#AtoZChallenge - scriVener Counterpoint

A Month of Writing Motivation is the Operation Awesome theme for the 2020 A to Z Challenge. This is a counterpoint post to yesterday.

PART 2
Scrivener, as looked at through the eyes of someone who has used it for a few years.

How much someone loves or hates this program depends on two factors.

1. How you write. Specifically, how you organize and think when writing.
2. How much time you devote to learning and customizing the program to suit you.

I took a class on how to use this on March 18, 2015, taught by Joseph Michael (Your Scrivener Coach). (And have gotten over 200 emails from him since, some more useful than others.) I bought books on how to use it (the most useful of which is out of print- Goodreads is the only site I still see it on). I've downloaded templates to expand my base options. (I have the Windows version. To my understanding, the Mac one has more options and a slightly different look.)

This is a list of my top-ten favorite features.

1. Auto-backup every few seconds (I think the default is 3 seconds, but you can customize it).
2. Internal trashcan (in case I change my mind)
3. Import nearly anything! Images, word files, all those notes amassed over time that would be a story if it were organized...
4. Actually organize stuff! I create the outline, and then fill in where the chapters go, and then create scenes in there. And if I need to move a scene? Drop and drag! Great for when I know what scene I'll eventually write but have no idea when it'll show up. 
5. Dual windows. I love having my manuscript in one window, and my list of characters in the other. What was the name of the horse? Oh, there we go. Who was the waitress? Right there. I don't have to scroll. I can leave myself little notes! And I don't have to use multiple tabs (like Google Docs) or have multiple cases of MS Word open. (Did you hear that? It's my computer breathing a sigh of relief.) That split-screen can be vertical or horizontal. 
6. Word Count goal! I'm looking at you, NaNoWriMo participants.... 1667 words needed today? Watch the little bar at the bottom turn from red to yellow to green as you reach the goal. So satisfying. 
7. Search the entire project. I've had to use this a few times...
8. A separate folder for all of my research. And files for each of my characters and settings. And yeah, I can import pictures to go with those. When I'm ready to publish, I can pick what files to export. (There is an internal publisher, but I haven't used it.)
9. Index cards. 
10. There's a name generator wizard with a lot of options. It'll keep you from falling down the Internet rabbit hole of name researching for minor characters.  

organization

Word count meter! Split-screen view!

Search the project! View words or index cards.

The index card corkboard.

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#AtoZChallenge - scriVener

Here at OA, we're talking about writing motivation for our A-to-Z Challenge: what motivates us, how to get motivated, and - according to me, at least - what apps are useful to keep motivated!

Today I'm talking about Scrivener, the program that many writers consider a one-stop shop for all things manuscript-related.

How it works

If you've spent any time in writing circles, you know that Scrivener is extremely popular; subscriptions are often given out as prizes for writing competitions. Once you buy Scrivener, you can use it for your entire writing process, from draft zero to ready-to-query. It allows you to outline and notate your manuscript as you go, comes with templates for various styles of writing, will let you export your work in various document types, and can even be used to prepare your work for self-publishing.

I don't personally use Scrivener, but I downloaded a free trial and played around with it a bit. I can definitely see why people rave about it so much. There are so many options available to make it your own and along with ways to help stay on-task, like fullscreen mode. I particularly liked the feature that lets you go back to previous versions of the manuscript, which is always a struggle for me and my Word documents because I want to recover that one sentence and I cannot find it between Draft 1, Draft 2, Draft 3, Draft 3.5, Draft 4, Draft 4 The Real One, Draft 4 Final...anyway. I also appreciated how easy it was to drag and drop big sections around, since reorganizing a manuscript is such a bother.

