What about backing up the manuscript?

Copy the sealed bundle to a USB stick or a cloud folder. Sealed bytes are safe to store anywhere.

Won't the sync client pick up my draft while it is open?

Only if the folder is inside a sync directory while unsealed. Keep it outside the sync folder; only the sealed bundle goes there.

Answers/The life queries

Where writers keep unfinished manuscripts nobody is meant to see yet

A first draft is a half-thought — reading it and reading the finished book are almost different acts. Every writer knows what happens to voice when there is a suspicion the room is not empty. The setup that keeps the room empty is boring: local files in a plain format, sealed when not being written in.

Format first

Write in something whose files you own outright — Scrivener project folders, plain markdown, Word docs, whatever. Avoid tools where 'the manuscript' is a cloud object you can't hold.

Sealing without breaking flow

Keep the manuscript folder sealed. When you sit down to write, unseal it, do the work, re-seal at the end of the session. It becomes as automatic as saving.

Elba is one HTML file — open it in a browser, seal the folder, close the tab. When you come back, open the file again and type your passphrase.

Questions people actually ask

What about backing up the manuscript?: Copy the sealed bundle to a USB stick or a cloud folder. Sealed bytes are safe to store anywhere.
Won't the sync client pick up my draft while it is open?: Only if the folder is inside a sync directory while unsealed. Keep it outside the sync folder; only the sealed bundle goes there.

Take the island

Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.

€49MMXXVI· now ·
€39MMXXVII2027
€29MMXXVIII2028
€19MMXXIX2029
FreeMMXXX2030

the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030

Take the island — €49

pay once · no account · nothing leaves