Author/bio: Amy is a writer and novelist, with a passion for
writing words of hope for a hurting world. Her first of two novels, a sweet
piece of southern literature, is
slated to be published by
David C. Cook in
late 2013 or early 2014.
A graduate of DePauw University, Amy
lives with her husband, three boys and three golden retrievers in central
Indiana. You can read more about Amy at her website, http://amysorrells.wordpress.com.
Blog title: On
Beyond Sticky Notes: A review of Scrivener for writers
My first novel, slated for
publication with David C. Cook in early 2014, involved hours and reams of research.
I researched everything from fossils, to barbeque restaurants, the history of
Haiti, pecan recipes, and more. I organized text and web links and photos into dozens
of Word documents, which I then had to flip open and closed while writing and
editing each chapter. Sometimes, I didn’t have enough research on a topic, so in
addition to all the Word documents, I opened three or four internet screens,
and flipped back and forth between those and my chapters, too.
At the time, I didn’t know any
better, so I never lamented the process. However, I marvel at how I ever kept
my sanity now that I’ve found
Scrivener, a
software program for writers of any genre.
Now, I will
warn you. What you’re about to read may sound like an infomercial, but it’s
not. I downloaded the trial version, quite skeptical about how much easier this
could really make my writing life. But after just two days, I bought the
software outright. First of all, this little slice of computer engineering
GENIUS only cost $45—a small price to pay for sanity. An even smaller price to
pay for the time it’s saved me, and the fun it brings to the novel writing
process.
What’s so
great about
Scrivener?
Below, I’ve summarized my favorite aspects about the program—so far. And I say
“so far,” because the GENIUS software has so much depth of capabilities and
bells and whistles, I discover something new and even more fun every time I use
it. But for starters, here’s why I think it rocks:
1. Love me a Trapper Keeper!
I am a true child of the 80’s. When I took my kids
back-to-school shopping last week, I teared up, grieving that they shall never
know the true beauty of the Trapper Keeper. Oh, sure, we found imitation
versions on the shelves, but nothing close to the ultimate office supply nerd’s
dream machine contraption, which kept everything in check, even when the bully
on the football team rounded the corner and flipped my books in the air,
sending everything—including my fragile, Love’s Baby Soft ego—to the floor.
Well, never fear those bully’s again. Scrivener is your
virtual Trapper Keeper. The GENIUS program holds everything you need for your
novel—websites, photos, places to jot down random thoughts and ideas,
references and notations—everything. And since it’s all in one location,
nothing falls out.
2. The corkboard is adorable.
Say good-bye to sticky notes falling on the floor when it
gets humid outside. Say hello to your floor you haven’t seen for months, since
it’s been covered in index cards. Scrivener allows you to not only create index
cards and post them on a virtual corkboard, but you can rearrange them, even
when your manuscript is complete. Need to move chapter 30 back before chapter
14? No problem. Instead of scrolling back up and down through pages of text,
just point, click and drag!
Better yet, each index card can function as a chapter
synopsis, and you can attach various and individual scenes to each card, again,
for easy viewing and rearranging, even within a chapter.
As the website says, “Make
a mess. Who said writing is always about order? Corkboards in Scrivener can
finally mirror the chaos in your mind before helping you wrestle it into
order.”
Don’t like index cards? That’s okay, because you can do your
writing (also with rearranging capabilities) via the outlining mode.
3. Don’t just think about Harry Connick as you write
out your protagonist’s next love scene. See him on the screen.
Don’t just think about the New York City skyline as your
villain creeps through central park. Keep a photo of it on your desktop as you
write.
Character, setting and other research organizers allow you
to attach photographs, charts, maps, and more all together and accessible as
you write.
4. Worry about Word later.
It took me awhile to get over the fear of not writing in
Word. But alas, the designers make it possible for you to compile all the text
behind all those index cards and export it into one, seamless document which
dovetails easily into Word.
5. Other cool features I love:
·
A name generator with every ethnicity
imaginable!
·
Templates
·
Word count features, by chapter, whole document
and more
·
Color-coding
·
Progress tracking
·
Keyword options
·
Formatting assistance
The website sums it up best:
“Most word processors
approach composing a long-form text the same as typing a letter or flyer - they
expect you to start on page one and keep typing until you reach the end.
Scrivener lets you work in any order you want and gives you tools for planning
and restructuring your writing. In Scrivener, you can enter a synopsis for each
document on a virtual index card and then stack and shuffle the cards in the
corkboard until you find the most effective sequence. Plan out your work in
Scrivener’s outliner and use the synopses you create as prompts while you
write. Or just get everything down into a first draft and break it apart later
for rearrangement on the outliner or corkboard. Create collections of documents
to read and edit related text without affecting its place in the overall draft;
label and track connected documents or mark what still needs to be done.
Whether you like to plan everything in advance, write first and structure
later—or do a bit of both—Scrivener supports the way you work.”
As with any computer program, there are negatives. For
example, while a PC version is available, the program was designed to operate
on Macs, and the designers even admit it will probably work best on that
platform. Try it before you buy it to see if it will work for you and your
computer operating system.
Also, you do need to have at least a smidge of computer
savvy. And patience. There is a learning curve to this program, and the
designers have been kind enough to offer a thorough, interactive tutorial and
instruction book. Those are helpful, but the program is so rich even I—a
borderline computer geek—felt a little overwhelmed initially. And I don’t know
if I’ll ever use all the functionalities.
That said, Scrivener has truly changed the way I approach my
novel writing. I feel like it really frees my mind to focus on the prose,
because I no longer have to remember where everything is on my hard drive . . .
or if my dog ate a sticky note or a stack of index cards.
I honestly don’t know why more folks aren’t using and/or
raving about the software.
Try it for free for 30 days.
I can’t throw in a set of steak knives, but I’d be willing
to wager you’ll like the program, too.
Jaded:
A Novel – Varina Denman 
Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd - 3/17 
Stranded by Debby Giusti
novel or polish up your prepublished manuscript before then.
