Repository for the Metadata And Story Text Extensible Reference (MASTER) Format and Markup Language

##What is MASTER? MASTER is a file format and extensible markup language designed to support the process of bringing an author's stories to readers. It's simple to learn, easy to use, and focused on people, not technology.

###MASTER is plain text. Specifically, all MASTER files are UTF-8. For humans, that means you can write in your favorite editor and share files with anyone, no matter what devices they use.

###MASTER is NOT a display format MASTER files are intended to be transformed into display formats like EPUB and PDF. Think of a MASTER file as the master file upon which all of your display formats are based. (See what we did there?). MASTER markup is descriptive, not presentational. That means you might mark a bit of dialogue as needing emphasis or as in a foreign language, but never as italic.

###MASTER is line-oriented and order matters MASTER files are interpreted from top to bottom, one line at a time, with each line being a complete unit. Each line is interpreted from beginning to end. [Note: Version 1 will be certified for left to right (LTR) languages. The plan is to certify Version 1.5 for RTL languages such as Arabic as well as for bidirectional needs.]