Oh, Scrivener, you mysterious beast. I’m sure most writers (at some point) ask whether they need it or not. I perused a tutorial and ended up shrieking at myself, “Should I buy Scrivener? Do I need it? I’ve gotten along for soooo long without it? And isn’t it really hard to use? WHAT DO I DO?” Cue existential writer crisis. The main problem here is: Scrivener isn’t cheap. In Aussie dollars it’s around $70. (EDIT: Apparently it is only $50 at the moment!) Um…ouch? Particularly if you don’t know if it’s something you’d like.
Then I was gifted it by a relative. SO ALL MYSTERIES WERE REVEALED UPON THIS GLORIOUS DAY.
Which allows me to magnanimously help you answer the golden question:
“IS SCRIVENER FOR ME??”
But, just so you know, this is NOT A TUTORIAL. There are tutorials everywhere…just google around. This post is a list of things Scrivener can do and whether these are things you might find helpful. Oh and no, this post is not sponsored. It comes to you out of the kindness of my writer soul.
1. IF YOU’RE A HARDCORE ORAGNISER, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO MARRY SCRIVENER. I AM JUST SAYIN’.
I am an organiser fiend, okay?! I will not deny it. I have folders for everything and 871 word documents per novel I’m writing (because hey, you need to collect names and title ideas and research the origin of mustard and learn how to speak Japanese occasionally). I’m constantly pulling up docs, losing where I stowed information, creating character charts, and descending mightily upon pinterest.
Scrivener lets you do all of this…in one screen.
I love you, Scrivener, marry me.
TURN YOUR EYES TO THIS:
Behold! Folders inside folders, insider folders. Which is a dream come true, if I do say so myself. I can put ALL my research on one page. When I forget how to say “hello” in Japanese…I just nip over to that folder without having to dig through word docs. It’s bliss, Bob, my friend, it’s bliss.
2. YOU CAN SEPARATE YOUR CHAPTERS INTO THEIR OWN FILES.
I thought I would hate this. But I love it! Instead of going, “How the heeeeck did I describe this dude in chapter 2?” and then having to scroll back through my whole doc — I merely pause where I am in chapter 7, flip over to chapter 2, read, then flip back. I DON’T EVEN LOSE MY PLACE IN CHAPTER 7. This pleases me.
3. PLUS DID YOU SEE THAT CORK BOARD? TALK ABOUT…CORK BOARDY.
I like cork boards. I dream of having one to cover my entire wall, but a) I don’t actually have a free wall, and b) no one has offered to give me a cork board anyway. Ahem. SO. A virtual one is pretty delicious.
WITH THE CORK BOARD, YOU CAN:
- drag and drop to change orders
- write on the little “note cards” and title your chapters
- put little coloured-stickers on them so you know if they’ve been revised or if they’re first drafts
- encourage them to do a victory dance in your honour (hmm…yeah, one of these is not like the other…)
4. YOU CAN MAKE TEMPLATES FOR YOUR CHARACTER PROFILES
Or world building profiles too! Although, admittedly, I have not explored that option so much yet.
Simply clicky-click and you get a blank sheet and you can fill it in. Handy and yet…dandy.
5. SPEAKING OF CHARACTERS, LOOK HOW NICELY THEY SIT IN A ROW OF PROFILES.
I used to use charahub.com and pinterest.com for this. I mean, I still use pinterest…BECAUSE PINTEREST = LIFE IN FULL TECHNICOLOUR WONDER. (Plus my storyboards are freakin’ awesome….ahem. #Humble) But now I have neat little rows of character profiles with their basic picture.
I blurred this, yes, because the pictures do not belong to me, but I just want you to see what you can do!
6. YOU CAN HAVE TWO SCREENS OF WORDS OPEN AT ONCE!
I. LOVE. THIS. Why? Because when I edit, I often rewrite the ENTIRE BOOK. So having the old draft open as well as a fresh page? Happiness.
YES I DID BLUR THIS AGAIN. SORRY. SECRET PROJECT.
7. AND IT’S ACTUALLY NOT AS “DIFFICULT” TO MANAGE AS THE RUMOURS GO.
I am not tech genius. It took me like 5 years to realise there was an “undo” button on Microsoft Word, okay? Okay.
I did watch one 10 minute tutorial about…oh…a year before I got Scrivener? I remembered enough from there (and my memory is RUBBISH) to dive straight in and not scream. Now I’m picking up random things as I go, but I haven’t watched any of the 2 hour tutorials. I probably won’t. Who has time for that?! Sheesh.
It takes a bit of getting used to? IT’S DIFFERENT. (And all the people who hate changed…DIED IN THIS MOMENT.) And frustration is okay.
The #1 piece of advice? Just CLICK ON ALL THE THINGS. See what they do! Don’t be scared of them! It’s mostly straight forward.
8. OTHER RANDOM AWESOME STUFF SCRIVENER CAN DO FOR YOU, BECAUSE IT LOVES YOU SO.
Let me see….
- There is a built-in name generator.
- You know that cork board? You can make a white board version and pin ideas on there in a kind of “mind map” inspiration board.
- It automatically gives you paragraph indentation and double spacing.
- You can write in whatever font you want, dude. It still lets you.
- You can export your book to a word document file. EASY AS. (And it’ll actually automatically format it for you according to your saved preferences.)
- It lovingly calls you, Sweetheart, and prints out chocolate for you when you cry over your writing.
- I lie. It’s actually an unfeeling, cold hearted BRUTE, and doesn’t even blink if you’re crying. But it’s a computer. So. The fact that it acts like a computer is comforting. It is not, yet, the computer apocalypse.
- It has auto-save. Like every THREE SECONDS.
9. BUT LET ME SHARE A FEW FRUSTRATIONS AS WELL…
Because life isn’t all eel pie and fricasseed frog.
- It has autocorrect. Do you know how HARD it is to write a novel with Japanese names with AUTO CORRECT?!?! Tark was always “Talk” and Sumi ended up as “Some” or “Same” or “Soon”. To the point where I wanted to stab either myself or Scrivener in the eye with a spork. Unfortunately I still don’t know how to turn this off. Google has offered no solution.
- Mine kept crashing when I first downloaded it. Not sure if it was my computer…or…Scrivener. But it saved all the files immediately so I never lost anything.
- It automatically tells you how many words you have per doc — but not per whole book. I had to do so much maths. That sucks. I signed up to write not do numbers, dang nabbit.
10. SO LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION….DO YOU NEED SCRIVENER IN YOUR LIFE?
Um…YES! YES YOU DO! Particularly if you love organisation. But honestly…just if you love things to all be together and easy to find. This is your BFF, first love, OTP, best bud, computer slave, whatever. If I hadn’t been given it, my writing life would be a pitiful thing. (There’s actually a free trial but…I didn’t realise this initially.) Knowing what it’s like now…I would…buy it. Even though I am such a money Scrooge that the real Scrooge looks generous compared to me. Ahem.
I love Scrivener, okay?! It makes me want to write! I love creating profiles and being organised and adding pictures and visuals into the docs and…SCRIVENER IS MY NEW WRITING EVERYTHING, BASICALLY.
Idkkkkkkkk I am a poor college student. 😛 So I manage by creating a gazillion folders in Microsoft Word and adding character/setting stuff to my Pinterest boards. It does look really cool though! But it sucks that it doesn’t tell you the book’s total wordcount, though. I DON’T LIKE MATH EITHER. DON’T MAKE WRITERS MATH. (Yes. Math is a verb now.)
(Also first comment eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy)
(I think)
(Wow look at me)
(I’m trying to get back into commenting on other people’s blogs and responding to comments on my own because I really let that slide ever since like Thanksgiving break which was a ridiculously long time ago in the bloggy world)
nevillegirl @ Musings From Neville’s Navel recently posted…19 Things I Did In 2015 That I’d Never Done Before
HEHE CONGRATS ON FIRST COMMENT. 😂 I’m still just dyyying over the fact that it’s an actual coveted placing. BAHHAHA. AHEM. (Omg but I hear you about falling behind…I am behind. Look at me replying to this like 5 days later, gah.)
And I understand the poor feels. *pats shoulder* Although I’ve been corrected and it’s $45 instead. But that’s still MONEY and it can be hard to spend if you’re not sure it’s worth the investment, right? I WILL NOT GIVE UP PINTEREST THO. <3 I lurve it too much.
Ugh I go back and forth on this. I admit Scrivener looks beautiful. And you do have convincing arguments. But I am not an origination person so I don’t know if I would work well with Scrivener. I got the sample through Nanowrimo once and that was interesting? I liked parts of it, but mostly found it overwhelming. So I don’t know, I still haven’t made up my mind. But I might give it another try now.
On a side note one of your gifs is from The IT Crowd, have you watched that show?
I totally get that!! And it’s not for everyone, for sure. I think it’d appeal more to organisers…although I just love having all my documents in one place. Like instead of having my research doc, and my characters’ profiles and all that….I just have it in the Scrivener doc and aren’t always searching for stuff. 😂 (Although let’s admit: the searching was okay because PROCRASTINATION.)
I haven’t watched The IT Crowd!! I just found that one on my google searches. 😛
Yes, having all the things in one place would be nice.
Oh okay, well it’s a very funny show. You should watch it. 😀 The gif I’m watlking about is the one with the black man and the fire. His name is Moss. 😀
Nice post. Did not know about this before. I can see you have OCDs for organization. Happy writing
Juuuust a little bit of OCD for organisation. ;D I’m a BIG writerly planner!
I have used the trial for Nano previously and this year bought it with the winner’s discount. I’m a complete convert. I haven’t used all the features yet, but it’s so much better than a giant, unwieldy word document.
You can see the total wordcount for the book very easily (two clicks), I used it all through nano to keep track of my total.
