# Finally learned how to use Scrivener, and WOW



## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

I got it for Christmas and just now dropped my half-finished novel into it since I was stuck.

HOLY COW!

I was able to put in my whole outline and each "note card" with the summaries sits right by the chapter where I type new text. And I labeled each note card with a color for whose POV was used, and could view my cork board to see if I had evenly distributed my POV scenes.

I did some research later and realized I could copy the web site info straight into Scrivener under "research" and have it show right next to my chapter as I typed.

And best of all, I've had about six chapters workshopped but the edits are not done. I was able to add "notes" on the edits-to-do, and they sit right there on the page next to the text block, ready for when I make them. I can wait and do them later this way without worrying about the changes and what effect they might have later--the notes are RIGHT THERE.

It exports as a PDF for a paperback or as an EPUB or MOBI for ebooks. I'm skeptical on that, but I can always just send it to Word and do it the way I'm used to.

I'm sold so far! Took a couple hours to learn the ins and outs but I'm hooked!

[Edited for spelling, as usual]

Scrivener for Windows
Scrivener 2 for Mac OS X





_~~ Added Scrivener links and images. - Admin._


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## EthanRussellErway (Nov 17, 2011)

Texas, I LOVE Scrivner.  I give it a lot of credit for my finally putting a novel together and pushing myself to finish it.  I don't know what I'd do without it.  I can't imagine writing a whole book on something like Word.  Yuck!


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## Rachel Schurig (Apr 9, 2011)

Hmmm. I'm getting mac in the near future, maybe I will have to check Scrivner out.


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## NRWick (Mar 22, 2011)

Awesome! Glad you like it! Scrivener is such a great program. I've been using it for a few years now and it's just the best. I use it for eeeeeverything. Including formatting now.



TexasGirl said:


> It exports as a PDF for a paperback or as an EPUB or MOBI for ebooks. I'm skeptical on that, but I can always just send it to Word and do it the way I'm used to.


Don't be skeptical. It can take a while to get used to and to get the formatting right, but it's well worth it. Now, I go straight from my final draft to compiling a mobi and epub file. It creates perfect files, but it takes time to figure out how to create them. Especially since there's not a lot in depth tutorials (but I'm working on one!) about it. But the compile option makes publishing SO easy.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I just bought Scrivener and am WOWED.

I put _Risen_ into it for the ebook conversion (and to play with it). My latest edition of _Risen_ is a Scrivener conversion.

I put my half-done WIP into it and it's already helping me to get organized and to conceptualize the overall narrative. it's been sitting around as notes and chapters needing major revision for a long time. Scrivener has given me the tools I need to tear it apart and put it back together.

I started writing notes about my next WIP, using the notecard function. I'm looking forward to seeing the book take shape as I add new ideas.

Scrivener truly does reflect the way I write a book much better than Word, which I've been using since the pre-Windows days.

And at $40, it's a steal.


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## EthanRussellErway (Nov 17, 2011)

Rachel, I can say without hesitation that Scrivner is the best $50 I have ever spent in my life.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

NRWick said:


> Awesome! Glad you like it! Scrivener is such a great program. I've been using it for a few years now and it's just the best. I use it for eeeeeverything. Including formatting now.
> 
> Don't be skeptical. It can take a while to get used to and to get the formatting right, but it's well worth it. Now, I go straight from my final draft to compiling a mobi and epub file. It creates perfect files, but it takes time to figure out how to create them. Especially since there's not a lot in depth tutorials (but I'm working on one!) about it. But the compile option makes publishing SO easy.


Yep. If you think you like it when you are writing, just wait til you're ready to publish. It's just as advertised. Love it!


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## Rykymus (Dec 3, 2011)

I've been using it since I started 9 months ago. I love it. It does have a learning curve, and the Windows version is still a tad buggy, but I couldn't live without it. I just wish there was a way to update it from the word copy after the editor is done with it. That would save me a bit of copy and paste.

It's a great tool for development and drafting, though.


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## RPMcMurphy (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm not familiar with the program.  It sounds interesting though.  I'll have to check it out.  Thanks for the recommendations.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Scrivener sounds great. I'm still quite attached, though, to my "WriteItNow" software, which does everything I need, and more, and well. Also a terrific bargain at $59. You can read about it and try it out here: http://www.ravensheadservices.com/?Version=4.0.3b


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## JuliaHarwell (Feb 19, 2012)

Scrivener is the most awesome thing ever for my writing. Not only does it help in organizing and plotting things, the way it also produces perfectly formatted files for upload is worth the price of admission alone. 

I had to wrestle with the formatting options to get what I wanted (it is a bit obtuse with regards to certain checkboxes that you should turn on or off), but once I got that up and running (you can save the template so you never have to touch the options again once you're done telling it to do what you want), I can compile my work and have it place meta data, the cover, and a table of contents automatically into the file in a minute. Magic, I tell you!


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## Sophrosyne (Mar 27, 2011)

I haven't tried to publish via Scrivener yet, but I use it to write my novels and I love it!


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## AndreSanThomas (Jan 31, 2012)

I got it when I got this new laptop about 6 weeks ago.  I know I'm not using it to its full potential yet, but still, I love it.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Ya know, this is the honest to god truth right here...before I started using Scrivener I sat around wondering how the heck do you write a book and put it all together?  And then I opened the program and started organizing scenes.  And I swear, that was the light bulb for me.  Scrivener gave me my first novel this year (86,000+ words) in less than three weeks. 

I love it.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Rachel Schurig said:


> Hmmm. I'm getting mac in the near future, maybe I will have to check Scrivner out.


They have it on PC now too! A bit different than the Mac one, but still has most of the features.


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## angiemccullagh (Feb 21, 2012)

OMG, I've heard of Scrivner, but never really considered buying it. I think you've sold me on it, though. Thanks!


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## J.R. Thomson (Mar 30, 2011)

Can it be used for nonfiction or is it mainly used for fiction?


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## JuliaHarwell (Feb 19, 2012)

There's a 30-day trial for Scrivener, which only counts down as you use the program (which means you could use the program for 2 months if you only used it every other day if that's how you roll  ):

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/



tightwadpress said:


> Can it be used for nonfiction or is it mainly used for fiction?


Yes, DEFINITELY it can be used for nonfiction. I've used it for a non-fiction self-help book I wrote under a pen name, and a friend of mine used it for her thesis (it actually has non-fiction templates for research proposals and the like). You can see the "Who uses Scrivener?" section on this page as well: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php (it contains nice info about some of the features).

