Welcome to Shorthand. This guide helps you start your first story, explore the Editor, preview your draft, and understand what to do when you are ready to publish.
You can create unlimited draft stories for free. You only need a paid plan when you are ready to publish.
Before you start
You will need a Shorthand account. If you do not have one yet, signing up only takes a minute. If you are working with a team, make sure you are in the right workspace before creating your story.
Start with a template or a blank story
Open your Shorthand Workspace Dashboard:
To create your own story, select the "New Story" button in the top right and choose Create new story.
To explore how stories are made, select a template option from the panel that pops up:
Choose whether to start from a blank story or use a template.
Use the AI Creative Companion
If you would like help turning an idea into a first draft, use the AI Creative Companion. The Creaive Companion is fantastic at helping you shape a rough idea into a starting structure that you can edit in the Shorthand Editor.
You can still change the text, images, sections, and layout after the draft is created.
Plan your story before you build
Before adding too much content, decide:
who the story is for
the main message or outcome
the sections you need
the images, video, or other media you want to use
whether the story needs to be reviewed before publishing
If you'd like to know more about how to plan a story, read our story planning tips and Checklist for planning a multimedia story.
Understanding how sections build a story
In Shorthand, a story is built from sections. Each section adds a different part of the experience, such as text, images, video, charts, or movement.
Think of sections as building blocks. You choose the section types you need, arrange them in order, and use them to guide readers through the narrative.
To add a section, use the + / ADD SECTION button above or below an existing section, or the Add section button between sections.
Preview your story
Preview your story before sharing it for feedback or publishing it. Shorthand stories are responsive, so check how your story looks and reads on different screen sizes.
In the Editor, select PREVIEW
Your story preview opens in a new browser tab.
Read through the story from start to finish.
Check that text, images, video, and section transitions appear as expected.
Resize your browser window, or use the Shorthand device preview options, to review desktop, tablet, and mobile layouts:
If you need feedback, copy the preview URL and send it to your reviewers.
Preview links are private working links for review. Do not share preview URLs publicly or use them as published story links.
Want to learn more?
To get more comfortable with Shorthand, you can:
Browse featured stories for inspiration
Watch previous training sessions
Read more of our support guides as you build
Or if you're a visual learner, check out the Shorthand YouTube Channel where we show off new features and how we build stories for The Craft: