What does this project do?

TaleForge is a minimal writing environment that mimics the layout of a professional writing app. Right now, it includes a simple editor with collapsible folders and local saving—your notes and chapters are stored directly in the browser.

Why did I make this project?

I wanted to create a clean, complete writing space for stories. I’ve always liked how writing tools structure information, but I never got around to building my own version. Originally, my plan was to build the entire app with multiple integrated panels and intelligent tools. Since I didn’t have enough time to finish everything during the Hack Club event, I decided to complete the smaller writing portion first and plan to continue working on it on my own afterward.

How did I make this project?

I started by sketching out the kind of interface I wanted: a sidebar for navigation, a tab system for open files, and a simple editor panel. I had worked on a project with a similar layout and premise before, so I was able to reuse and adapt parts of that code, which saved a lot of time. I built everything in plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, focusing on clean structure and localStorage-based saving for simplicity.

Some of my time on the project wasn’t recorded by WakaTime since I didn’t have service while working in the car during a road trip, but I continued coding offline to polish everything and make sure it worked smoothly once I got home.

What did I struggle with the most, and what did I learn?

The biggest challenge was balancing how much I wanted to build versus how much time I actually had. I had to scale back from the full app vision and focus on completing one functional piece instead. Through this, I learned how to simplify big ideas into achievable milestones and stay organized when working with multiple interface components. I also became much more comfortable with localStorage, dynamic tabs, and folder interactions in JavaScript.