It's actually really great for non-fiction, especially the more-or-less automatic table of contents. There's a built-in corkboard for index cards, a place to put research materials, and the ability to lay out sections and move them around at will, plus some other bells and whistles. Though I must say that my own non-fic work was NOT photo or picture heavy (it was basically all text), so if you have diagrams or other things of that nature you need to put in, I don't know how difficult that would be.

I'd download the trial and check it out.

Sorry if I come off like a Scrivener salesgirl -- I'm just a big fan of it, and I am not exaggerating when I say it's one of the best things I've ever gotten to help advance my writing career.


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## SadieSForsythe (Feb 13, 2012)

My husband got me a copy of Scrivner for my new project. I've been through a number of the tutorials and it seems impressive (though with a steep learning curve). I'm looking forward to having the time to dig in. It's great to hear so much praise.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Got myself a copy recently too - it is fantastic.  I sync it via Dropbox so I can write at home and at my studio.

I particularly like how flexible it is - scenes can sort of "float" in any order.  And I've been importing lots of pictures into the documents that describe places and characters - helps me remember my ideas.


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## JGray (Mar 7, 2012)

The only thing holding me back from buying the program is the fact that I can't figure out how to create a Prologue in the table of contents when exporting. Can anyone please tell me?


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

I never use outlines, really.  Sometimes just a blurb written on a napkin.  Do you think Scrivener would help a chronic pantser like me?  Or is its value in the organization-of-outlines feature that I'd never use?

If you think a pantser could use it, how?  What features would I use?  

Thank you!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> I never use outlines, really. Sometimes just a blurb written on a napkin. Do you think Scrivener would help a chronic pantser like me? Or is its value in the organization-of-outlines feature that I'd never use?
> 
> If you think a pantser could use it, how? What features would I use?
> 
> Thank you!


Well... depends on your working method, I suppose. For example, it's set up so that you can write each scene (or however you want to break your story up) on a separate document, and the program makes it super easy to re-arrange those scene-documents and displays them blended together as one continuous story-document.

So even if you dont outline etc ahead of time, you could experiment with re-arranging your scenes in different ways as you write - or after you are done - without any copying and pasting or introducing mistakes.

Actually, I think that feature would be even _more_ useful to writers who dont plan ahead - sort of frees you up to write knowing that you can always re-arrange things - temporarily remove a scene - put it back - see what works better.


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## JuliaHarwell (Feb 19, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> I never use outlines, really. Sometimes just a blurb written on a napkin. Do you think Scrivener would help a chronic pantser like me? Or is its value in the organization-of-outlines feature that I'd never use?


Well, for my fiction, I lean more toward a pantser than a plotter. And don't let what I said about organizing things fool you -- a lot of the time I just use the note cards in Scrivener to dump all the stuff I think up but don't yet have a place for. It's kind of like you putting those napkins into a program.  There's no need to outline if you don't want to. Most of the time, ideas will pop up in my head about future scenes and I'll pop open a new "scene/chapter/whatever you want to call it" blank page, write, then go back to what I was working on. Scrivener is like having a binder filled with post-it notes, napkins, scraps, and odds and ends in one single place.

The thing is, I used to have, say, three or four different Word files open while writing, since notes to myself were in one, some interesting research and/or articles were in another, story blurbs + potential scenes in one, and my writing were in the last. All that just goes into Scrivener, kind of like it being a catch-all place where I can easily go between them and also split the screen so that I can see as well as jot down notes while I'm writing.

You can try having a look at the first video here -- http://www.literatureandlatte.com/video.php -- which kind of introduces the program.

But for me, the whole thing with Scrivener didn't click until I actually tried out the program. And that's the thing, to be honest. I can tell you how amazing and awesome it is, but unless you use it, you won't know if it's for you. Some people don't like Scrivener, and find that the program actually hinders rather than helps. There's no telling where you will fall on that spectrum. All I can say is, there's a free trial -- why not take advantage of it? It's free, all the features are unlocked, and the only thing that separates the demo from the actual program is the time limitation where you can use it for 30 non-consecutive days.



Masha du Toit said:


> Actually, I think that feature would be even _more_ useful to writers who dont plan ahead - sort of frees you up to write knowing that you can always re-arrange things - temporarily remove a scene - put it back - see what works better.


TOTALLY 100% AGREE.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Julia - it's so interesting to see how others use it - give me ideas, too...

I lean more to the "planner" end of the spectrum at the moment, but I'm still learning what works best for me, who knows what my working method will be in the future.  I'm busy planning a book at the moment and in a way my working method seems similar.  I used to have multiple Word docs open also:

- one for the "main ideas dump" where I scribble ideas as they occur in no particular order
- one called "questions" which is a euphemism for a list of plot holes an inconsistencies that need to be dealt with
- several documents for the various topics I'm researching
- character descriptions etc.

Now each of these is a document in Scrivener and it's super easy to jump back and forth between them.


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## JuliaHarwell (Feb 19, 2012)

I realized I missed WriteWilette's question.



WriteWilette said:


> The only thing holding me back from buying the program is the fact that I can't figure out how to create a Prologue in the table of contents when exporting. Can anyone please tell me?


Do you mean have the Prologue also listed in the table of contents? Like this:

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
etc...

I'll give a quick overview in case this helps, but since I don't know how you've structured your binder or what options you've chosen in terms of compilation formatting, this may not work the same for you. I opened a new project and set up the files like so, separating the Prologue into its own section:









(Note that I prefer darker backgrounds so I've adjusted my Scrivener as such -- the default is white.)

When you go to the Compile window, in the Contents tab, make sure the "Pg Break Before" checkbox is ticked:










I've noticed that if I forget to tick this box, the TOC generator doesn't list that particular section in the Contents page (the content is still included in the main body of work, but the title of that section doesn't appear in the TOC page) -- you can see this in the second screenshot below, where all the "Untitled" sections don't appear in the TOC.

*EDIT:* I forgot to add, this is how I've set up the 'Formatting' tab (I keep it simple, and I find this works well with what I'm talking about right now, to give me the results I want -- which is simply for the program to take the Title of each section and place that into the TOC. I don't need it to title each chapter, as I do that on my own by adding the words CHAPTER 1 before I hit enter a couple times and start typing out the story):










I quickly did a .mobi compile, and this is what I see when I open the file in my Kindle PC app:










Ta-da. 

Hope this helps!


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

JuliaHarwell said:


> You can try having a look at the first video here -- http://www.literatureandlatte.com/video.php -- which kind of introduces the program.


The video and your comments (all-a-ya'lls') have me sold. Now I just need to find a way to justify the purchase of a Mac with a bigger screen than my Macbook Air.


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## Rejean (Mar 31, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> The video and your comments (all-a-ya'lls') have me sold. Now I just need to find a way to justify the purchase of a Mac with a bigger screen than my Macbook Air.


Agreed. I use Scrivener, but then I'm a chronic plotter. But it does need a bigger screen.

- good excuse to go buy one of those nice Apple monitors to hook the laptop up to.


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## Savannah_Page (Feb 16, 2012)

Definite kudos to Scrivener. I got it for my Mac last year and it's the best thing...ever! I had to do my editing with Word and Track Changes and, as predicted, I experienced one crash. I couldn't imagine the fear I would have if I composed my works entirely in Word. Even setting the auto-save to every minute...just not secure enough for me. And I kind of don't like anything non-Apple anyhow.   But with Scrivener I have the peace of mind that everything's saved and backed up, not to mention it does everything an indie author needs. And so much more. (Too much, actually. haha)

Granted I have spent probably a cumulative 10-15 hours learning the ins and outs of the programs bells and whistles, but once you do it twice you've got it down. This second book I've just finished moved so much smoother 2nd time around with Scrivener. Come the next book I think it'll be a real no-brainer.

Of course I wish I didn't need to invest a bunch of time upfront into learning all of its tricks, but that just might be my A-type personality to know as much as possible about the program before I use it. The online program tutorials are helpful for the basic stuff, too. Def recommend those when first getting into Scrivener.

I think all writers should seriously take a look at Scrivener. I've never regretted buying it. I'm a little in love with it.


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## yomamma (Feb 10, 2011)

Chiming in with more Scrivener love. I tried it a while back and couldn't get it figured out, because I was pantsing my book. Lately, though, I've had to really outline the hell out of things ahead of time, and once I have that, I pop everything into Scrivener. I LOVE IT.

I do think you need a pretty boss outline before starting, though, or you won't see the benefits of using it. One trick I also do is I tag every scene title with how long I think it'll be and what word count the entire book will be at by the time I hit that scene. As I go, I know if my book is going to run shorter than anticipated, and I can plan for it.

Plus, I really like the pop-outs and the word count features.


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## Savannah_Page (Feb 16, 2012)

Suzanne Adair said:


> I feel like the village idiot. I've tried to learn Scrivener from the tutorial. It overwhelmed me, so I've reverted to cutting and pasting scenes in Word.
> 
> Did you folks who love the program so much ever feel this insurmountable learning curve with the program, as I do?


Most definitely, Suzanne! Like I said, 10-15+ hours learning this thing so far, but it has been 100% worth it. Whenever I sit down to figure out something new with Scrivener (the most recent being a few days ago in regards to very specific page numbering) I never let a bottle of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon sit too far away. lol

It can be a bit of a headache at first, or a bit daunting, but the rewards afterward are so very worth it. I've just taken it in small chunks at a time. For instance, "today I am going to learn how to make a functioning HTML table of contents." I'll have tutorials running while I practice it myself (lots of pausing action in there haha).

In the end, even though I may be angry that it took me 3 hours to figure something "so simple" out, I'm a happier and more organized writer for it. Scrivener definitely helped me get my most recent novel sketched and written in less than 3 weeks time!


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

I have it and love it too! The only thing for me is it all got a bit messy when I sent my draft off to the editor. She sent it back to me with her notes in Word. When I tried to put it back into Scrivener it of course didn't remember to break chapters etc like I had when I was writing it.

Anyone any tips on how to make it through the editing process and keep the 'shape' of the story in Scrivener?


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

I've definitely gotten UNSTUCK using it, and I had been stuck on my novel for 3 months. The ability to see all the chapters running down the side (I renamed them meaningful titles to know what they are) has made a HUGE difference. I hadn't outlined the last 1/4 of the book, but with the notecard function, I zipped right along. Wrote 1500 words just this morning!!!!

*BUT HERE IS A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION.*

After reading the comments, I realized--CRAP. When I send the book to my copy editor as a compiled word file, I'm going to have a problem. I'm going to get a track-changes Word file back. And I'll lose all my Scrivener-ness, since the edits can't be imported easily with my broken-up chapters and all.

How do we handle this? Buy a copy of Scrivener for her so we can pass the file back and forth? IF she's even willing. I know I can do track changes and side by side within the program. But if I re-import--the chapters will be all together again.

(HA--Paul asked the same question simultaneously.)


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## kellymcclymer (Apr 22, 2010)

TexasGirl said:


> *BUT HERE IS A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION.*
> 
> After reading the comments, I realized--CRAP. When I send the book to my copy editor as a compiled word file, I'm going to have a problem. I'm going to get a track-changes Word file back. And I'll lose all my Scrivener-ness, since the edits can't be imported easily with my broken-up chapters and all.


First, I would suggest that you do all your edits in the track-changes Word document and save a copy. Then, in the saved copy, accept them all and cut and paste each revised chapter back into Scrivener. Then compile the new doc and do a compare doc between the track-change-accepted doc and the final doc (in case you copy/pasted something wrong). It sounds like a lot of work, but copy/pasting each chapter (I do by scene) is fairly mindless work, so I just put on some music and do it when I'm brain dead from real writing work. Rarely takes me more than an hour. I found that trying to keep track of changes in two documents led to errors, but making all changes in the copy edited doc and copy/pasting back into Scrivener eliminated the necessity to make sure I caught every little comma change.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Havent got to this point myself yet but here is a link to somebody who has:

http://www.davidhewson.com/blog/2011/1/24/revision-and-change-tracking-in-scrivener.html


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

Listening, listening. Fretting, fretting.

Options so far:

Kelly: So, import changed document to compare. But as part of the original file, after a snapshot of the old version? Or a whole new Scrivener project? Can you compare two Scrivener projects or only documents within one project?

Masha: This method requires the copy editor to have Scrivener and a copy of the project. She made a snapshot, made changes, then compared the snapshot to the new version.


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

I've been using Scrivener for a couple of years now. I actually bought a used Mac in order to get Scrivener (that was in the pre-PC days). I was almost finished with the follow-up novel to Yseult, but it was getting so unwieldy, I had the feeling I couldn't keep track of the monster anymore. (It's an epic fantasy of just under 180,000 words.) 

So once I put my mob novel into Scrivener, I broke it down by scenes, did the same trick someone upstream mentioned of marking the scenes by pov character, made notes on each scene as to location, characters, time, and plot thread or threads -- and all of a sudden I had a handle on it. I noticed certain plot threads weren't really leading anywhere and I could delete them and streamline things a bit. I noticed I was naming characters who showed up once, so I either got rid of the names, or collapsed them with other minor characters. And on and on. The main thing is, it gave me the tools to wrestle the huge bugger into a coherent whole. 

I'm halfway between a plotter and a pantser when I write. I usually start out doing a lot of research and jotting down a lot of notes, and I have to know the end of a book before I can start it. But sometime during the planning phase, I get the urge to start writing, and I jump in and have to figure out a lot of stuff while I'm writing. 

The new ebook conversion tools are just icing on the cake for me.  

As far as the track changes problem is concerned, I'm used to jumping back and forth between wordprocessors for my day job, so that's what I do. But I'll definitely check out the Hewson link.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

I'm convinced. Downloading now. LOL


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## Savannah_Page (Feb 16, 2012)

kellymcclymer said:


> First, I would suggest that you do all your edits in the track-changes Word document and save a copy. Then, in the saved copy, accept them all and cut and paste each revised chapter back into Scrivener. Then compile the new doc and do a compare doc between the track-change-accepted doc and the final doc (in case you copy/pasted something wrong). It sounds like a lot of work, but copy/pasting each chapter (I do by scene) is fairly mindless work, so I just put on some music and do it when I'm brain dead from real writing work. Rarely takes me more than an hour. I found that trying to keep track of changes in two documents led to errors, but making all changes in the copy edited doc and copy/pasting back into Scrivener eliminated the necessity to make sure I caught every little comma change.


My process is similar, and seriously, it is mindless work copying and pasting the accepted changes from Word into Scrivener. Totally worth still using Scrivener.

First, I save a copy of the Word Track Changes from the editor as 'Original' with all changes untouched (just as a back up and original reference if needed only). Then I make another copy ('Working Copy') of the Word Track Changes and go through accepting and working with the changes suggested. Then that 'Working Copy,' all fresh, is copy and pasted, chapter by chapter, over my existing Scrivener document. It worked really well this time around and I plan on doing the same process again. It sounds like more of a hassle than it is. But with the screen shot changes and everything you can easily swap back and forth to see any changes.


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## Catana (Mar 27, 2012)

I've been using Scrivener since 2009, and I give it 100% of the credit for changing me from a would-be novelist to a published novelist. I couldn't live without it any more. Final formatting for Smashhwords and others was the hardest part, and I did use Open Office for that until recently since I'm not a Word user. But I finally buckled down and figured everything out. It wasn't really that difficult, and Scrivener does turn out a perfectly acceptable final draft.

As others have said, it's just as useful for pantsers as for planners. I'm an obsessive planner, but I found that outlining just doesn't work for me. Scrivener's features keep me organized and in control of my material, even without outlining.


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## PAWilson (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm a Scrivener fan, too. I jumped in on the windows beta and couldn't wait for the release. When it came I took the risk of transferring my NaNo in progress to the new version. I use it to get my novel from first draft to final polish. I do the final in Word so I can upload it. Scrivener is the reason I can write 3 - 4 books in a year.


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## NRWick (Mar 22, 2011)

TexasGirl said:


> I've definitely gotten UNSTUCK using it, and I had been stuck on my novel for 3 months. The ability to see all the chapters running down the side (I renamed them meaningful titles to know what they are) has made a HUGE difference. I hadn't outlined the last 1/4 of the book, but with the notecard function, I zipped right along. Wrote 1500 words just this morning!!!!
> 
> *BUT HERE IS A MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION.*
> 
> ...


For all of my editing, my beta readers, my proofreading, etc. I send it out as a word doc so everyone can use track changes. When I receive the file back and am ready to start accepting changes, I open up the file next to Scrivener and start making the changes by hand. I usually snapshot every scene after I've finished them and after I've made changes to the whole scene, so each pass. It's a bit tedious, but I get to avoid working in word/open office at all cost. Though, the other comment about accepting the changes you want and then copying and pasting the whole revised scene is probably a smarter way to go. I'm not entirely sure why I don't do it that way. Going to try it out, though.


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## JGray (Mar 7, 2012)

Thank you, Julia!! That was very helpful!! 

*skips off to buy Scrivener*


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## Damon J Courtney (Jun 9, 2011)

Exporting to Word for editing is the only step so far that has been even mildly annoying with Scrivener. Well worth the effort for this one thing you can sort of work around. The problem is that editors all use Word + track changes, and there's very little chance of getting them to change habits. Also, Scrivener is not nearly as robust for tracking changes, so they'd probably just get pissed if you bought it for them and asked them to use it. 

I've seen a lot of writers say they export to Word for the edit process and then stay in Word from there on out. As someone who HATES Word, this wasn't an option for me. I'm a programmer by trade, so I just wrote some code to do the magic for me, but it's not polished enough for anyone except me. Just a quick and dirty hack.

This sounds like the best process to me:

Export to Word
Editor does their work and sends back changes
Accept / reject changes as you please
Select your documents in Scrivener and take a snapshot of them all
Copy and paste each chapter / scene back into Scrivener

Scrivener has now saved a snapshot of each scene / chapter before you made your changes, and then you dropped your changes on top of a new revision. You can now easily go back through and compare changes between revisions later as you please.

Perhaps I should clean up that little script and make it more universal for everyone who has to do this... No promises.


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## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

tightwadpress said:


> Can it be used for nonfiction or is it mainly used for fiction?


I use it for non-fiction all the time.  And fiction. And teleplays. And I've started using it to create story "world" bibles, too.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

I use Scrivener in my blurb-writing business; I have a Scrivener file with everyone's blurbs in it and I move them up and down as it goes from my court to their court to finished. Every blurb gets its own folder and inside the folder is the "before," the "after" and the questions/answers. I usually put the "after" in one part of the split screen and either the "before" or the "questions" in the other. When I'm done with the blurb, I move the whole folder into a folder with the author's name (I often get repeat customers) and color code it so I know whether I'm waiting to post the book to my blog or whether it's ready to post now.

I refuse to leave the Mac platform because of Scrivener, and I'm getting an iPad because LaL is putting out an iPad app version.


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## daphne dangerlove (Mar 24, 2012)

I'm going to throw in as a fan of Scrivener as well. I've been using it since it showed up in Windows beta. If you work your entire project in it, it will export to a range of e-book formats. I haven't used it yet because I just realized that it could do it. You can also go into full screen when you are writing which is awesome for me, because it keeps me out of my email and 'researching' on Google! And I just love the corkboard. It makes all the difference for me in organizing my thoughts. I know I am probably not using it to its full functionality yet, but it has streamlined my work process, and has the added benefit of putting me in 'writing mode' when I open it. It's probably silly, but using it makes me feel more like a writer. There's even a name generator where you can choose the origin of the names it generates as well as look up the meanings of names. As of now, when I hit editing and export to Word for my editor, don't go back to Scrivener. I stay in Word because I like to edit with Track Changes on at that point. You could also work side by side if you have two monitors...I have done this on occasion...making the changes in Scrivener and accepting them in Word. I think it depends on the level of editing you are doing.

I use it for both fiction and non-fiction and love it for both. Scrivener is a great deal at $40--the free trial will convert you so go download it http://goo.gl/YUxTJ.  You get it for like a month, so that is plenty of time to mess with it. I watched the video a few times to get up and running with it. They do have videos for a bunch of different things. And then just using it and trying everything out kind of drove my learning. You kind of have to commit to an hour or so of just fiddling with it to see what it can do.

Edited to add that if you want 20% off, use WORDSWITHJAM...not as good as the NANO discount, but you don't have to wait either.


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## gspeer (Nov 10, 2010)

Anybody using Scrivener for Windows have some links to really good Scrivener tutorials or videos?

I've owned the software for a few months now, since it came out of beta (the Windows 1.x version, that is) -- but it just seems so daunting that I've not yet gotten into much of what it'll do and how best to do it.

Gary


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## Cathryn Grant (Dec 7, 2010)

I started using Scrivener to write last fall and just conquered the publishing to Mobi and ePub this weekend. Wow. It's eliminated quite a few frustrations in my editing process, and the publishing features are amazing. It's a fantastic tool. It was a challenge to learn all the ins and outs as some of the tutorials are high level, but it's well worth the time invested.

This ebook was helpful "Writing A Novel with Scrivener" http://amzn.to/KmP7x0
He calls out in the text when a specific feature doesn't apply to Windows, and focuses most on features that are available for both Mac and PC.


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## Ruth Harris (Dec 26, 2010)

Another vote for Scriv. I've been using it for years and wouldn't be without it. Seems like a steep learning curve at first but once you "get" it, it's very logical & natural to use.

So, Yay, Scriv!

And, btw, the forum is excellent. Ask and they (including the developer) will answer.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

It's wonderful if you do any kind of detailed world-building, too, because you can keep all your notes and research together and reuse them again and again. First thing I do when I start a new story is make sure my research section has a Characters folder, a Places folder, a Notes folder, and if there are magical systems or alien races I make sure they get their own folders as well. Makes it so much easier to keep everything consistent, remembers names and descriptions, etc. I drop in photos, bits of web pages, anything to help me keep track of what I'm doing or have done in the past.


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## Ian Marks (Jan 22, 2012)

Rachel Schurig said:


> Hmmm. I'm getting mac in the near future, maybe I will have to check Scrivner out.


There's a Windows version of it too - I've been fiddling around with the demo version of Scrivener and will probably bite the bullet in the next week or so. Looks great on a widescreen monitor too (I've only recently gone wide, and this is one of the few programs where the extra screen real estate really pays off).


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

Ian Marks said:


> There's a Windows version of it too - I've been fiddling around with the demo version of Scrivener and will probably bite the bullet in the next week or so. Looks great on a widescreen monitor too (I've only recently gone wide, and this is one of the few programs where the extra screen real estate really pays off).


You've inspired me to try the demo !

Does anyone know if the Windows version does most of what the Mac version does? Also as to the "publishing" or formatting at the end?


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

I use the Windows version and it seems to have most of the Mac functions, but probably not all since the Mac version has been in development much longer. It definitely compiles to ebook though I'm not certain of the format type, and exports to all the major text types. I usually export to Word for Smashwords and then to HTML and compile in Calibre.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Ian Marks said:


> There's a Windows version of it too - I've been fiddling around with the demo version of Scrivener and will probably bite the bullet in the next week or so. Looks great on a widescreen monitor too (I've only recently gone wide, and this is one of the few programs where the extra screen real estate really pays off).


Yes, I have all three books up at the same time when I'm writing so I can move between stories.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

BRONZEAGE said:


> You've inspired me to try the demo !
> 
> Does anyone now if the Windows version does most of what the Mac version does? Also as to the "publishing" or formatting at the end?


The Windows is 1.0 and the Apple 2.0. The Apple has some refinements the Windows doesn't have. Not a dealbreaker though.

I tried the Windows Beta with bugs this past summer and I liked it but it was more than I needed at the time and even though I'd put a few hours into learning it I still needed more time. I think you have to put in the time to learn it.

I'll definitely buy the Windows version soon and spend more time learning it. Aside from the videos I didn't find much to help me. Much is intuitive and you just have to play with it. I like the full screen mode very much. For now I'll stick with my old Word.


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## kcochran (Apr 30, 2012)

How does Scrivener compare to WriteWay?  I am currently using WriteWay (Windows). I think they are working on a Mac version.  I love being able to drag and drop scenes, give the scenes meaningful names, etc.  I know I am not using WriteWay to its fullest potential as I have not been using the storyboard, character bios, not cards, etc.

I started using it after I was almost done with my first book..so I hope to use more of the features for my second.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Anyone doing major series work: Scrivener is a lifesaver. I have a 300k-word draft, two completed novels, notes for a few more and related short stories all in the same Scrivener file. I can do global searches easily, keep my research accessible and compare documents in split screen. Couldn't keep track of it otherwise.


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## Lady TL Jennings (Dec 8, 2011)

Hm, very interesting. (And for all of those who are not familiar with Scrivener (myself included), I found this video which explains the program http://www.literatureandlatte.com/videos/ScrivIntroSmall.mov ) 
It looks like a very powerful and useful program!
_
/ Lady T. L. Jennings_


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Huge Fan - excellent tool


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## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

I downloaded Scrivener a while back with the intention of checking it out, but then never got around to it. I need to get that back on my list.


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## writingundertheinfluence (Apr 18, 2012)

I love Scrivener, too. I don't use all of its features, because I am old-school about word processing, I guess. I am running a contest for a free copy of Scrivener on my Facebook page. Must not be in big demand, though, because no one is really entering it. Or maybe I just don't know enough writers...


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

CAShives said:


> I love Scrivener, too. I don't use all of its features, because I am old-school about word processing, I guess. I am running a contest for a free copy of Scrivener on my Facebook page. Must not be in big demand, though, because no one is really entering it. Or maybe I just don't know enough writers...


Okay, I just gave your FB page some exposure to a whole lotta writers. Good luck and it's a great give away! I hope you get lots of likes!

Deanna


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> I never use outlines, really. Sometimes just a blurb written on a napkin. Do you think Scrivener would help a chronic pantser like me? Or is its value in the organization-of-outlines feature that I'd never use?
> 
> If you think a pantser could use it, how? What features would I use?
> 
> Thank you!


That is similar to what I do - full story jotted down in paragraph blurbs. Beginning, middle and end.
With Scrivener I put them on the index cards. Now I have the index cards I update to build out my synopsis and develop the corresponding chapters.

I'm going to start color coding so the POV is defined for the index card - love that idea.

Overall just a great way to organize the development process as well as use for publishing.


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## Cathryn Grant (Dec 7, 2010)

> Do you think Scrivener would help a chronic pantser like me?


I'm a panster and I love Scrivener. Part of the challenge with being a panster (at least for me), is that I forget what I wrote! Scrivener has helped me track my story and made the re-write process _so_ much smoother. You can also jump ahead when you get a brainstorm for a future scene and easily jump back to where you were. You can also keep all your notes on the notecards or the notes window .... before I had them all in spreadsheets and you can imagine what a mess that was!

I'm not a shill for Scrivener, but here's the other awesome feature -- publication! I publish directly to iTunes and had run into a brick wall with iTunes rejecting my books with obscure code errors that I couldn't identify (I know just enough html and can copy/paste css to get by). I'd ended up taking the html route because no matter what I did with other options, I ended up with formatting issues.

I was dead in the water with iTunes choking on my html. Yesterday I uploaded a Scrivener generated epub. It went through without a hitch! And the doc looks great. You can generate .mobi too. Awesome, awesome tool. I can't help gushing about it.


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## daphne dangerlove (Mar 24, 2012)

I'm not a pantser, but I love to write out of order! I am forever jumping around when I write, no matter what it is and I find that Scrivener really works for me in that way. I will literally talk about it to any one that will listen to me. I have talked the majority of my writer friends into using it as well. If anyone is using yWriter ( http://goo.gl/Adhi5 ), Scrivener is a great next step. I loved using yWriter, but I just needed more functionality and Scrivener gives that to me by letting me keep my research right along side of my writing, as well as the split screen option.

When I first tried it out, I was most excited about being able to move the little cards around on the bulletin board, but there is so much more than that Scrivener can help you with. Their site does a good job of highlighting the features, but I really recommend downloading the program and playing with it a bit. ( http://goo.gl/U66Hu ) I love anything that makes my life easier.


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## AmsterdamAssassin (Oct 21, 2011)

I've downloaded the demo on my MacBook.

A few months ago my HP laptop crashed and I couldn't trust it anymore, so I bought an iPad with a bluetooth keyboard, which allows me to take my word processor [Pages 09] everywhere. Except that it uploads the files in the iCloud and I need a computer for the editing process. I didn't want Windows PC anymore, so I got a good deal on a used MacBook Pro.

This thread is awesome -- I downloaded the Scrivener demo and if I'll buy it, I'll see if I can still get the 20% discount with writewithjam - I just hope the Scrivener program has not problems with downloading files from the iCloud, because I'll keep writing on the iPad [it's just so damn easy to take everywhere...].


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## writingundertheinfluence (Apr 18, 2012)

TexasGirl said:


> Okay, I just gave your FB page some exposure to a whole lotta writers. Good luck and it's a great give away! I hope you get lots of likes!
> 
> Deanna


Hey, thanks!! I actually felt bad for the Scrivener folks because no one seemed all that interested. I appreciate it!


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Masha du Toit said:


> Got myself a copy recently too - it is fantastic. I sync it via Dropbox so I can write at home and at my studio.


I hadn't thought of this. So you don't need to own scrivener if you pull the whole thing up through dropbox? If I'm reading that right, you just made my day...and my lunch breaks at work for the foreseeable future.

Question: Is there a demo about using it to self-pub people have liked?


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## daphne dangerlove (Mar 24, 2012)

Caitie Quinn said:


> I hadn't thought of this. So you don't need to own scrivener if you pull the whole thing up through dropbox? If I'm reading that right, you just made my day...and my lunch breaks at work for the foreseeable future.
> 
> Question: Is there a demo about using it to self-pub people have liked?


You have to have a copy of Scrivener on both machines that you are using and then use Dropbox ( I use syncplicity ) to sync the files--so that if you made changes to the file during your lunch break, they'd be there when you got home to work on your manuscript.

You can download a fully functional 30 day trial of Scrivener here for windows: http://goo.gl/U66Hu Mac is here: http://goo.gl/6t9Us Just look up in the right corner for the download link.

The video to get you up and running is here: http://goo.gl/G7suk Scroll down the page for more videos. The one for exporting to ebooks is near the bottom.


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Ok, so you CAN'T just dropbox Scrivener. That's what it looked like from her post. I'd have to install it on any computer I was grabbing my files from through dropbox.

Unfortunately, there's no way I can download Scrivener to my work computer. People might think that was a little unrelated here


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## daphne dangerlove (Mar 24, 2012)

Caitie Quinn said:


> Ok, so you CAN'T just dropbox Scrivener. That's what it looked like from her post. I'd have to install it on any computer I was grabbing my files from through dropbox.
> 
> Unfortunately, there's no way I can download Scrivener to my work computer. People might think that was a little unrelated here


Are you already using Scrivener? If not, yWriter http://goo.gl/Adhi5 runs off of a usb drive. I think Liquid Story Binder http://goo.gl/qqpKA will as well and both are pretty good programs. http://goo.gl/qqpKA


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Yes. I'm already using it. That's why her post intrigued me.


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## Cathryn Grant (Dec 7, 2010)

> Ok, so you CAN'T just dropbox Scrivener.


You can zip it and dropbox it.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Caitie Quinn said:


> Ok, so you CAN'T just dropbox Scrivener. That's what it looked like from her post. I'd have to install it on any computer I was grabbing my files from through dropbox.
> 
> Unfortunately, there's no way I can download Scrivener to my work computer. People might think that was a little unrelated here


Nope, sorry, I expressed myself badly. Scrivener is installed on both my machines, but the project folder is saved in the local dropbox folder on both machines and Dropbox keeps those two project folders synced. Works like a charm.

Luckily Scrivener is super nice about allowing you to install a single license on more than one machine so I only had to buy one license.


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## Cathryn Grant (Dec 7, 2010)

> Scrivener is installed on both my machines, but the project folder is saved in the local dropbox folder on both machines and Dropbox keeps those two project folders synced. Works like a charm.


I'm a newbie to dropbox and didn't realize I could sync without the constant zipping and uploading. Thanks!!


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## 48209 (Jul 4, 2011)

Masha du Toit said:


> Luckily Scrivener is super nice about allowing you to install a single license on more than one machine so I only had to buy one license.


Thanks. I already had it in dropbox because of paranoia 

Darn those bosses who don't understand I'd only be using it at lunch!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Caitie Quinn said:


> Thanks. I already had it in dropbox because of paranoia
> 
> Darn those bosses who don't understand I'd only be using it at lunch!


  Of course! And for "work related research".


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## K. A. Jordan (Aug 5, 2010)

I'm still learning how to use it - but I really, really like the program.

I've got alot my fragments in one place. Something I've been wanting to do for ages. 

Now I'm putting my blog posts into a file to get them all into one place for an e-book about life on the farm.


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## jasonzc (Dec 23, 2011)

I checked out that list of tutorial videos. This thing is powerful/complicated. I hand write my stuff, but I can still see it as being more useful than Word for typing things up. I do a lot of notecarding, myself.


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## A. Rosaria (Sep 12, 2010)

Been contemplating buying scrivener... been a rough few months with the state feeling delight in fining me for everything they can and gleefully fiscally harassing me, so $40 is a lot to spend.

Being a writer that writes without plotting and spewing out the story as it comes I've hit a difficulty with writing the next book in a series. It's difficult to do without a notion of a plan, the chance of derailment is too great halting the story at the many crossroads.

I've been teaching myself to plot and plan my work and Scrivener seems perfect tool to help me with this. Sure I can pirate it as everything is pirateble but I just can't bring (nor want to) myself to do that. Work made with stolen tools is work with a smudge and not deserving to be bought.

I'll look at my finances and buy the software if it allows me to do so, you guys sold this product with your enthusiasm.


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## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

I always do ideas and first drafts by longhand but after reading this thread and watching that video on the site I'm interested in giving Scrivener a try. I've got a lot of old, crusty notebooks lying around with notes and ideas that need some organizing!

And for only $40-something? Wow!


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## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

I like the program, however I don't see a way to use the dictionary or thesaurus efficiently. Maybe I'm missing something, but when I use Nisus or Word I can change a word on the fly. I usually rewrite as I am writing so this is important to me. I can bring up my Nisus dictionary/ thesaurus, but have to copy and paste the word in, which of course takes me out of the writing.

Is there something in Scrivener that would be akin to Word for word replacement? If so, I might look at Scrivener more in depth.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Douglas, I'm not quite sure what you mean.

If you mean, "can I do a global search-and-replace," yes. I'm a Mac user, so the command to search is command-F and then use "replace all."

If you mean, "can I use the dictionary or thesaurus straight from Scrivener," yes. Select the word, right click or control-click on it. A menu will come up. Scroll down to "writing tools," then select "look up in dictionary and thesaurus." In that menu you will also notice "look up in Google," "look up in Wikipedia," and a bunch of other stuff. You do have to re-type or cut-and-paste from the dictionary, and that does seem to be your big objection, so that might not work for you. It doesn't bother me; the word's already highlighted and it's just a couple of extra keystrokes. I tend to rewrite as I go, too, though I'm trying to get over the habit and just get the dang words down first. (For me, it's working--I'm getting 3-5k words in per day and then I can go back over everything. Exception I'm making is if I come up with a name or important detail that needs to be referenced earlier. Any process is a good process as long as no one puts an eye out.)

Note that I have the Mac version; I hear the Windows version isn't quite as powerful yet, but I bet it has at least some of that stuff.


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## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

MeiLinMiranda said:


> Douglas, I'm not quite sure what you mean.
> 
> If you mean, "can I do a global search-and-replace," yes. I'm a Mac user, so the command to search is command-F and then use "replace all."
> 
> ...


I haven't even tried the global search and replace yet! LOL

I did find the dictionary last night and I tried it the way you said. Just seemed to take me out completely of the scene.

I've had Scrivener for a couple of years and abandoned using it, more because of the dictionary/thesaurus thing. I used to have WordPerfect (because of the thesaurus) and when I switched to Apple, I found Nisus, which could open all of my old WP files. And it's thesaurus isn't bad either. Guess I like just like clicking no more than twice to replace a word. I did my last novel in Nisus & Scrivener. I also did the edits in Word & Nisus. (Editor uses Word) Right now I'm reading David Hewson's Scrivener book. Hoping to figure out the best use for me.

Thanks for the info - very much appreciated.

Oh yeah - do you have any idea how to change the project name? The one for my last book doesn't work anymore. Change the title of the book and want to use the project name for the next book. (Also a change in the title)

Thanks again.


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## Kenosha Kid (Jun 23, 2011)

Some great info here, guys  

For those who have been using Scrivener for a while, what screen dimensions would you recommend (minimum)?

Thanks!


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

I'm not sure what you mean about the project name. You mean the Scrivener file? Have you tried changing it in your file system?

As for working in other editors, I'm fairly sure you can keep everything organized in Scrivener and use an outside editor at the same time if you don't like the native one. Let me check...

Hm. I think I got confused by the external editor link for image files. You might play around with the sync folder function. It might allow you to edit/write in Nisus and sync the files with Scrivener. Why go to the trouble? Because once it's set up I don't think it's that much trouble for one, and for seconds, even just using Scrivener to organize is mighty.


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## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

MeiLinMiranda said:


> I'm not sure what you mean about the project name. You mean the Scrivener file? Have you tried changing it in your file system?
> 
> As for working in other editors, I'm fairly sure you can keep everything organized in Scrivener and use an outside editor at the same time if you don't like the native one. Let me check...
> 
> Hm. I think I got confused by the external editor link for image files. You might play around with the sync folder function. It might allow you to edit/write in Nisus and sync the files with Scrivener. Why go to the trouble? Because once it's set up I don't think it's that much trouble for one, and for seconds, even just using Scrivener to organize is mighty.


