Scrivener: What's the Deal?

Photo made on canva.com

Hello everyone! Today we are going to discuss Scrivener, the all-in-one tool for writers. To quote their own introduction, they are a “ring-binder, a scrapbook, a corkboard, an outliner and a text editor that’s tailor made for growing a manuscript.” 

Scrivener is...a lot. There’s a lot of tools and features that make this application so useful yet so daunting. But the best part is that it’s user-focused, meaning you don’t have to use all the tools available (or even know about all of them) in order to get the most from it.

Okay, so. Moving right along.

Getting started, there are three main features you have to know. 

The Binder

The binder is the toolbar on the left side of your screen. Here, you can look at the bulk of your story in its entirety. You have your manuscript folder, where you can house chapters and scenes. The format you chose provides you with pre-made folders like characters and scenes, but you can always change these to fit your needs.

Photo by onefictionalauthor

Additionally, you have a research tab, where you can compile outside sources and information, keeping it all in one, convenient place. You also have your trash, where you can put unwanted material, but it never fully deletes it unless you decide you want to.

Now, there are three folders that can't be deleted or changed: the manuscript, the research, and the trash. Otherwise, all other folders can be manipulated or moved as you like.

The Editor

Here's where you do all your formatting.

This editing tool has the same format of any other word processor, but its worth noting some special features. The format bar holds all of your tools, but the most helpful is the ability to find documents within your manuscript. Simply hit the "edit" tab at the top of the page, then his "find" and then "find" again. This gives the ability to sift through your texts.

Another cool feature is the amount of fonts available. Seriously, this thing has so. Many. Fonts. 

Photo by onefictionalauthor

As a fan of the joys of formatting, I approve.

The Inspector

Yeah, I know. That's a pretty cool name. Well, let me tell you, this feature is just as cool as the name makes it out to be. 

It is, perhaps, the most complicated of the three. But the usefulness far outweighs any complications one may go through. So, within the inspector, there are five parts:

1. Notes (also home to the synopsis);
2. Bookmarks: store references and related documents;
3. Metadata: keeps track of progress;
4. Snapshots: for older versions of the manuscript (not pictures!);
5. Comments and footnotes: easy access to thoughts/notes.

Photo by onefictionalauthor

If you look closely at the icons in the inspector tool, you will notice little dots next to some. Those little dots mean that there is content in those areas. It helps you keep track of what you have and where it is.

Once you learn how to use these features, the inspector tool will become your best friend. 

So, what now?

Now that you've learned the basics, I urge you to try it for yourself. See if you like it. See if it works.

The makers of Scrivener, Literature&Latte, offer a 30-day free trail of the application. And no, this isn't 30 days straight. It's 30 days of use. So if you use the app on a Wednesday and don't use it until a month later, it will still only register as one (1) day of use. 

You can start a free 30-day trial here: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/download

If you are a visual learner, I made a video that goes over the different features. Enjoy!