I’ve invested a lot of time and money into writing. Many times, the device or advice is either common sense or irrelevant to me. However, taking a chance on Scrivener has simplified the process of writing and saved me time and pain. If you have ever found organization to be your enemy in completing a piece of writing, Scrivener will solve your problem.
Scrivener seems to be at its core an organizational tool more than anything else, but it’s organized for writers. It understands the necessity of deleting (but not necessarily forever), of inserting paragraphs (but maybe not for keeps), and rearranging entire chapters (although you may have preferred it the original way after all).
When I look back at my system of filing when using only Word, I don’t know how I ever believed I would put the book in order again. A chapter/draft/version system developed with numbers and letters and strange additions at the end, such as “Ch8 D3 V6 final not kidding this time”. (I am not criticizing Word software, which I still use for short fiction and work documents–but it is not made for the process of writing a long book.)
Final compilations were frightening with Word, requiring extreme vigilance. Even after committing to not deleting anything, but putting unused passages into a “crap” file, there were multiple versions and switched chapters that could be misplaced. A greater fear was realizing something in the “crap” file was my preference, if only I could find it.
Scrivener is perfect for those types of common problems. There is no need to relabel versions–Scrivener will keep multiple versions of your scene with the current preference. With its “snapshot” feature, previous versions are always a click away. Shifting chapters around? Just drag and drop. A fan of the notecard system? Scrivener has notecards, fully adaptable to whatever works for you. Scrivener stores your visual files if you need to see your characters and locations.
Notes are stored with the scenes you apply them to, or with a click, you can write general notes for the entire book. Notes and suggestions no longer interrupt your scenes, and you won’t have the clutter of post-its. (Again, I’m not criticizing Post-its. I’m a true fan.)
Grammarly is supported, and Scrivener also contains its own version of proofing. It compiles in more formats than I knew existed. It counts words and can alert you to overused words. It will help you set and keep goals. It will read aloud to you when you’re editing. (By the way, if you’ve never heard your work read aloud to you, you are in for a shock. It’s the most helpful tool of editing I’ve EVER found.)
It is visually customizable to whatever degree you require. I consider this part the “bells & whistles” that I can live without, but they are fun to play with. I use the color-coding for POV, and the index card branding system that allows me to see at a glance if, when I last viewed my work, I considered a scene needing work or at its final draft stage.
Sounds too good to be true? Scrivener has one major problem, but taking steps to solve it was also worth it. It is not user-friendly at first, and its tutorial is not the best, either. Of all the people who have told me they downloaded Scrivener and didn’t use it, this is their complaint. It’s a valid one.
A man named Joseph Michael can set you up with your new Scrivener software and show you features you didn’t know you needed. I found him by accident and attended a free webinar. Scrivener is easy once you understand the basics. (I say this as a person who is only moderately technically savvy.) Joseph Michael also sells a course on Scrivener, which I’m sure is magnificent.
There are also tutorials on YouTube that are simpler than the tutorial included with Scrivener.
The only other flaw I have found with Scrivener is the spell-checking. It prefers British spellings because it’s a British product. Overall, not a big deal.
Scrivener is available for a trial download. At the time of this writing, purchasing is just under $50. That is a bargain, considering all it does. It’s available at: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/
You can check out Joseph Michael, get on his mailing list, and sign up for his next free webinar (with any luck) at : https://josephmichael.net/scrivener-coach/
I enjoyed this article. Everything you experienced writing a novel in Word has happened to me. Good golly, I do remember renaming file after file after file to squeeze something else in or change the sequence of what I had. I do intend to purchase Scrivener. The initial learning curve did hold me back. I think I’m more than ready for it now.
I hope Scrivener works for you. Obviously, I love it.