Nicole recently posted…Blog Tour – Who’s Afraid? by Maria Lewis – Guest post and giveaway
YAY FOR CONVERTS!! *hi fives* I can’t even stop loving it…and I’ve only written one book with it so far but I WANT TO WRITE MILLIONS AHHH!! And it makes everything so much more concise too. Instead of having 298 word docs open — it’s just one scrivener. :’)
Ooh, ooh, I think I can help with your issues about autocorrect and total project word counts. Ok, so for the autocorrect, you click on the ‘Tools’ tab at the top of the screen, then select ‘Options’ (or you can hit F12 to bring that up automatically). Click on ‘Corrections’ there should be two checkboxes at the top. One says ‘Check spelling as you type; and the other says ‘Correct spelling errors as you type’.. Uncheck the second box and autocorrect should be disabled.
Also, I don’t know how you organise your research and your writing, but if you write all your book under the ‘Draft’ section in the binder, and put all your research in the ‘Research’ section in the binder, then if you click on the ‘Draft’ heading, rather than the chapter headings, it should bring up all your little chapter documents and total all the words contained in there. Or, alternately, you can select the different chapter documents together by holding the ‘Shift’ key and then clicking one at a time on the chapters, but that takes a lot more time.
Alternatively, you can click on ‘Project’ at the top of the screen, then click ‘Project Statistics’ from the list, and it should come up with the words for the whole project contained in the ‘Draft’ section of the binder, as well as a separate list of stats for the section that you’re currently clicked on. So you can see the word count, character count etc, for the whole draft AND the chapter you’re in.
Hopefully that’s a little helpful for you. I have Scrivener and I love using it for my editing (though I barely know how to do anything in it. It’s take me this long to realise you can set a picture for the background in full screen mode. What is this wizardry?!)
Imogen Elvis recently posted…Elements of a Good Mystery
I was going to say these same things! Scrivener can totally do the awesomeness! Also Scrivener is just amazing and powerful and I adore it so much.
And also, how do you the image in background for the full screen mode? That sounds like something I need in my life :O
Blaise recently posted…Beautiful People: Writerly Resolutions and Goals
Click on ‘View’ at the top of the screen. At the bottom of the list, hover over Full Screen Backdrop. That will bring up another menu box. The top option says ‘No Background’. Under that it says ‘Choose’ Click on that and you should be able to browse your computer and pick your own background image for the full screen mode. I hope that helps!
@Imogen: OMG THANK YOOOOOU. THAT HELPS SO MUCH. 😂
I have used the trail for scrivener and really liked it. I didn’t get to use everything and see everything but I liked what I saw + now your post will help haha. I am thinking of getting it soon. It’s better than word – you have all your files in one and you don’t have to keep on opening word doc after word doc. It’s all there for you. I mean I love word for writing the whole novel but scrivener is good for everything.
I might have to convince my mum to help me get it because you know I still have to get uni books and all. It’s for school right? I am studying writing it was so help. haha. I thought there was a way to see the whole novels word count – I thought there was.
Thanks for the Post Cait
Angel @Angel Reads recently posted…Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn’t
I absolutely loathed having 98429 word docs open and never knowing which one to click on for which bit of research or notes or whatnot. GAH. It was the. worst. So Scrivener is saving me headaches and pain and aahhhh!! I actually procrastinate less when I’m using it?!? I LOVE IT SO.
*nods in agreement with all the things*
YES. I have had Scrivener for so, so long. I got it when it was still $35 AU. Hah! I’m so glad you’ve warmed up to it and love it now. I have always loved the organization aspect of it, because I PLAN, PLAN, PLAN and need all my visuals in one place.
And I think it actually has come down in price from what I quoted. DELUDED ME. *facepalm* And you also get vouchers from NaNoWriMo sometimes too, right!? SO MUCH COOL STUFF. *flails* Planning is like my THING. So Scrivener was just about made for me. :’)
So I originally came down here to help you out with your word count and spellcheck issues but Imogen appears to have given you some suggestions already! I personally love the project targets function. It really helps me to be able to set a goal for both the project and the session (and the bar changes colour from red to green as you make progress on your word count!).
As for your names issue, what I usually end up doing is creating a separate dictionary and then adding the names to that dictionary. You can also add names to Scrivener’s inbuilt name bank I believe… although the last characters I was writing about were called Julia and Nathan so I had no issues there.
This is a great post, and I personally have been using Scrivener for about five years. It is my best friend. Perks such as the ability to license it across multiple computers have been a lifesaver, and I love the folder system, before Scrivener I had separate Word files for chapters and it was such a pain.
Aw but thanks anyway, Elspeth!! 😀 I’m so glad I did this post just for getting the pointers and tips alone! SQUEE. I KNOW SO MUCH MORE NOW! And I can see the project statistics so…my life is saved. :’) Although I need to try that project target function now. I LOVE that kind of thing.
And I’ll try that with the names too!!
I’ve only written one scrivenery book so far…but, omg, it’s just the beginning of hundreds. I FORSEE.
The moment I saw “built-in name generator” – SOLD!!
(Or at least, it would be if I had a bit more money e_e) Everything I’ve read about Scrivener has been positive. And I keep hearing that, apparently, there’s uncertainty about whether it’s good or not, but I haven’t actually bumped into any cynicists on the web. O_O Also I am obsessed with keeping things organised so it’s clearly the way to go. PLUS I have more scraps of writing than I can manage, really. Great post, thanks soo much for sharing that.
Ashana Lian . recently posted…Get Away From My Fantasy
hehe, Scrivener is EVERYTHING I tell you. Everything. *flails about it for 900 years* OH. But it’s actually only $45. Pfft “only”. $45 is still expensive, to me anyway. XD BUT YES. The organisation is insanely wonderful. I don’t have to be bopping over my 34398 word documents that it apparently takes for me to write a novel. And it actually makes me research more? Because I know I can keep it orderly. 😛
See, that’s what makes it so tempting!! Keeping my stuff organised. I’m almost anxious to do any more research because it’ll only go into the black hole of Stuff For The Novel.
Ashana Lian . recently posted…Blogging Communities
I tried the free trial and kind of hated it (because change). I have a system! Also, I already do all that in word (I use headings to mske my stories easier to navigate, have a blank character template doc, etc.). Although, now that onenote won’t let me open the plan for one of my stories, I am more open to alternatives. 🙁
Rain @ Ivyclad Ideas recently posted…Nine 2015 Releases I Failed to Get To
I totally get that!! To be honest, I’m a hater of change too, and at first it kind of was just an overwhelming thought…but I wanted the organisation SO BAD that I just persisted and NOW SCRIVENER IS MY OTP. OMG. <3 Ahem.
This is so helpful because I have been eyeing up Scrivener for a loong time now. I also am a money Scrooge so I looked at the price and was immediately put off since I really knew nothing about it and it looked confusing (I didn’t know that there was a free trial either…), but it sounds amazing and I think I need it in my life!! I must sit on this one for a while as my protectiveness over my few dollars won’t allow me to spend it straight away, but I will get it! I must now, you have talked me into it!
YAY I AM SO GLAD!! This is the kind of post I wanted when I was tossing up about Scrivener? And since I couldn’t find one, I decided I needed to write one. 😛 Although it’s not as expensive as I quoted!! It’s only $45, apparently, though I’m not sure if that’s a sale or not?
Scrivener seems COOL. I’m pretty sure I got a free version (for a few months or something) after I finished NaNoWriMo once, but I have no idea if that’s still valid and where I can find the code and stuff. I forgot all about it and only remembered it now ;__; It does seem like something I’d like to have when (WHEN not IF :’) ) I start writing more regularly again! 🙂
Anne @ Books Baking and Blogging recently posted…Blog Tour: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
The free version works for 30 days…but only if you open it! So if you like use it once a year, it’ll last 30 years. 😂 WHICH I THINK IS AWESOME. Even though I never used it, so pfft, what am I saying. It is a really worthy writerly investment. It actually makes me happy to edit. THAT IS A MIRACLE IN ITSELF.
OMG REALLY?! 30 days of actually USING it? THAT IS SO AWESOME. Thanks for being the bearer of AMAZING news!
I KNOW RIGHT?!?!? GLORIOUSNESS.
I bought Scrivener a year ago, and I haven’t looked back since.
But only until recently am I really exploring what it can do, such as saving urls, or having custom-made Meta (which helps me with setting, more than anything), and now this Name Generator — so helpful!
I thought you could see the word count of entire book, if you go to Project Statistics; it gives you the word count, how many printed pages it would be, and what really helps me, how many paperback books it would be. Unless I’ve misunderstood what you mean, but anyway, I LOVE this program and I’d advise writers to get it also.
OMG THANK YOU FOR THAT TIP. You are literally a lifesaver. Now I don’t have to do maths. :’) My life is infinitely better.
And I definitely think it’s a 100% worthy investment for writers *nods* I mean, even if you don’t like organisation particularly, it’s just nice to have everything in the one place, right?! And all the little tools and things are AWESOME. I never even open word anymore. 😂
YOU GOT SCRIVENER! I’m so happy for you! Although seriously, it’s super expensive over there. In the US I would only have had to pay $45 but I had a half off discount from winning NaNoWriMo so it didn’t kill me. But yeah, I had heard so many good things about it and it’s so complicated (complicated=not boring) so I decided that when I switched from PC to Mac I would switch from Word to Scrivener, and I’m super happy I did. My version only crashed once after I installed it, but it’s been fine ever since. Have you used full screen mode? I love full screen mode because you can set it to have whatever picture background you want and that is something I’ve needed since I started writing.
I’ve never been a hugely organized writer, mainly because I didn’t have a way to organize myself, so I’m hoping that the cork board feature will work nicely for me. (And when you’re done with a draft, if you don’t want it split up anymore, you can compile it all into one document without all the separations, and then I assume it would give you the full word count without you needing to do any unnecessary math.)
