🔗Links

Creating a web of details.

Fortelling makes it easy to show how everything in your story connects. Whether you’re tying characters to events, locations to scenes, or items to timelines, the link functionality gives you full control over the relationships in your narrative universe.

The link functionality in Fortelling brings your narrative world to life. By giving you the power to define, visualize, and evolve relationships, it becomes easier to keep track of everything: from epic sagas to subtle character dynamics.

What is linking?

Linking is the process of establishing a relationship between two story elements or between a story element and a file. These links help you:

• Keep track of complex connections (like character dynamics or item ownership).

• Build a web of interrelated content.

• Understand your story from multiple angles (emotional, narrative, and structural).

How to create a link?

You can create a link from any story element’s detail page:

1. Tap the plus (+) button.

2. Choose whether you want to:

   • Link a File: Opens a file picker.

   • Link a Story Element: Opens a custom form.

Linking a file

When selecting “Link a File”, you’ll be shown a file picker to attach any image, file, or note relevant to that element. This can be useful for attaching longer paragraphs of text (e.g., historical background lore) to an element.

Linking another story element

If you choose to link another story element, a detailed form appears where you can define the nature of their connection. Here’s what you can specify:

1. Link Name: Give the connection a meaningful title like “Mentor”, “Rival”, or “Artifact Belongs To”.

2. Description: Add extra context or background about the link to provide narrative depth.

3. Directionality: Specify if the relationship goes both ways or is one-directional. For example:

   1. Bilateral: Siblings

   2. One-way: A follower’s devotion to a leader

4. Emotions: Describe the emotions tied to this relationship from each side’s point of view. Useful for character drama or alliances.

5. Plot Involvement: Indicate if this relationship plays a key role in the story (e.g., a secret romance or betrayal).

6. Evolution Over Time: Track how the connection has changed or will change. This could include reconciliations, turning points, or betrayals.

7. Reader’s Perception: Add notes on how you want readers to interpret this relationship. Is it a red herring? A hidden twist?

Viewing and managing links

Once a link is created, you’ll see it in the Link Overview pop-up between the two story elements. This overview can hold multiple links for the same pair of elements, showing different aspects or stages of their relationship.

Note: If no main links exist, Fortelling will ask you to create one.

Board links

Links created from boards are shown below the story element links in the overview. Clicking a board link opens the associated board, giving you a visual map of relationships.

Link cleanup and limitations

• Permanent deletion: Deleting a link removes it permanently. It cannot be recovered from the trash.

• Be mindful when removing key connections, especially ones marked as central to your plot.

Automatic links

Fortelling automatically links your story elements to:

• Chapter scenes: Connect a story element to a scene and see how it gets linked for you.

• Timelines: After attaching a story element to a timeline event, a link will be created.

Removing the scene or event later? Fortelling will clean it up automatically for you. This keeps your project neat without requiring manual maintenance.

Tips & tricks

• Start with major links: Build out your plot’s spine first, then layer emotional or evolving relationships.

• Organize multiple links between two elements by naming them clearly and spacing their labels if used on boards.

• Avoid clutter: Only attach files that enrich the narrative (e.g. reference sketches, lore notes, etc.).

• Think like your characters: Use “reader perception” and “emotions” to play with POV and twists.