Yes, I was able to change the Scrivener file name. That made everything easier - it even changed inside my recent file in Scrivener. I do like Scrivener for the photos, cork board, etc. I'm going to try it for the next book and see if I can just move in and out of the Nisus thesaurus little quicker. lol

I don't outline, I more or less write and rewrite as I'm going. I've thought of outlining, but I never have any idea where I'm heading. But, I do see with Scrivener, just seeing what's been done with one glance I would come up with some ideas for the next chapters.

Thanks for all of your help!

Doug


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## A. Rosaria (Sep 12, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> P.S. Am I the only person who thinks that the cover of Jason's book, "Zombie Killa", looks like Hilary Clinton having a bad day?


So you telling me it's not her?


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## Susan Alison (Jul 1, 2011)

I have been carried away by your (collective) enthusiasm and downloaded the trial and am going through the tutorial now. It looks good! It looks just like the kind of thing to get me sorted...


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## pamclaughton (Feb 21, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> The video and your comments (all-a-ya'lls') have me sold. Now I just need to find a way to justify the purchase of a Mac with a bigger screen than my Macbook Air.


It works great on a MacAir. I was running the windows version on my huge laptop until it a virus killed it. I just bought my MacAir last week and am madly in love with it, and just loaded the Mac version of Scrivener onto it a few days ago. I have the 13" screen which is plenty big enough. Though I know there are smaller versions so maybe that might be too crowded?

I used Scrivener for the first time to load a first draft. It's really great for revision, let's you 'see' the story more clearly. I broke into chapter and scenes and absolutely love the cork board feature.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

It is nice to have a bigger monitor for the cork board, I tell ya. In fact, I got a bigger monitor for my desk and plugged it into my laptop until recently--four-year-old laptop, it's finally giving up the ghost and I'm replacing it with a Mac Mini and an iPad (together cost less than a new MacBook).


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

I'm using it on an old-school MacBook and the screen size is fine. I'd love a bigger cork board, but I'm glad to have what I have!


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## Rachel Schurig (Apr 9, 2011)

Got started with this last night, and man, were you guys ever right! I *love* it so far. I've been adding character descriptions to my cork board, finding and adding pictures for things I'll need to describe, and I already have my story outlined far more than I ever have at this stage. Wow! I see this being a total game changer for me. So excited!


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## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

As I get more and more organized with my outlining and details like characters and plot lines, I'm more and more tempted to buy Scrivener. At this point, I just have lots of extra word docs with all this info. And exporting to epub and mobi sounds awesome. Totally reading through this thread to see if there are extra tips


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## Douglas E Wright (Mar 11, 2011)

I'm using a 2007 MacBook Pro and haven't yet set it up on my 27" IMac. I've been reading David Hewson's book on Scrivener and discovering as I go. Something I discovered is I'd rather work in scenes than chapters. Might be because they are not usually that long and the work appears as a page to me. But from David's tips, i am finding using it easier than what I had before.

I did my last book in the program, but of course, when it went to the editor it came back in Word, which I can't stand. I am learning that program too. I usually write in Nisus and I like it. But in Scrivener I like the idea I can write scenes out of order, whenever I think of them, and maybe use them later.

In addition to the info MeiLinMiranda gave, David's book has been invaluable. I think not pushing oneself to learn the program has been better for me too. Learn in a relaxed state. Play around and discover. One of the great things I like about the program is the Compose mode. That locks out everything on the computer other than your story. That has been great too.

I can see how this program would be good for outlines, but as much as I've tried, I'm not one of those people!


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## MichaelMDickson (May 8, 2012)

If anyone uses Holly Lisle's, How to Revise your Novel, then you know how detailed it is through the revision process. Holly's class uses several worksheets to bring people along and then notecards. I use Scrivener through the entire revision process and I have to tell you, It's never been so easy to keep organized. I love it!


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## Karl Fields (Jan 24, 2011)

emilyward said:


> As I get more and more organized with my outlining and details like characters and plot lines, I'm more and more tempted to buy Scrivener. At this point, I just have lots of extra word docs with all this info. And exporting to epub and mobi sounds awesome. Totally reading through this thread to see if there are extra tips


Take the plunge Emily! I debated getting Scrivener for a good while, mainly over what I thought was a daunting learning curve. I bought the program late last year and it's been nothing short of wonderful. Like you, I had a collection of assorted Word docs, but Scrivener makes it simple to keep all that stuff - outlines, character sketches, whatever in a single place and you just access what you need when you need it. I'm pretty sure my WIP will have a sequel, so as I write, I'm also able to make notes about the follow-up in a separate folder. I'm not even using it to half of its potential, but I love it and have no plans to go back to Word.


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

I'm another Scrivener fan.  It's the software that finally helped me get organized and focused to finish my first book.

Scrivener sync feature is awesome. I use it with Dropbox, PlainText, and IndexCard for iPad, so I can now write on my iPad and synch it back to Scrivener when I get home. I haven't taken the laptop to the coffee shop in over a year now thanks to the Scrivener-iPad-Dropbox-PlainText combo.

There video tutorials are great and they walk you through the process:

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/video.php


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## KOwrites (May 23, 2011)

Thanks to everyone for the great tips and comments. I've had the trial version and felt completely overwhelmed by Scrivener for months. Yet, between the comments and the video links provided, I discovered a few new tricks. Sold! I bought the license today.

Thanks to all of you!


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## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Katherine Owen said:


> Thanks to everyone for the great tips and comments. I've had the trial version and felt completely overwhelmed by Scrivener for months. Yet, between the comments and the video links provided, I discovered a few new tricks. Sold! I bought the license today.
> 
> Thanks to all of you!


Same thing happened to me. I tried the free trial years ago, but I quickly became overwhelmed until I gave it another shot last year. The key is baby steps.  I still don't use a lot of it's features and I'm constantly discovering new features, that I'm like... oh, man, sweeet.

The videos are great. I also found this book helpful:

http://amzn.com/B004ZG7BMU

You know Scrivener is hitting the big time when it has it's own "dummy" book coming out in the fall. 

http://www.amazon.com/Scrivener-For-Dummies-Computer-Tech/dp/1118312473/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1336795902&sr=8-4


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