So yeah, I definitely wouldn’t recommend Scrivener to someone who wants plain and simple, and when I copy my blog posts from Scrivener to Blogger, it takes a bit more work to format things the way I want them. I’m still trying to figure out if that’s a me thing or a software thing. But on the whole, I am a happy coffee bean. AND I’M SO GLAD YOU GOT IT AND I HOPE YOU LOVE AND IT GAH ADLFJKASDF;LS.
Liz Brooks recently posted…Discussion: A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS // Book 13 and Wrap-Up
Hey Liz, you commented right before me, so I saw your problem about formatting for Blogger. I use WordPress but I’m sure my solution should work for you too.
I type everything using markdown syntax (https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax). It’s really easy to learn and much simpler than typing out all the HTML codes to format posts. When you’re done, just compile the post and choose MultiMarkdown → Web Page (.html) as your format. Open up the file in a text editor and voilà! You’ve got your HTML-formatted content 🙂
Joséphine @ Word Revel recently posted…Hot off the Press â Jan 11, 2016
Hmm, I’ll definitely have to check that out. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Liz Brooks recently posted…Discussion: A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS // Book 13 and Wrap-Up
(Omg Josephine, I totally want to check out that now too!! 😛 )
@Liz: YUS I AGREE. I didn’t realise it was $45 *facepalm* Either my knowledge is outdated or else it’s having a sale. WE’LL GO WITH ME BEING DELUDED THO. Because that’s really likely. 😂 Ahem. But I haven’t tried full screen mode yet!! I SHALL. (I kind of panic if I don’t have the internet button like there at a click though?! hehe, so we’ll see. I’m definitely not one of those people who turn off the internet while they write. I am not that strong. -_-
ALSO. I’ve been told that if you go to Projects > project statistics — it tells you the manuscript word count. WOOHOO!!! I lOVE THIS. This post was worth it just for the tips I’ve been given alone. 😂
I absolutely love Scrivener for everything that involves writing and especially blog posts. Using markdown syntax I can easily compile a post as HTML and port over to WordPress. Makes it perfect for drafting and allows me to switch between all the different posts as and when an idea strikes me. I add my quick thoughts to the document notes before I forget them. Then I have the time, I can come back and use them to write my proper posts.
For names and foreign words I undo the autocorrect the first time round. Then I right-click and choose “learn spelling”. Works like a charm and allows me to continue using spellcheck as I type.
I’m definitely trying the “learn spelling” thing. YOU ARE A LIVESAVER, JOSEPHINE. THANK YOU. *flails* I do all my blogging in the actual wordpress interface though! I never thought of doing it elsewhere…that is kind of awesome as well. ;D
It just makes me so insanely happy to see that someone else loves scrivener as much as I do. I mean, I still DO use word–but mainly for plotting and those very rough first drafts (which I then move into Scrivener when I’m ready to face the horrors I’ve created)–but Scrivener is literally a LIFE SAVER. But yeah–expensive. Especially like me if you move from Windows to Mac, you have to repurchase it. (Ouch.) They do give you a discount… but still. It’s completely worth it, though.
Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer recently posted…2015 IN A POST + 2016 RESOLUTIONS
Omg you have to repurchase?! THAT SUCKS. It’s a pity they can’t do an exchange or something. Bleh. BUT YES OMG SCRIVENER IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO ME NOW. <3 I don't even open word anymore. 😂 I've only written one full book in it so far, but omgggg, it makes me actually excited to write (and edit ERMAGERD) so that alone is worth it. 😂
It does have a words per project count. I used that for my nanowrimo book to get a total count.
I have since discovered it thanks to so many people telling me where it is!! 😂 GAH YOU GUYS ARE TERRIFIC. <3 Thank you. ;D
HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS BEFORE????????? AM I LIVING IN ANOTHER PLANET?? But it looks so good! Little problem: I don’t have money. lol.
I DON’T KNOW, MAHA? ARE YOU LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET? COME TO EARTH. WE HAVE SCRIVENER. Hehe, money though. Moooney argh. But apparently it’s $45 instead of $70, so I have been corrected *nods* But it’s still expensive imo!
This sounds really cool! I will maybe get Scrivener in the future when I maybe have more money and reasons to buy things like this.
Veronica recently posted…Thoughts on The Wrath and the Dawn
I totally understand. ;D It’s kind of a big investment, right?!
SCRIVENER IS LIFE.
ABSOLUTELY. GLORIOUS LIFE.
I’ve never used Scrivener, because like you, I’m worried about hwether or not I can use it…But guess I can. Hmm, maybe I should give it a shot, but $70 is yikes. Now where can I find a friendly relative to gift me one?
Oh oh ! I just learned that it’s only $45!! I’m not sure if it’s a sale or if that’s the new price?! hehe but YEAH. The money is still an issue. I mean, there are so many books one can buy for that much…XD
I have debated getting Scrivener on and off ever since I first heard of it from NaNoWriMo. And I always lean towards “No, I don’t need that; MS Word is good enough for me.” But lately, I’ve been wondering if I should get it (especially since NaNo gives you 50% off if you win (which makes it $20 USD- not a bad price.) This is making me thing I should definitely consider it.
Do you know if you need to renew it or anything? Like, I know some softwares you have to buy a new version every so often.
Sarah recently posted…A New Year’s Hopes
You don’t need to renew it :)! You get a code to activate the software and it is yours without any worry of renewal, unlike Word for some -_-. You should keep the code in a safe place though because if something happens–like someone steals your computer, which tragically happened to me once–you’ll still be able to reinstall and activate again.
You should also keep the purchase email confirmation. Again, just in case lol.
I like the backup options that Scrivener has, but would also suggest you have your project on google drive/one or Dropbox. I use Dropbox because it saves and if my computer dies or some other tragic event ensues, I can hop onto Dropbox and retrieve my project. (I also email my project to myself every few days. You learn to be extra cautious after someone steals your laptop!)
Lynanne Carroll recently posted…SPHERES #2: Yellow **NaNoWriMo Excerpt(s)**
Oh, awesome! Thank you for answering the question, and for the tips.
That’s terrible that your computer got stolen . . . were you ever able to get it back?
Sarah recently posted…A New Year’s Hopes
No prob! Glad I could help 🙂
And no…it was never recovered T_T. RIP Fred II *wails loudly*
I got another laptop for super cheap on eBay after it became apparent to me that the police “investigation” (the one that never actually happened, but should have because our house was broken into and MANY things were stolen) was a crock and nothing was going to happen. It was lame
I concur with everything Lyanne said! BACK UPS EVERYWHERE. I have back ups in like 3 places and I renew them regularly. *nods* Better safe than sorry, right?!
(But omg, Lyanne, that is the worst thing of ever that your computer got stolen.😳😱)
Yes! Scrivener was one of my “Christmas presents”. I was going to buy it myself but my parents insisted that they would buy anything educational. So, now I have it. I feel almost unworthy because I’m still very much an amateur, but I’m loving it anyways. A must have for the freaky organizer.
I know how to solve one of your grievances. If you want to see all the words per book simply click on your dominant folder for the book chapters and in the “group mode” panel select the first image (The one with two pieces of paper icons). This temperately merges the documents for continues scroll and at the bottom it will tell you how many words are in that folder. Hope that makes sense!
Katherine…You are always worthy. Never feel otherwise. Everyone begins as an amateur, but that is easily fixed: When you write, you are a writer. Simple. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.
Yep, I basically heart Scrivener and tell everyone who writes about it because it is stellar!!
You mentioned the frustration of having ‘odd’ names and autocorrect determining they aren’t ok. I write fantasy and ran into the irritating underlining stuff (don’t so much remember auto?! Lol). Solution: add the name to the dictionary! Voila, problem solved. I had to do this for several fantasy terms as well and it worked out fine. I have the windows version–not sure if it works the same for Mac or not. Let me know if it helps??
<3 Scrivener! The price I paid was 20 because I had a half off coupon ^_^
YAY THANK YOU FOR THAT TIP!! I’m going to use that for sure. I’m pretty sure Mac will have some version of that option, right? And omg, I heard Scrivener is only $45 or something at the moment, which is SO AWESOME. Well timed post on my account .😂
I was drooling over scrivener when I first decided to write, but the price tag put me off. I wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with this writing thing so didn’t want to spend money in the first week of writing, but I was speedy lousy in a 5000 word Word doc. I searched for an alternative and found ywriter. I love it. It’s like a no frills version of scrivener. It’s not as pretty to look at, but it does everything I need.
I’ve heard someone else mention ywriter now…that is really COOL that there’s a free version!! SQUEE. I’m so glad you found it! (Also I was corrected in that Scrivener is only $45 USD…not sure if it’s a sale or not? But yeah. 😛 )
Let me address some of your frustrations…
“It has autocorrect. Do you know how HARD it is to write a novel with Japanese names with AUTO CORRECT?!?! Tark was always “Talk” and Sumi ended up as “Some” or “Same” or “Soon”. To the point where I wanted to stab either myself or Scrivener in the eye with a spork. Unfortunately I still don’t know how to turn this off. Google has offered no solution.”
Yes, I do know as I only write books about Japanese people! When you type a name and it corrects it, simply un-do the correction, right-click on the name and “Learn” the name. It won’t try to “correct” it again. That’s how I got it from trying to change Murata-san to Murphy-san.
“It automatically tells you how many words you have per doc — but not per whole book. I had to do so much maths. That sucks. I signed up to write not do numbers, dang nabbit.”
You do not have to do maths. Simply select all the text files in the Binder at once, go to “Group Mode” in the View and then your word count will be at the bottom.
If you plan to publish this book, you’ll need to reorganize your chapters into folders and your scenes into texts. I have a tutorial set up on how to do that at: http://www.spajonas.com/2013/10/11/setting-up-a-manuscript-in-scrivener/
There’s a lot to learn and you’re only at the beginning! I’ve been using Scrivener for 5 years (written 9 full-length novels in it) and I have yet to find ONE thing it cannot do. It can do ANYTHING you want it to do. If you think you’ve found a limitation or frustration, feel confident that it’s just that you haven’t used it enough yet. 🙂 There are some good FB groups that discuss Scrivener should you need help and also there’s The Scrivener Coach (which is not free but worth it).
