Eight Reasons Why I Love Scrivener by Gwen Hernandez

I am so pleased to bring you Gwen Hernandez and her love affair with Scrivener. Her CLASS information is at the bottom of the post. DO. NOT. MISS. OUT.

I was in a committed relationship with Microsoft Word for fifteen years. Together, we composed business letters, term papers, memos, technical manuals, and even a graduate thesis. The thesis took the shine off our romance, but it was my foray into fiction that killed the affair.

That’s because I met a younger, sexier, writing program called Scrivener that understood my needs in a way Word never could.

Here are eight reasons I threw Word over for a newer model.

1. Scrivener remembers your spot. Every time you open a project in Scrivener, it takes you right to where you left off. Maybe not such a big deal when writing the first draft—especially if you write in order—but when you’re in the midst of revisions, it’s a lifesaver.

2. Your structure is easy to see. Scrivener lets you write in chunks—such as scenes or chapters—called documents. The Binder, where you view all of the files in your project, gives you an at-a-glance overview of your entire manuscript and thus the structure of your work.

Change your mind about the order of scenes or chapters? It’s a cinch to move them around and play with a different story flow.

3. Color-coding. In Scrivener, you can color code your documents by whatever piece of data you want to track. For example, in the drafting phase I tag my fiction scenes by point-of-view (POV) character, using blue for the hero and pink for the heroine (original, right?). Instantly, I can see the POV of a scene and check my overall balance.

In the revision phase—and for nonfiction—I use the Label field to keep track of the status of each section (e.g. Not Started, WIP, To Editor, Author Review, Complete).

4. Saving epiphanies is easy. Got an idea for a future scene, but you’re not ready for it yet? Create a new document, write out your idea, then ignore it until you figure out where it goes. You can also add notes right into the text you’re working on. When you can’t think of the perfect line of dialogue, or you need to do some additional research, simply insert an annotation or comment and get back to writing. Annotations are also a handy way to mark sections that would make good excerpts, either for front matter or in your advertising. 

5. Auto-save protects your hard work. If you’ve ever faced the Blue Screen of Death, or lost power after writing 3,000 words without saving, you’ll appreciate that Scrivener saves your project every time there’s more than two seconds of inactivity. So while you’re pondering your next sentence, Scrivener is committing your words to memory.

6. Scrivener is like Hermione Granger’s bottomless handbag. You can import research documents, web pages/links, and photos right into your project, so even when you take your laptop on the road, you have everything you need. You can also import any writing you already started in another program.

Plus, you can keep outlines, notes on ideas for changes and future scenes, and character and setting information all within the project. No more scouring your hard drive or that pile of sticky notes on your desk for a crucial piece of information.

7. Working without distractions. Scrivener’s full screen composition mode blocks out all distractions, making it easier to focus on your writing. Change the background color or image to suit your mood.

8. Exporting to e-books is a snap. Scrivener is your one-stop publishing program. When your masterpiece is done, you can compile (export) it to an EPUB or MOBI (Amazon) file for easy self-publishing, or for perusing on your e-reader. You can also export to DOC/DOCX, RTF, TXT, PDF, HTML, direct-to-printer, and other formats, including Final Draft (screenplay software).

The beauty is that you can write in any format/font/color you want and then compile it into something completely different without affecting your original work. Produce a PDF, then turn around and create an EPUB. Totally different formats with a few clicks. Print chapter or scene titles in one version, leave them out in another. It can even auto-number your chapters or sections.

Getting the output right the first time can take a bit of trial and error as you learn how it works, but once you have it set up the way you want, you can save the settings for future use.

My process for an EPUB?

1. Import the cover art into the project (anywhere outside of the Manuscript/Draft folder).

2. Go to File—>Compile.

3. From the Format As dropdown menu at the top, choose E-book.

4. On the Contents pane I choose which front/back matter items to include (because I use different links depending on the retailer) and uncheck my Part folders (since those are just for my own organization while writing).

5. Click the Cover tab and select my cover image (this is for inclusion inside the book only, so it doesn’t need to be as high quality as what you upload to the retailer).

6. On the Formatting tab, I deselect the Title checkbox for the folders so my chapter names don’t print. Chapter auto-numbering is on by default.

7. Check the Footnotes & Comments tab make sure comments aren’t being included in the final output (if I had any comments in my project).

8. Select the Meta-Data tab and enter my book’s basic metadata.

9. Click Compile. Scrivener will produce an EPUB. That’s it!

A MOBI is basically the same, but you have to download Amazon’s Kindlegen converter software, and tell Scrivener where you put, it before you create a MOBI for the first time.

But there’s so much more. I could wax poetic about my fabulous writing partner all day. The ability to set word count goals and track your progress. The Corkboard where you can view each document as an index card (perfect for storyboarders). Advanced searches that help you find anything, anywhere in your project. Snapshots for saving old versions of scenes…

That’s just a small list of what makes Scrivener—available for Mac and Windows—too hot to resist. So, if you’re tired of your stodgy, inflexible word processor, hook up with a program that puts your needs as a writer first.

There’s no commitment with Scrivener’s free trial, but you just might find your happy ever after.  Hit me with your questions.

Gwen is teaching her incredible classes soon. 

I can say that because I've taken them.

Info below:

Class info:

- Scrivener I: The Basics and Beyond, Feb 23-March 11, 2015
– Scrivener II: Intermediate and Advanced Concepts, March 30-April 15, 2015
– Scrivener Master Course: Compile, May 11-19, 2015

All are offered in a forum environment and can be done at your own pace. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ScrivenerCourses.

Bio:

Gwen Hernandez is the author of Scrivener For Dummies, Productivity Tools for Writers, and Blind Fury (romantic suspense), and teacher of popular online Scrivener courses for Mac and Windows. She lives near Boston with her Air Force husband, two teenage boys, and a lazy golden retriever. Learn more about her books or classes and get free Scrivener tips at gwenhernandez.com.

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