document. From there, you can make edits, overhaul entire sections, or start from scratch—the choice is yours! Create as many drafts as you need to work out your ideas.
Merge a draft
When you’re ready to move to the next stage, you can merge your draft with your main document.
Navigate to the draft you want to merge
Select Compare changes from the three dots menu of the draft card
This opens the compare screen, where you'll see:
Left side: your active draft
Right side: a comparison with the main document
Color highlights will show what’s changing:
Text highlighted in green will be added to the main document.
Text highlighted in red will be removed.
Text that is not highlighted will be unchanged.
Review both screens to see how your draft differs from the original document—click the switch next to Scrolling to scroll both screens at the same time—then click Merge in the top right and follow the on-screen instructions.
Note: Once a draft is merged, it becomes read-only. You can still view or duplicate it, but it can no longer be edited.
Drafts for collaboration
Drafts are especially useful when working with others:
Working with collaborators to create their own drafts
Collecting beta feedback or edits
Reviewing changes in one place without disrupting your main version
For more on how collaborators can interact with drafts, see our collaborators guide.