And no, I can’t live without it. I’ve actually never written a full-length novel in Word because I found it too frustrating. Scrivener is where it’s at.
S. J. Pajonas recently posted…Book Chat #22
OMGGG THANK YOU!! YOU HAVE LITERALLY SAVED MY LIFE HERE. I will do that immediately. Although will this fix when I just type a word but it thinks it knows better? *gulps* Not that that happens TOO much, but I use obscure words and Scrivener doesn’t like me too. I’m dying at “Murphy-San” though, omg. 😂
And YES I’ve been told about the whole doc word count by a few people. Oh gosh. However would I survive without you all to set me straight? :’) THank you!
I should really watch some more in depth tutorials though, FOR SURE. Because I’m probably tapping into like half (or less?!) of it’s potential. I’ve only written one novel on it to start with, and I’m in the midst of editing another (omg, it makes editing actually GOOD) and I just love it so so much!!
Happy to help! My computer has mangled almost every single Japanese name I’ve used except Akiko! It seems to love that name. 🙂 The hardest part of Scrivener is the compile at the end, getting it into the format you want. That takes a lot of practice, but this is also a point where I swear it can do whatever you want it to do, so don’t give up if you hit a wall!
S. J. Pajonas recently posted…It’s My Birthday! So Have This For Free…
Ooooohhhhhhhh!!!!!!! My little torchered heart doesn’t know what to do!! I’m not usually one for organization … but I really want Scrivener…. *looks at NaNo 50% off Scrivener discount* Maaaayyyyyybe I’ll do the free trial…..
And, are my eyes deceiving me, or does that say Chapter three: Where his family gets totally obliterated by a frost dragon?!
BAHAH. I WONDERED IF ANYONE WOULD NOTICE THAT. 😂 And yes. Yes that’s what it says. My plotting and notes to myself are very blunt. *nods sagely* Also this book 65% of the character cast dies. It’s awkward.
EEEP. Good luck if you try the free trial!!
OKAY STAHP. SERIOUSLY. I think you know what an organizer freak I am, so seEING THINGS LIKE THIS IS NOT HELPFUL. xD Because I want the things I see. (And I also really want those Pinterest improvements so y’know…CHOP CHOP! *hands you an ornate pineapple-themed sceptre for starters*) “And isn’t it really hard to use?” < the question I ask about literally almost everything. A new recording software, a coffee maker, a salt shaker, a toothbrush. I JUST DON'T WANT TO WASTE TIME LEARNING THINGS WHEN SOMEONE HAS ALREADY LEARNED THEM FOR ME, Y'KNOW?? ahem.
But like you said, there's a need for many folders! FOLDERS INSIDE OF FOLDERS. (Like pin boards inside pin boards…omg you've haunted me with this idea now. it's over. there's no hope. THERE'S NO GOING BACK. [/movie trailer script]) EEEEP OMG CHARACTER PROFILESSS. ♥ and that double screen feature is pretty sweet, man. O_O yeah it looks easier to use than Word (and maybe less glitchy?? idk I have Word 13 and it's all shiny and stuff, but it sometimes has a mind of its own.)
“Just CLICK ON ALL THE THINGS. See what they do! Don’t be scared of them!” < BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR NON-TECH-SAVVY PEOPLES. Like literally, why is everyone so afraid to just…explore?? OR RIGHT-CLICK. I've heard some people afraid of right-clicking things because it might do something bad and I'm over here like, "No no no, don't worry! It's just going to show you more options, see??" xD
” It is not, yet, the computer apocalypse.” I am snorting and wilting over this omg. THAT AUTOCORRECT SOUNDS SO OBNOXIOUS. Gotta say, I wuv my little Word, where I can kindly tell it to “add a word to dictionary” and it never tells me that I’m wrong again. *pets Word lovingly* oh and the word count thing would trip me out. BUT YEAH, PROBABLY RIGHT — we should just write and not look at the numbers, yes? *crickets* NO.
love,
abbiee
p.s. the interview is up! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. *shrieks into oblivion* and it’s your fabulous pics that make it so pretty, just fyi. 😉
Pineapple Abbie recently posted…Of Dragons and Cake and Books: an interview with Cait @ Paper Fury
IT CAAAALS TO YOU ABBIE. IT SQUEAKS YOUR NAME. Hehe. But seriously, omg, I wish pinterest would do some improvements. I’m sure enough people have called for sub-boards right?!? wHEN WILL THEY LISTEN TO US?!? *plots their demise since they’re being so slow*
Bahahaha you crack me up. xD When “someone has already learned them for” you. 😂 YES.
Folders inside folders is like the sweetest phrase in the universe. SWEETEST I TELL YOU. And I checked and went like 7 folders inside folders deep and it didn’t rebuff me at all. Because, you know, that’s obviously something you’d check….(I am such an organisation freak. Not even sad about it.)
I’ve been told how to figure out the entire word count thing! SO THAT’S NICE. But autocorrect still alludes me. *wails* I’m sure there’s a way out there someway??!? (But yes, it’s kind of handy to write and not worry about numbers. But omg, let’s face it. Writing is 30% typing and 70% analysing those numbers.😂)
I’ve been looking at scrivner for so long but it only works on windows 10 and I’m too lazy to update. And no macs because I hate macs and do not have one. Bleh. I was desperately looking for something similar recently so I can organize this epic fantasy I’ve been… well, organizing lately, and I found yWriter to be a decent replacement. But it doesn’t have as many nice features nor look as pretty. *huffs* If Scrivner wasn’t so darn expensive I would definitely get it. It looks glorious. If you win NaNoWriMo or something don’t you get like 50% off of it? Hm.
OMG *covers my precious mac’s ears* DON’T LISTEN TO HER, MY MAC DARLING. SHE DIDN’T MEAN IT.
Ahem. ;D
But yes, omg, Scrivener would be AMAZING for epic fantasy. I haven’t written an epic fantasy on here yet? But I’ll be editing mine later this year and I can’t WAIT to import it and just get it all organised. heeh. I haven’t yeard of yWriter! That sounds cool. And yes! Winning NaNo gives a voucher…aaand, I believe it’s on sale right now as well? But I’m not sure. 😛
I think I used the trial version a long time ago but I don’t know if I liked it or not. Probably not but then again I wasn’t much of a planner and it all seemed too complicated. Basically I just open word document with a new chapter and write. Maybe that’s my problem and I don’t plan enough. It would explain all those plot holes that won’t let me sleep at night. I just write stuff down on a piece of paper and put it in my creative notebook. Anyway, your post got me thinking about planning and trying Scrivener again. I mean, I’m willing to try anything at this point to spark my creativity and get my writing together. The most persuasive was the argument about editing. Two screens at the same time is pretty awesome but then again, I can open up two word documents and squeeze them next to each other… aaaarg the struggle is real 😀
Not planning isn’t a problem! 😛 We all work differently, right?! I don’t think Scrivener is for everyone, but YEAH. If you have like a ton of documents around you while you write then it’s sooo helpful. I used to have 2 word documents open side by side when I was editing!! But then I switched computers to a smaller screen and THAT FAILED FOR ME. *weeps* So I’m so so happy I have that back with Scrivener!
I’ve never used Scrivener, though I’ve heard people laud it. I’m not exactly organized. . . and when I am it’s this organized chaos. But I kind of like this Scrivener thing. The reason I’m not organized is because I have to see everything at once; it has to all be in view. It seems like Scrivener kind of does that. It’d be especially helpful with revising/editing because I hope to do that this summer and it’s going to be, eh, hairy. I might have to try this.
But really all you had to say is that it automatically indents and double spaces my documents. Huzzah! You have no idea how many times I try to figure out if I indented that paragraph one too many times or if that “W” just looks like it’s overreaching the “H” in the above paragraph. 😛 INDENTING IS SUCH A PAIN!
Although auto-correct + fantasy = great frustration. That’d be the only drawback. Oh, yeah, not to mention the money. Drawback #2.
PS I tagged you for the Dragon Loyalty Award
http://ashleyg-inserttitlehere.blogspot.com/2016/01/dragon-loyalty-award-my-inner-dragon.html#comment-form
YES Scrivener definitely does that!! Like you can have all your notes and research just a click away, instead of switching screens or whatnot. I always would write HUGE documents of research but then never find which part of research I needed. Which. was. annoying. But Scrivener, omg, I can have little files for just the tinest of things and I LURVE IT LURVE IT.
Did you know you can set an automatic indent on Word too though? If you just press “tab”…it does it for you. 😛
Word has a automatic indent? CAIT, YOU HAVE SAVED MY WRITING LIFE! I’ve not indented any of my WIP because it distracts from writing when the words start flying. But now I will find this setting and exploit it!
Ashley G. recently posted…Snazzy Snippets: who names a character Berk?
YOU ARE MOST WELCOME, ASHLEY. 😂 GO FORTH! HAVE FUN INDENTING!
I finally bought Scrivener this year after using the trial for NaNoWriMo. I had used a trial previously, but was unsure about it. After doing the walkthrough tutorial and using it a little more, I LOVE it! It makes writing fun! And there’s a feature for pretty much everything you can think of, but you aren’t missing out if you just want to use it as a word processor. It’s great for working on an individual level..
Emily Seals recently posted…Carry On, Eleanor & Park // How Rainbow Rowell Ruins Me
EEEP!! *happy dances in circles around you* It is basically perfection. And awk, I just love how it has a ton of features I didn’t even know I needed. 😀
SCRIVENER IS MY BEAUTIFUL BABY AND I SHALL DEFEND IT TO MY (real or fictional) DEMISE!!! <3 I WON it accidentally on my birthday, which, ahem, is a day-before-NaNoWriMo (also known as Halloween) in 2014. And then I went on to participate and WIN NaNoWriMo, and then win again twice in 2015, and I basically credit ALL MY SUCCESS TO SCRIVENER! (Well, not all. But, like, a solid 30%. I'm not stingy.) What I AM, though, is a coooooooonsummate planner. The very IDEA of pantsing fills me with dread and the shivers and a vague foreboding akin to what I feel when there's no coffee on the premises. Basically, NOT GOOD.
And this post is MY SECOND-FAVORITE THING ABOUT SCRIVENER after Scrivener itself!!! <3 ALL THE YES! And I'm linking it to EVERYONE who ever considers a writing software of any kind, by the by. I cut them off and scream SCRIVENER anyway (only mildly uncomfortable if they're strangers and I'm butting in, because I STILL HELPED AND SAVED YOUR WRITING CAREER). But now I have, like, PROOF to offer alongside it. AKA this post.
Lexie @ The Honest Bookclub recently posted…2015 END OF THE YEAR SURVEY
OMG YOU WON IT?!? YAY FOR YOU. We are lucky things to be gifted the most epic, world-conquering gifts in the world. <3 And I got it like 3 days before NaNo too! AND STILL WON AND IT WAS AWESOME. And tbh, I wrote the fastest book I'd ever written? So I'm gonna assume Scrivener has speedy typing skills to. (30% is basically like 100% so of course you're not stingy. That's completely logical.)
Planning is life. I firmly believe that if one is a planner THEY NEED SCRIVENER. It just keeps everything so neat and orderly?!? EEEP.
YOU ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS! 😮 I want this. My organizational monster side wants this BAD. The thing I hate about writingis I LOSE ALL MY RESEARCH! It’s too all over the place! What color were this guy’s eyes again?? WHAT was the girl’s last name? WHAT CITY DID THEY TRAVEL TOO IN SEARCH OF THEIR PET PARAKEET??? I’m just sitting here in a jumble of flails and need and want and i gotta have it ;asdklfj;asldfj;sldjf *adding Scrivener to my wish list*
SJ Bouquet recently posted…Top 10 Tuesday || Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added To My TBR
I AM SO NICE LIKE THAT. :’) It’s the post I wanted (but couldn’t find) when I was debating whether to dive into Scrivener…soooo I wrote it. hehe.😂 (Although I was still uber lucky to be given it so YEAH.) But omg saaaame. I always get befuddled with the research. And then like I’ll put ALL My research in one long doc and then I CAN’T EVEN FIND ANYTHING. Scrivener = my new OTP.
I LOVE Scrivener. I downloaded the NaNo trial version after I read about it in one of your posts and then bought it a couple months later because YES. It’s really not that difficult to use (though I didn’t know about a random name generator???) and it’s super handy. I think I turned off autocorrect, so it doesn’t really bother me, but I agree about the wordcount thing. It never crashed for me, luckily! My favorite features are the split screen and when you set a target word count and the bar turns from red to green the more you write. It’s like a mini game! 😀 AND THE AUTOSAVE OH MY GOD THE AUTOSAVE. It has saved me so much worry. I love how fair they are about their trial version too – it’s valid for 30 days, but it doesn’t count the days you don’t use it! I’m writing a term paper with it right now and it’s super helpful to have all the essays I have to read in one place.
Vlora recently posted…Sweetgirl: Atmospheric Writing and Clever Characters
OMG SO I SOLD SCRIVENER TO YOU TOO?!?! They need to hire me. Seriously. I’m like on fire in the sales department right now *flips hair majestically* I only found out about the name generator a few weeks back. xD It is beautiful and I will definitely need it. OH and apparently I’ve been told the word count thing IS there. If you click on Project > Project Statistics — it does give you the full wordcount. HUZZAH.
I have to work out how to do the target goals now. THAT SOUNDS AWESOME.
Scrivener sounds so cool and useful. I don’t think I’d use it enough to warrant buying though–for the moment Word is good enough for me, but it sounds like this would be really handy for editing/ rewriting (if I ever do that lol) I guess it depends how much time I want to spend writing because it does sound like it would help in many ways. Thanks for explaining how everything worked!
Shanti recently posted…My Shattered Heart, Their Fractured Light
That’s how I felt too! I was all “I can’t justify this since Word works just fine”. BUT YEAH. IT KINDA CHANGED MY LIFE. #clicheCait Although, tbh, if I hadn’t been given it, I’d probably still be fretting about if I should make the investment or not. 😂
OHMYGOD YES.
I need this in my life – I write a lot and my aspiration is to be an author. Being still in education though means that in the past year I’ve had to put writing to the side more than I’d like to. When I do get back to writing, I tend to have misplaced what i’ve started or was working on. so this would be great for organisation. Only problem is that it’s not cheap – so maybe in the future I’ll reconsider when I have more money
Yessss, AGREED. It’s like the most beautiful and handy thing of ever, but cuuuurse that price. (Although it’s on sale right now apparently? But still expensive, so I totally get the reserves.) *nods*
What magic is this, and how have I never heard of it! Seriously though I think I need this in my life.
WHAT. SKYE. HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING UNDER A BOOKSHELF?!? Scrivener is life. 😂
If I ever do what I keep saying I am going to do, which is finally start writing again, then I might consider this. Right now it would be a huge waste of money for me, as I keep telling myself I will start writing again… and then NEVER do! It does sound amazing though and would help keep me organised. And frankly, I could use all the help I can get when it comes to staying organised.
I totally get that!! Like I write all. the. time. but I couldn’t seem to justify buying it…WHICH IS SILLY OF ME BECAUSE I KNEW I’D LIKE IT AND I DID. *nods* But it also kind of motivates me to write?!? hehe. Because it’s orderly and clean. (Although shhh, but right now I’m procrastinating editing by blogging 😉 )
I found out about Scrivner about… oh two or three years ago and I really liked it. I really didn’t do anything with it though, but that’s probably because I wasn’t hardcore writing a novel. I was just writing to write for fun. I think it’s a really great tool for writers, though, you have everything in one spot. You don’t have to look at your bookmarks to find references or go through tons of picture files. It’s just boom. There.
And auto-save? Bless auto-save.
Alexa @ Words Off the Page recently posted…The Blind Book Date Club Sign-Ups
BLESS AUTO SAVE FOREVER. <3 Although I was in this habit of saving in word like every 3 seconds...so I have to break out of that habit now with Scrivener since it does it for me. But, zomg, so much safety with writing now.
Scrivener looks so awesome!! I would love to use that character profile option and being able to organise all those folders sounds just plain amazing. I’m a bit hesitant because of the price tag though :/ but thanks for the great review!
Victoria Jackson recently posted…My Wall of Utter Procrastination
The price tag IS daunting, I agree. Although someone corrected me and said it’s $45 USD which is a bit of a leap from what I said. 😂 So YAY for that. But still, it is a lot of money to invest in writing…so I totally get the hesitation. *nods sagely*
I LOVE Scrivener. I honestly don’t remember how I got through editing before it. I’ve had it about two or three years now, and only fall more in love by the day.
As to some of your frustrations – I think there are actually solutions?
For autocorrect, I believe you can force Scrivener to learn new words. Right-click the word, and select “learn” (or something like that – I don’t have it open in front of me). I’ve done this before with the Mongolian words that leak into my current WIP.
For wordcount, simply select multiple files at once. (Hold down shift and click the files you want to count.) Or you can select the folder that contains all the information. It will automatically count it all for you (and show the number in the usual place at the bottom of the screen).
Hope that helps! Scrivenerers, unite!
AHHHH I’M SO GLAD THE LOVE FADES NOT!! I actually get excited to edit?!? Because it feels more manageable and awesome instead of overwhelming with everything in one massive doc. So that is a bonus.😂
What happens with the auto correct when the words are normal words…but Scrivener just thinks its knows better than you?! Because I have that problem too sometimes. :/
AND THANK YOU ABOUT THE WORD COUNT!! I DIDN’T KNOW THAT. OMG MY LIFE IS SAVED!!
I honestly had no idea what all this did but I kind of want it now. I love all the ways it helps you stay organized, and how it has chapters separated so going back and forth is SO much easier than scrolling up and down over and over and over. YAY!
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany
It really is soooo helpful. AND I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THE POST!! *flails* I wanted a post like this when I Was tossing up about Scrivener, so I guessed I needed to write one. ;D
I love Scrivener. I used their NaNoWriMo trial and it was that year that I reached 50,000 for the first time. For finishing, I got about 50% off and I didn’t even hesitate to buy it. It’s perfect for keeping everything organised and all my random thoughts, scenes, and ideas. I wouldn’t dream of writing a novel without it.
Rosie recently posted…New Year’s Eve in Disneyland Paris
I love how NaNo offers that sale! IT IS SO GOOD. It’s like “Great, you wrote a book! Now here’s a program so you need to write another!” They are sneaky things…
I have been meaning to look into it. The character profiles where you can add a photo looks great. I have secret boards for both of my WIPs on Pinterest with the character personality points and backstory fir each written in the description under their photo. Ha! About the auto-c can you at least add the words to the Scribner dictionary? Great post, Cait. 🙂
I think you can add words to the dictionary? I haven’t yet, tbh, because I don’t mind the red squiggly lines. XD I mean, the problem is just when it THINKS it knows what you mean. Like it’ll even change normal average words for me. -_- Caaalm down, Scrivener. And I learnt how to turn it off, but it also turns off spell check and I NEED SPELL CHECK. I CAN’T SPELL FOR NUTS.
This sounds fabulous! But the amount of writing I do is… well… very minimal… Also do I even own $70??? I can’t… I dont.. Why can’t I be rich, and just live in my castle, with my dragons, and unicorns, and never think about my fear of writing a book.
