What Is This?
Scrivener is a word processing program specifically designed for long form writing such as novels and scripts.
Why Would I Need It?
This is a powerful program that allows writers to organise their research, as well as writing novels and scripts. It organises the final draft ready for either printing or sending to an editor or publisher.
Using Scrivener.
I have used Scrivener for a few years now and after some trials with different styles, I feel that I have a good grasp of this writing tool. Scrivener have a large back collection of videos to help you get as much out of the program as possible and there are many independent online courses that can do something similar. I particularly find the cork board view helpful as it allows you to pin ‘sticky notes’ to the board and rearrange them. As a person who enjoys looking at and using images, I have found the ability to download photos, research notes and so on, helps to create a visual reminder of what my characters, settings and props look like. I’ve used Scrivener on PC, MacOs and iOS iPad. Apart from a few formatting differences, I’ve managed to work and upload from one operating system to another. However, like any word processing program, it can take a little while to understand all the settings and sometimes it is easier just to write something and then towards organisation. Another plus for Scrivener is that the program is on your computer and you can save your writing in files on there, or on a usb stick rather than uploading your work to the cloud. The price is very reasonable and they offer a free trial. Look out for Easter, Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals.
Alternatives I’ve Used
I’ve used Word and Google as word processing programs but have never felt fully comfortable using them for larger, more complex pieces.
Future Findings
I am always looking at how to use Scrivener in different ways and like to keep up to date with all the current features I will update here with any new information, findings or tips on how to use it.
