Import 3 min read

DOCX Import in Deckle

Import a Word document into Deckle with automatic chapter splitting, special block detection, comments, and a bracket-tag syntax for synopsis and notes.

Bring a Word manuscript into Deckle with its structure intact: chapters split automatically from your headings, special formatting recognized from your paragraph styles, and review comments carried over, not just a wall of unstructured text. See formatting your Word manuscript for import for how to set your heading styles up first.

What You Can Do

  • Import a .docx file and have it split into chapters automatically, based on your heading styles.
  • Have special content (verse, block quotes, attributions, written notes, conversations, and inset text) recognized from common Word paragraph style names and converted to Deckle's matching block types.
  • Bring Word review comments across, including reply threads, anchored to the right text.
  • Feed content directly into a chapter's Synopsis or Notes field using a simple bracket-tag syntax, instead of it landing in the body text.

How to Import a DOCX

  1. Open the Binder, click + → Import….
  2. Choose Word (.docx) and select your file.
  3. Deckle creates a timestamped "Imported [date]" folder in your Draft and imports your chapters into it.

What Actually Gets Imported

  • Chapters split on Heading 1-equivalent styles. Style name matching is flexible: "Heading 1," "heading1," "Title," and "Chapter Title" all work, matched case- and space-insensitively. Heading 2-equivalent styles ("Heading 2," "Part Title") split too, one level down.
  • Special blocks are recognized by paragraph style name, not guessed from formatting: styles named things like "Verse"/"Poetry" become verse blocks, "Blockquote"/"Pull Quote"/"Epigraph" become block quotes, "Centered"/"Attribution"/"Caption" become attribution blocks, "Written Note" becomes a written note, "Conversation"/"Dialogue"/"Texting" becomes a conversation block, and "Inset"/"Indented" becomes inset text.
  • Content before your first heading becomes a chapter titled "Prologue" rather than being dropped.
  • A paragraph containing exactly *** or * * * imports as a real scene break, not literal asterisk text.
  • Comments carry over as anchored Deckle comments, including reply threads on the same comment.

The [Synopsis] / [Note] Bracket-Tag Syntax

Start a paragraph with [Synopsis] or [Note] (case-insensitive) followed by your text, and that content is captured into the chapter's Synopsis or Notes field instead of appearing in the body. This is useful if you've already been keeping per-chapter summaries or notes directly in your Word outline and want them to land in the right place automatically, rather than manually copying them over one by one after import.

A Couple of Things Worth Knowing

💡 Style-name matching ignores spaces and capitalization, so "Block Quote," "blockquote," and "BlockQuote" all map the same way. You don't need to match an exact naming convention.

💡 Anything that doesn't match a recognized style name imports as a normal paragraph. Nothing is dropped for using an unrecognized style, it just won't get special formatting automatically.

FAQ

Does DOCX import split my manuscript into chapters automatically?

Yes, based on Heading 1-equivalent styles in your document (and Heading 2-equivalent styles as a level below). Content before your first heading becomes a chapter titled "Prologue."

Will my Word review comments come across?

Yes, including reply threads, anchored to the correct text.

How do I get my chapter synopses to import into Deckle's Synopsis field instead of the chapter body?

Start a paragraph with [Synopsis] followed by your text. Deckle captures it into that chapter's Synopsis field automatically. [Note] works the same way for the Notes field.