I dunno if I will ever get this because a) I cannot bear to buy things, being separated from my money, is well, not healthy for my mind and well being… xD and b) I use a notebook when Im planning my story, and characters as I can do it wherever and that way I don’t have to flip through a million documents when it actually comes to writing the book! I’ll just have my notebook beside me! Also its pretty… so that’s fun!
Hehe, I GET THAT!! It is kinda of a big investment, right?! (Although I’ve since heard it’s only $45 USD. My bad.😳 Maybe it’s on special? or idek, maybe my information is so outdated I should sit in a bundle and hush now.) And it’s totally not for everyone. But omg you handwrite?! THAT IS AWESOME.
Okay if I were a writer I’D GET THIS WITHOUT HESITATION (even though $70 AUD is like a punch to my bank account LMAO) but alas I wouldn’t really use the features very often, so I must recommend this to my writer friends instead! I especially love the character sketches you can do and how everything is in one program. And going back and forth between chapters and ARGHH BASICALLY EVERYTHING. So. Wonderful recommendation Cait – this is a must-have for writers. 😀
Aila @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell Review: Where Neverland is NOT the place you want to be
YESSSS. It’s the everything-in-one-program that honestly has me in looooove with this thing. <3 I'm so fed up with flipping between 9583 word documents and the internet and ARGH all the things. -_- Scrivener is like my OTP.
SOME DAY… when I have money… I will buy Scrivener. But every single time I actually have this weird greeny stuff we call cash…I FORGET ABOUT IT.
Anyhow, this is an awesome post! I’d been curious about what Scrivener could do from a writer’s perspective…like, they give you the “functions” thing. but that is often sort of useless. Thanks!
The weird greeny stuff is very frustrating. Like I instruct mine to grow? And it doesn’t??? Rude. (Although in Australia ours is multi-coloured and not green so it’s like a rainbow of poordom when you have none.)
I’m glad you liked the post though! ;D It’s the kind I wanted before I dove into Scrivener, hehe, so I figured I might as well write it!
I’m interested (even though I am just a wee bean and am no where near a writing *career*). It sounds cool. Question: is it a one time purchase, or do you have to pay yearly or something? Thanks for all the info, Cait!
I always thought I wouldn’t be able to justify buying it if I wasn’t like, published or something. 😂 But I’m glad I got given it because OMG IT’S MADE SO MUCH DIFFERENCE TO MY MOTIVATION LEVELS. Oh and yes one time. It’s a program (or app?) you buy and that’s it. Also I was corrected and it’s like $45 not $70. *facepalm* My bad.
Well, I’m that is awesome. Also $45 is much better than $70. I’m not sure if I want to be a writer, but I love to write and I love organization, so I might give it a go. Thanks again!
Oh my gosh, this sounds absolutely amazing! I’d love to have something like this—though the price and the fact that I don’t always continuously write definitely makes it something to think about more maybe later sometime. BUT THREE CHEERS FOR ORGANIZATION!! Scrivener seems so cool and I’m glad you like it so much.
I totally know what you mean!! OH but I didn’t know this until later but apparently it’s only $45 USD at the moment?! And if you win NaNo you get a 50% off voucher. WHICH SEEMS SUPER NICE. 😂 but yayyy for organisation too! *busts out the party cake*
I have the trial version of Scrivener on my computer (it’s like a 30-day trial and I’ve only used it once or twice… but it counts uses, not consecutive days, so I still have time to play around with it). If I ever got a Mac, I might consider buying the full version. But with a PC, even though it’s cheap (yes, cheap… this is coming from someone who shelled out hundreds for MS Office at one point, so anything under $100 is a bargain), I’m concerned that the PC version is an afterthought and that it’ll be full of bugs.
I thought I’d like all those organizational tools, but I actually found it all kind of confusing and a bit like overkill. The software does so much, and if you’re just writing straight fiction, you aren’t going to take advantage of half the tools in there. (If you’re writing some weirdly formatted novel like Illuminae or a non-fiction book with lots of pictures/charts/graphics, then I can see how you might want something like this.) I do like the fact that you can export directly to e-book format; that seems like a useful tool to have, even if you aren’t planning on publishing in e-book format (you could send e-book versions to your beta readers, which would be pretty cool).
I do like how the free trial counts uses. *nods* I think that’s really nice of it. OH and I also found out right now it’s $45 US?!? And I don’t know if that’s a sale or not but YAY. 😛
And yes I think the exporting thing is REALLY COOL. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet? Because all my Scrivener experiments have been first drafts (omg I need to edit) but I’m excited to use that. And I totally think it’d be handy for Illuminae type novels. But I kind of thought I would be annoyed with all the chapters separated and stuff? (I mean, you wouldn’t HAVE to write like that, but that’s what they intend, I think?) But I just found it SUPER handy for flipping across screens and all that. But it’s definitely not for everyone! I get that.
I’ve been thinking of getting this because I’m a writer and I want to be more organized and I like fake cork boards! I’ll have to start saving my pennies! Thanks for this awesome post about it!
~Sara
Cork boards are so pretty. <3 I mean, my dream house will have an ENTIRE CORK BOARD WALL so I can plot books on there and be entirely awesome. #dreams
This post literally makes me want to go discover all the secrets of Scrivener RIGHT NOW! It makes me want to actually use the super cool features! I think the one I use the most is the thing where it takes you away from the rest of the computer (that was super descriptive but I have no earthly idea what it’s called haha) but it really helps because I get distracted really easily when I’m stuck.
I totally understand your autocorrect problem, but mine is somehow turned off and I don’t know how to turn it back on! Which is really bad because I type way too fast to spell correctly and it doesn’t automatically correct stuff and then I have issues. But anywayssss…I need to get back into Scrivening (is that the proper verb form? I hope so)
Ronan @The Nerdy Cello recently posted…Ronan Reviews: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Oh I know what you mean!! Is it like called no-distraction mode?! LIKE I HAVE NO IDEA BUT WHATEVER IT IS, GOOD BLESSINGS ON THE INVENTOR. 😂 I get distracted when I’m editing soooo soo much. I literally have to promise myself not to use change screens until I’ve gotten through 500 words or something. hehe.
YEAH. That’s what I was worried about! Like if I turn off spell check I AM DOOMED. I’m the worst speller in the world. But I don’t know how to turn off autocorrect but keep spell check on?!
SCRIVENING IS MY NEW FAVOURITE WORD.
I just found out about this Scrivener because of your post 😀 Thank you 😀 I will try the free trial 😀
YAYYYY!! This is grand news. ;D I hope it works out for you!
Hm, yeah. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about Scrivener for a long time now. Unfortunately, doing a lot of research actually decreases my motivation and makes life hard for me as a writer, so I do not foresee myself making a purchase any time soon. Word is just fine with me. XD And that’s okay. I’m glad it’s out there for organizing writers like you. :)`
Haha, fair enough!! IT’s definitely not for everyone. And I kind of always thought I wouldn’t be able to justify buying it unless I sold a book. SO LUCKY ME GETTING A FREEBIE. *happy sigh* But yeah! Word is grand too!
It’s tough, because you had me with fonts and name generator…. but then lost me at $70 and “organization” 😉 I might try the free trial? See- I think it WOULD be useful, if for no other reason that I’d be like “Hey, jerkface, you paid $70 for this nonsense, so get your happy ass to a chair and write stuff”. So that’s a HUGE bonus.
And my current plan of scraps of paper on my nightstand and a Google Doc kind of sucks, so there’s that. I don’t even have a Pinterest board. I just have… well nothing, I have nothing. In fairness, the thing I worked on during NaNo doesn’t really need a ton of outside inspiration, BUT the other thing I really want to do DOES. So it would really work well for that. Aannnnd I can get 50% off for all the winning I did during NaNo so… damn it Cait, it would be only $20. How can I NOT do it for $20? I will do it. I WILL. You have convinced me. BUT you have to wait until payday on Friday, and then I shall report back. Or I will forget, and then when I am typing up my weekly post, and remember that I have bookmarked this, I will buy it. Whichever. The 10 coffees that shall be sacrificed for this purchase are mad at you. (Just kidding, I will totally still buy the coffee.)
Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight recently posted…Series Lies I Told Myself
Also Cait? Now I am on Pinterest because I had to follow you (how was I not?) and now I may never leave. Pinterest is a strange, strange place where time stands still, and the next thing you know, it’s tomorrow and all you have to show for it is a cocktail recipe and 726 new Hunger Games pins.
Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight recently posted…Series Lies I Told Myself
There is no downside to 726 Hunger Games pins. NONE AT ALL. But, tbh, it is very easy to just never leave pinerest…wait until you use it for book plotting. IT IS AMAZING. My storyboards are better tahn my actual books. 😂
AHEM. BUT MOVING ON! So I’ve since learned that it’s currently 45$ american right now, I don’t know if it’ll go back up!?? But I found it seriously motivating to work with because I get overwhelmed by like ALL THE THINGS. So just having everything in manageable and organised folders = divine. :’) But if you do get it and need any pointers, FEEL FREE TO ASK!! I can give my teeny tiny knowledge. I’ve learnt a lot just from other Scrivener’s users in these comments as is. 😂 WOOT FOR COMMUNITY.
AHHH I LOVE SCRIVENER. And you get it half-price if you win NaNoWriMo so…I did that 🙂 It was glorious.
Admittedly, I do have to explore it more. I mostly just like the folders. And I still use Word quite a lot anyway. But Scrivener is SO GREAT for pictures and keeping all my ideas in one place 🙂
I should’ve put the half-price thing in the post. *facepalm* It’s probably too late now to worry about BUT YEAH I LOVE HOW NANO DOES THAT.
That is… way too many folders for me to handle XD You would have a heart attack if you saw my desktop – although it’s not writing stuff, it’s all just random graphics littered everywhere. I need a Scrivener for my Creative Market loot, someone invent this please.
