document modes

four ways into the page.

When you log in, Free Association asks what kind of document you want to begin. Each mode creates a new document with a different starting shape: open drafting, guided daily reflection, structured planning, or note capture. Journal can begin with an optional prompt, and Outline can ask AI for structure and gaps.

choosing a beginning

the mode is just the first container, not a permanent decision.

Document modes are designed to lower the friction of starting. Choose the shape that matches the first few minutes of the session, then keep writing with the same editor controls, themes, fonts, focus mode, typewriter mode, autosave, and export tools.

  • Freely Associate starts empty, so nothing tells the draft what kind of work it should become.
  • Journal starts with the date and can add an optional prompt before the entry point.
  • Outline starts as a project outline document with an optional AI panel for structure and gaps.
  • Notes starts as a note document with a side panel for tags, checklists, timestamps, and callouts.
during launch

The mode picker appears before a new document opens, so the writer chooses a page shape before naming, styling, or exporting anything.

after launch

The resulting document lives in the same cloud-saved library as every other file, with the same sidebar, word count, search, and revision controls.

01 / free

Freely Associate

A quiet blank document for the moment before a thought has a category. Use it for fragments, scenes, essays, poems, letters, or anything that needs to begin without a form telling it what to become.

  • Opens a fresh untitled writing document.
  • Keeps the full editor toolset available.
  • Works with focus and typewriter modes when you want less interface.
open blank page
Untitled

The first sentence does not need to know where it is going.

It only needs enough nerve to arrive before the second one.

The outline can wait. The title can wait. The page is listening.

02 / journal

Journal

Journal mode gives the day a container. It starts with the date, then lets you choose a plain entry or an AI-assisted prompt before writing.

  • Creates a dated journal document automatically.
  • Can stay blank after the date, or insert a prompt and follow-up questions.
  • Saves journal entries in their own library group.
open journal page
Monday, May 18, 2026

Prompt

Write toward the thought that keeps returning without trying to solve it yet.

Entry

I woke up with the same sentence in my head and finally wrote it down.

03 / outline + AI

Outline

Outline mode is for projects that need a spine. Start a project outline, then ask AI to generate structure or point out missing pieces from the side panel.

  • Creates an outline document ready for project structure.
  • Shows an AI assistant panel only inside Outline mode.
  • Keeps suggestions separate until you choose to insert them.
open outline page
Outline - today

Project: oral history archive

1. Purpose- preserve voices before context disappears

2. Audience- students, families, local historians

3. Open questions- permissions, source quality, first milestone

04 / notes

Notes

Notes mode is for capturing useful fragments before they become prose. It opens a note document beside quick inserts for gist lines, tags, key points, links, timestamps, and follow-up tasks.

  • Creates a note document and opens the note tools panel.
  • Shows note tools for timestamps, checkboxes, bullets, tags, dividers, and callouts.
  • Detects hashtags and keeps note pages grouped in the library.
open note page
Note - May 22
#archive #interview #followup

gist: the pause after the answer matters more than the quote itself.

key points

- confirm permission before using names
- find the photo album reference
- ask about the summer address

follow up

more screenshots

small moments from the mode workflow.

The mode pages still resolve into the same editor, but their first screen changes what is already waiting for you: nothing, reflection prompts, a planning scaffold with AI help, or a note capture format.

new document choice mode picker
New document

Freely Associate

Begin with an empty page and let the form arrive later.

Journal

Start with today, a mood, and a few reflective prompts.

Outline + AI

journal prompt set daily page
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Mood: open Place: desk Weather: clear

What happened

A short record of the day without needing to make it profound.

What I noticed

The detail that kept returning after I tried to ignore it.

outline AI helper planning only
Outline - lecture draft

Project: public talk

Audience:curious beginners, not specialists

Open questions:what needs a story before it needs a definition?

Next actions:draft opening, choose examples, cut jargon

free draft after choosing full editor
untitled draft
journal - may 18
outline - field guide
untitled draft saved
theme: white mode: free export
The blank page stayed blank until the first sentence arrived.
After that, it stopped being a choice and became a trail.
Follow it
note capture tags and inserts
Note - field call
#source #audio

timestamp: 10:42 AM

callout: verify this against the transcript before drafting.

- [ ] pull the exact quote

- [ ] ask for photo permission

choose a mode when the next document starts.

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