Pros

• Many options for customizing your use
• Widely-used; lots of other writers to ask for help
• Can be used to set up a manuscript for self-publishing
• Basically it has all the features you'd need to write a manuscript from beginning to end

Cons

• Pay to use
• Not supported on Android
• No way to get feedback, share, or collaborate with other writers

Final thoughts

Scrivener is really cool, but it's not for me. There are a lot of other users and a lot of features available. If you struggle with organizing your manuscript and its many drafts, Scrivener might be right for you! Give the free trial a download and see what you think. You can also find a learning course here.

***
J here! Check back tomorrow for a counterpoint post on this program from me, a long time user.



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Not Farewell ... Just See You Later by PK Hrezo

First off, I'd like to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone at Operation Awesome for inviting me to contribute these last few months. I've enjoyed every minute with the authors, bloggers, and followers here.

BUT ...

Due to an overwhelming calendar of obligations, I must step away. It's not farewell, it's just see you later.

I'll stop in when I can for guest posting. I still have so many things to share!

In the meantime, feel free to contact me anytime with questions or just to say hello. You can find me on my website at www.down-the-rabbithole.com

And in case you didn't know, I offer developmental editing services at very reasonable rates. Stop by the Story Scientist page to learn more.

I'd also like to invite you to an online auction starting next Monday the 27th. You've got to see some of the items up for bidding. Things like agent critiques and consultations, writer software from Save the Cat, Scrivener, and more! Plot consultations from superstars like The Plot Whisperer and Mary Kole. Not to mention all the author signed paperbacks from bestselling authors.

And it's all to raise money for a great cause! Check out our auction page to learn more about the amazing young survivor we're supporting.

On that note, I'd like to leave you with some of my favorite writing advice. Over the years of trial and error, I've come to many of my own conclusions, and here's a nugget I came to realize on my own:

Not every story you write will turn into something great, but every effort you make in trying is the key to turning you into a great writer. Put your heart and soul into all of your work, then learn to let it go and move on to the next project. This will build and strengthen your writer's muscle, and take your creativity to the next level.

Until next time ... tootles!

Scrivener VS Word

There’s always a lot of buzz about Scrivener this time of year, especially when they offer a 50% coupon for anyone who finished NANO!

Do you use Scrivener? Do you like it? Are you tempted to try the 30-day free trial?

I’ve had this program for over a year and I’m still on the fence about whether I love it or not. I like how it coverts files to .mobi and .epub easily enough, but it’s never as simple as the tutorials make it seem (in fact, nothing about the program feels very intuitive).

I usually have to export files into Word if I need to work at a different location on my laptop, then import the updated files back in (or cut and paste). And then I export back into Word to do all my final editing and formatting, then import back into Scrivener and override their settings to use Word settings to save as various formats...which seems like more work than it needs to be.

I really did try in earnest with my current project to do everything from the beginning outline to a readable draft in Scrivener... but ultimately, I gave up and pasted each chapter back into Word for a more thorough edit. (I’m glad Scrivener has a built in thesaurus now, but it still lacks a lot of the editing abilities that Word has—like telling you you've used the wrong word, even though it’s spelled right.)

The program truly has great potential for tracking multiple plot lines and various PoVs, but you have to tag everything accordingly to make the system functional. And during an extremely rough first draft (even with an outline), I find that I don’t always know enough about how the story weaves quite yet. Not to mention that when I import/export or cut/paste new text into the program, the new text overrides previous tagging.

I’d love to be THAT organized with my writing, but I’m just not. I’m an unorganized person. There! I said it. No matter what fancy abilities a program might have—it’s still up to the user to take advantage. Yet they say the program caters to the highly unorganized...so what am I missing?

Do you have any helpful hints on how to USE the program? Is it worth the long learning curve? (Is it worth the extra $ to have access to all the training videos?) Is it better than Word once you get used to it? Tips please!!

Got Scrivener?

We've discussed it before, but how's it going for those of you who bought the program and tried it out? Is it worth the time and effort? Or is it just another program...

I'm tempted, since I won't be in full writing mode 'til fall, and they have a 20% off sale through June 14th.