I am so excited to see all of your plotting and researching for the Japanese book though! There are so many great videos and non fiction books out there! I highly recommend watching the Japanology series on Youtube? They cover so many topics, it’s quite insane!
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Bahaha, I GET THAT. I love folders inside folders…my desktop is crazy foldered. XD Creative Market loot though….omg, the pretties. <3😍
Ohh, I WILL DO THAT!! I haven't done a ton of research for my first draft but when I get to rewrites, omg, I am reading EVERYTHING (or watching) that I can get my hands on. *nods* Thank you for the tip!
This sounds like a dream come true…. I HATE HAVING SCATTERED THOUGHTS… which is like, all. the. time.
Cait, you definitely opened my eyes about this Scrivener, which sounded like a big, scary ordeal at first. And now, I have a better idea of what it entails (ORGANIZATION! FOLDERS GALORE! CHARACTER SHEETS! OMG). Definitely going to try the free trial and play around with it, because like, I have this story I want to write, soooo….
As always, wonderful post my friend! <3 ;D
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YOU ARE SO WELCOME. :’) That’s exactly what I was aiming for! Because when I was wanting scrivener I never found any posts like this…and it’s super good to know what you’re in for, right?!?
I don’t have scrivener, but I am very curious about it. EVERYBODY who has it seems to love it and tells you that you should buy it.. I’m not 100% sure if I will buy it. That auto-correct sounds really annoying. I’ll need to do a free trial first, I think. I didn’t even think to ask for it for Christmas, that would be a good idea.
I totally know what you mean!! Like I haven’t ever heard anyone hate on it?! But the price is REALLY REALLY DAUNTING.
I downloaded the free trial of Scrivener a few years ago when I had time to write and I think I had mixed feelings about it. Mostly because I didn’t take the time to learn how to use it properly. If I ever get time to start writing again and have the money to purchase the full version I definitely want it though! So many organisational options *_*
And it can be overwhelming, right?!? Like, omg you just want to WRITE but you actually have to learn all this crazy stuff?!? *collapses* So yeah. But I mean, I didn’t think it was ridiculously hard? But I totally understand the reservations! (Plus it’s hard to spend money on writer programs when you could buy books…)
I got a free trial of Scrivener when I did NaNoWriMo in 2014, and I’m kind of kicking myself that I didn’t take advantage of the discount that I could have gotten when I “won.” Even though I haven’t gotten back to writing much, I definitely plan to make another go at it, and I’ll wish that I had Scrivener when I do. I’ll probably bite the bullet and buy it. (I DID write a play – and now that I think about it, Scrivener would have made that WAY easier when I was trying to look back at scenes and remember how they ended to lead into the songs – lots of scrolling involved that could have been avoided).
The only real drawback I see with Scrivener is the editing process. I worked with a client who used Scrivener, and it seemed more complicated for her because she had to go back and make all of the changes we made manually in Scrivener instead of just accepting them in Word (which is a much simpler process). I’m curious if there are workarounds for this, but I haven’t really looked into it.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…Identity Crisis by Melissa Schorr – Review & Giveaway
Omg yes, I can imagine how much easier Scrivener would be for things like plays!! And apparently it’s not as expensive as I wrongly claimed?!? 😂 MY BAD. Although I’m not sure if that’s a special or not, but it’s only $45AUD. Ahem.
And I do get that, *nods* I was wondering how I’d work out the editing too, when I get betas and things through word doc. But I actually usually manually transfer it? So I don’t think it’d bug me but it COULD be a problem for some people TOO TRUE!!
AAHHH I NEED THIS SO BAD! I’m such an organizer when it comes to blogging and writing. Like you really. This is further proof we’re secretly twins or something. BUT sadly… I’m broker than broke and I can’t pay for this gorgeous thing that I want so badly. Maybe I should sell one of my kidneys for it… It’d be worth it. Who needs intestines anyway when you can have Scrivener?
Bieke @ Istyria book blog recently posted…{Bieke Reviews} Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
YOU DO NEED IT, BIEKE. IT CALLS TO YOU. I think we probably are secret twins, separated by continents. Both broke. So relatable. But totally sell a kidney, I’m sure it’d be worth it. Or sell a family member? Do you have any extra of them lying around?
I’ve often wondered about Scrivener, but the price has always been more than enough to put me off. I may check out the free trial after this though, and see if I like it! Anything that can help me organise my writing (my documents file is just crazy 🙁 ) would probably be worth the money!
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I have since been corrected that the price isn’t even as much as I quoted!! SO YAY. Ahem. Apparently it’s like $45 USD?!? Which is still a lot. And one could buy a lot of books for that….soooo yeah. But at least it’s not as crazy as I thought. 😂
AISH CAIT NOW I WANT TO GET THIS
look what you’ve done
but thank you for writing this. I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of Scrivener BUT NOW IT DOESN’T SEEM SO SCARY.
i wants it precious
YOU ARE SO WELCOME, LISA. Are you having fun playing with it. 😉
FOLDERS INSIDE FOLDERS?! *gasps* Oh, my. And it doesn’t crash when you open them? How many deep does in let you go? (I mean, is it just folders inside folders? Or are there folders inside folders inside folders inside folders?) 😛
I CHECKED AND I WENT AT LEAST 7 FOLDERS DEEP AND IT SHOWED NO SIGNS OF LETTING UP. Folders inside folders inside folders are life.
I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE. Folders inside folders inside folders?! A CORK BOARD?!?!?! Sold. Take my money, Scrivener!!
(*laughs forever and actually signs up for free trial because I am a poor, poor writer…*)
Also, I checked out that autocorrect thing you were talking about (autocorrect hates me in general, whether I’m on my phone or any other device, and I needed to figure out how to turn it off ASAP . . .). I don’t know if it works or not, but someone in a forum said: “You can turn it off completely with the keyboard shortcut “command \” or in the Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Check Spelling While Typing dropdown. The item “Check Spelling While Typing” will either have a checkmark or not next to it. ” IDK if it’s true, just thought I’d share!
CAREFUL. THE FREE TRIAL MY SWALLOW YOUR SOUL. 😂 Just kidding. I think. Ahem. But yes, I understand the poor writer feels and tbh, I might not even have it still if I hadn’t been given it! I AM A LUCKY BEAN.
And I did find that advice on the forum, but I like don’t want to turn off spelling completely because I CAN’T SPELL. So yes. It is a quandary. :O
YOU ARE A PRECIOUS HUMAN BEAN. I have been in agony over if I want to invest in this program or not (it does seem to be the common struggle for us writers). This post was so immensely helpful. Oh my goodness, I cannot thank you enough! Except…now I really, really want it. But LOOK at that delicious cork board. <3 And all the organization. GAH. I may just have to do it. If I spend all my money it's totally your fault. (But seriously, this was so nice to share all this with us. THANK YOU!!!)
YOU ARE SO SO WELCOME. To be honest, I wanted a post like this when I was flapping about wanting to know if I should buy it. XD And I’ve also heard it’s not as expensive as I quoted?!?!? So that’s AWESOME.
I’ve never really explored this side of writing organization. I LOVE technology, but I tend to lean more towards handwriting my notes then laying them out in front of my keyboard as I type. However, my inner neat freak is really REALLY attracted to this program. I may or may not have forgotten a few character names in my current project and reused them…ahem, so maybe I need something like this.
Although that auto-correct would drive me insane. My tablet auto corrects in my email client and SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO SAY “LOL”, NOT “LOOK” or “LOOP”. There is some deep-rooted rage that I’m too lazy to find a solution to.
Anyways! Thanks for the tips!
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Zomg autocorrect is the evilest thing in creation sometimes. I mean for texting, it’s nice. But for writing?! IT KILLS ME. I’ve had some super weird typos from auto-correct that I’ve had to change the whole SENTENCE because I couldn’t figure out what I meant. 😂
Ooooh it sounds so fun! It’s $70 total or $70 a year? Or… or a month?! Eep! I absolutely LOVE organization! And it is that love more than anything else that makes me so… unorganized. I have charts and character sheets and timelines and folders and folders of random crap for Fade- I don’t even remember where all of it is!
Luckily, my middlegrades are a bit more straightforward.
It’s a one time purchase and it’s only $40 (unless you participated in NaNoWriMo, then you get a discount), And all of the updates are free! (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php)
Stephanie B recently posted…A Sequel to Blackhearts: An Open Letter to Simon Teen
Thanks!
Ooh, I didn’t know it’d come down in price. Thanks for pointing that out, Stephanie. ;D
No problem! It’s like half of that if you won NaNoWriMo (or know someone who does).
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OK, so when I first saw this post I was like “What the hell is Scrivener?!!!” and now I’ve read it I’m like “Why the hell did I not know what Scrivener was?!!!”
Oh wow, I need this in my life! I LOVE organisation and like you have about a million documents and files (most of mine are about different types of trees, because trees are awesome!) and so I need Scrivener in my life. I am most definitely going to be trying the free trial immediately when I get home for work!
And lastly, cork boards rule! Who would ever chose a white board over a cork board?!!!
Well you are MOST WELCOME for me introducing you to this monstrously glorious beast. :’) I’ve known about it for years, but only had it since November and ERMAGERD I CAN’T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT IT NOW. It actually makes editing better too…which is a phrase I never thought I’d say. 😂
The white board does let you pin your index cards messily? While the corkboard makes you have them in rows? So idek if that makes a difference for you. XD BUT YEAH.
Would definitely have to be the cork board! I can’t be doing with messy pins! :O
It turns out I need Scrivener in my life! XD I hadn’t even heard of it before but I’ve checked it out and LOVE the sound of it!
EVERYONE NEEDS IT. IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT AND SO KIND TO WRITERS. *hugs Scrivener*
ACK!!! That looks wonderful and beautiful and ORGANIZED (and my heart goes wild for organized shenanigans). But money, UGH. Might have to add this to my birthday wish list…
I knooooow right?!? Although apparently it is less than what I quoted. I am outdated.😂 BUT STILL MONIES. *collapses*
I need money in my life so I can have Scrivener in my life. >:-]
Yesssss. LET US STRIKE OUT FOR GOLD TOGETHER, ERICA! HUZZAH!
Great article! You actually can see how many words are in the entire document by going to project –> project targets or project statistics. I took me a while to figure that out when I first started using it. I love how easy it is to move things around (although I have to be careful of this if I’m using a touch screen; I’ve accidentally moved chapters before…).
Stephanie B recently posted…A Sequel to Blackhearts: An Open Letter to Simon Teen
OMG THANK YOU FOR THAT. I’m going to do that immediately. XD I probably would learn aaall the things if I actually watched those really long tutorials. But I am lazy. *sigh* And I COULD be writing….
Lol. I never watched the tutorials but I knew the information had to be somewhere because it didn’t make sense for it not to have one.
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You had me at “folders inside folders.” FOLDERS INSIDE FOLDERS ARE MY LIIIIIIFE.
Seriously though, I want Scrivener, but I share laptops with my sibs and so you can never quite tell which laptop you’re going to have open. Hence why I write in Google Docs. But someday, someday I will totally acquire Scrivener. Somehow.
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Ahhh, I can understand how that’d be hard. *nods* SCRIVENER FOR ALL THE COMPUTERs?!? HAHA JUST KIDDING. I realise that wouldn’t work. (Shh, Cait, you are ridiculous.)
Cait, this is NOT helping my online shopping addiction.
And I think if Justin sees ‘Scrivener’ on the bank statement he may dump me.
But like… CORKYBOARDY may be worth it. I’m not as organized as I wanna be writing, which is super weird, since I’m so type A in real life with house etc!
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BAHAHHAAH. BUT YES THE CORKY BOARDY IS JUST THE WINNING THING FOR ME. And honestly?! I’m very very organised in real life, like my schedules are down to the minute, hehe, so I like that I can actually have my writing comfortably organised. IT IS A DREAM COME TRUE. <3
I just need to learn to plot, and it seems like the closest thing to doing it on paper without actually doing it on paper 😉 As my writing is hideous, and I would much rather type!
Stefanie MacWilliams recently posted…Michelle K. Pickett Prize Pack Giveaway!
For those interested in scrivener I suggest waiting until Black Friday to buy it. I got mine last year for $25. $25 PEOPLE!!!
And yes, I pretty much agree with everything Cait says including the name changing dilemma. After a while of yelling at the computer telling them I know the character better than they do so I certain know how to spell their name, I discovered you can highlight the word, right click, and select “learn this word”…. or something like that. Hope that helps you, Cait!
And apparently after NaNo if you win you can often get a $50 off voucher!?? Which is definitely awesome. OH and I’ll try that learn this word option!! THANK YOU.
I’ve never heard of Scrivener before but it looks like a handy organsiational tool for writers! That cork board and profile feature looks really neat.
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence recently posted…The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey – Book & Movie Review
IT IS. It’s like the writers dream come truuuuuue. :’)
After reading this post, I decided to go ahead and get Scrivener. I won NaNoWriMo so I was able to purchase it for half the price (which was already lower due to a sale).
I am currently halfway through writing the first draft of my WIP using Microsoft Word, so I think I am going to save Scrivener for my next writing project.
Omg, yayyy!! I hope you enjoy. XD And the post kind of timed well with a sale right?! I had no idea until people pointed out to me it wasn’t as much as I said. (My bad 😛 ) But BEST OF LUCK for tackling it and figuring out all the things. I’ve only written one project in it so far and I’m editing another project and omg, it makes life so. much. easier.
Scrivener is a beautiful creation that pleases me, since I’m such an organizing freak. I have not gone back to Word since. There are many features of Scrivener I still don’t know how to use very well, but I know all the basics and they’re perfect for what I need them for. There IS a way to turn off auto-correct because I managed to, but I’m blanking on how to do it since I don’t have Scrivener open right now. I hope someone else in the comments has mentioned how to do it, haha!
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SAME. Organising freaks UNITE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION! *hi fives* I barely even open word now, because Scrivener is just my everything. 😛 I’m sure I’m like only using half (or less?!) of it’s potential, so that’s kind of exciting to think about learning more too.
I have already used Scrivener and I absolutely loved it and I do have the 50% off code from Winning NaNoWriMo. I was dwindling on asking my parents to buy it for me but now I feel like I need it even more and I am probably going to buy it. Great post, I loved how you structured everything and I think there is a way not to turn off the auto correct but make certain words acceptable so that it doesn’t change them every time. I will tell you when I get Scrivener and find out how I had done it. I am pretty sure it had to do with highlighting the word, right clicking while the word is still highlighted and then pressing on Learn Spelling.
Aw, thank you!! I’m REALLY pleased you liked this post! When I was tossing back and forth about whether I needed Scrivener, I really wanted a post like this. So I figured I should write one for others. 😉 OH YES! Thank you! ;D I really need to learn that! I’ve figured out how to turn off auto-correct but it turns off spellcheck too? And I need spellcheck. I spell like a deluded melon.
I am happy that helped and I think everyone needs sleep check. Most of my novel would be unreadable words if I didn’t have spell check. Mostly when there is a paragraph which I have to use extravagant words that have way too many vowels for my brain. 😊
I want to try this now. Sound so amazing and really great help with writing. Only heard about it once or twice before. Thank you for sharing this 🙂
You are most welcome! ;D It was the kind of post I wished I had when I was considering Scrivener? So I had to write it. hehe.
HAHAHAHAHAHA this is the best headline ever in the HISTORY of awesome headlines, and the answer is HOLY GOD YES YOU DO. WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS. GO DOWNLOAD IT. Ahem. OK, so for that autocorrect thing? Go to Tool > Options > Corrections and decheck (uncheck? discheck? I DON’T KNOW ‘CAUSE I TURNED OFF AUTOCORRECT) “Correct spelling errors as you type.” You’re welcome. (Did you mention my favorite feature, the distraction-free mode you can customize with your own background graphics? My memory’s shot.)
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THANK YOU FOR THAT. <3 And I'm glad you liked my headline. ;D Omg, but I haven't tried the distraction free mode...mostly because I'm terrified of those modes. WHAT IF I NEED MY INTERNET. *flaps about wildly* (Obviously I need to try that mode. -_-)
The answer is obviously, YES, YES, YES!!! I got Scrivener on a NaNo deal a couple years ago and use it to organize all my writing: everything from ebooks and white papers to blog posts. It totally rocks!
IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL INVENTION OF EVER. <3 Seriously writing would be so. much. harder without it.
I loooooooooooove Scrivener. I got it last year for $20 USD after I won NaNo. It’s changed my life. It’s so nice to be organized. ^ ^
I know right??!? IT’S GLORIOUS. It’s actually exciting to open Scrivener instead of being overwhelmed with a zillion word docs.😂
Love Scrivener!
“It automatically tells you how many words you have per doc — but not per whole book. I had to do so much maths. That sucks. I signed up to write not do numbers, dang rabbit.”
I check this by using the project stats thing. The top bit is my manuscript word count so it’s rather handy to keep track that way (don’t know if anyone commented with this yet but ah well. The love is too big not to share (again).
Great post about Scrivener, Cait! I got it a few years ago (after winning NaNoWriMo one year) and it is a godsend: organisation and at-a-glance galore! No more headaches on Microsoft Word on how to reorganise scenes in a large document, etc. Were you able to figure out how to turn off autocorrect since posting this? Because I was able to (it only tells me now that something’s misspelt but it doesn’t correct it for me), but I’d have to look into it again to see what I did if you’re still looking for a solution for this 🙂
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YESSSS. Everyone has given me grand auto-correct-fixing advice. I AM SO GREATFUL. XD And omg, it is absolutely glorious not to have to worry about Word anymore. :’) Life is bliss with scrivener.
This looks so. cool. I actually had never heard about it before this but now I’m like… wow. I’m actually SO BAD at organization, which is why I need things like this to encourage me. Thanks for this post! Even if I don’t end up getting Scrivener, I still really enjoyed it ;).
Aw, thanks, Sydney!! And omg I’m such an organisational nerd?! But even if I wasn’t, I think it’d be motivational to get things sorted out. Future christmas present wishes, right?! 😂
I’m in love with Scrivener, I use it for all my writing projects and other aspects of my life as well! But, I don’t know about this whiteboard mode you wrote about. Where is that feature? Thanks for the great write-up on this important tool!
oh you just get to the whiteboard in the bottom right hand corner. *nods* It has an option for corkboard or free-form whiteboard. I LIKE BOTH. But probably the corkboard better because for some reason I’m addicted to those.😂 Thank you though!! I’m so glad you liked the post!
Awesome, thank you!!
Ummmmm…..how am I only just finding out about this now. I am already in love with it and I haven’t even downloaded it yet. I need this in my life right now – cork boards, mind maps, sticky notes. Yes, yes and yes!
Thanks so much for writing this post!
YAYYYY. I’m glad it was helpful!! CORK BOARDS ARE LIFE, I TELL YOU. 😂
Thank you! This is the first really useful thing I’ve read about Scrivener. Everything else I’ve seen was so complex it might as well have been a tutorial AND it convinced me I’d never master the thing. I’m a long-time writer (but not previously of fiction) so I’m not afraid of technology. I just don’t want to have to learn to use things I don’t need. Now I know what Scrivener can provide that I DO need and can feel good about downloading the thing.
Yayyy, I’m really glad it was helpful, Belinda! And I totally hear ya about some of the tutorials out there…they can be overwhelming. I was a pretty scared when I took the plunge, but it’s REALLY not as complex as everyone makes it out to be. I hope you enjoy Scrivener. 😀
i have 3 drafts of a novel and can’t get them to merge into one???