New writing tool: Scrivener
Published by on July 3rd, 2007
There’s a new tool in the box for writing these days - this post was compiled using it before being posted, and several other existing projects have been ported across. This new boy is called Scrivener.
I’m not entirely sure how this one slipped under both my and jEN’s radar as we are typically geeky in that we are always on the lookout for new and useful tools, particularly enabling increased organisation and productivity.
I’ve had multiple tools for a few years:
- FinalDraft for screenplays (I’ve also used Celtx)
- Power Structure for story development and organisation
- CopyWrite for general writing projects
- Mori for day-to-day categorised writing & research such as blog posts
- jEN also has Ulysses for writing project management
All of these tools do the job well in themselves, but unification without compromise is the phrase of the day, and will some of the above not having been significantly updated for a year or more, they are looking a little tired in today’s sleek interface world. Scrivener (I’m still to get accustomed to that odd name) appeared almost by chance through following a few consecutive links through RSS feeds and blogs. It was put together by someone who is an author himself and primarily focuses around the way he works. Turns out, it’s ideal for me too!
I’ll not go into great detail on what’s what, but the main plus points for me are:
- Full formatting capabilities to enable easy creation of any text, including standard screenplay format
- Project documents organised in a Multi-level outliner with folders and documents structure
- Keywords/tagging for documents
- A ‘corkboard’ mode which is just like moving index cards around to re-organise text snippets, charters, scenes, etc.
- A specific place to attach research web or document links to each document
- Ability to pull in images or PDFs as part of the project - and view them within Scrivener
- The full-blown outliner means any story/character/information structure can be created - unlike Power Structure where one pretty much has to do it their way
- Excellent and versatile full-screen mode for uncluttered distraction limiting work
- Split screen mode on the same or different documents (or even between the corkboard and a document)
What’s missing?
The only thing I will miss is the conflict graphing of Power Structure - this is a complex function which enables you to map out the various conflicts taking place I your plot and help establish pace, and ensure resolution. Perhaps with some clever use of the customisable Labelling in Scrivener I can simulate that feature.
I have already created some screenwriting templates to set up basic 3-Act and 9-Act story structures, and will likely do others as I play around with it some more.
Highly recommended? If you are a writer or screenwriter and don’t want to fork out more than $35 on a single application that will help you get the job done, certainly!
3 Responses to “New writing tool: Scrivener”
Scrivener is an odd sounding word. I don’t know it’s origin, although I am curious. I love unusual words–some so useful, some that make you scratch your head and wonder why they exist at all. All I know about this particular word is that it would have been used to describe you centuries ago–Neil Dixon, Scrivener (professional scribe)!
Further thought—actually, you wouldn’t be a scrivener. They didn’t initiate anything. They didn’t get to use their own ideas. Okay, I feel like Gilda Radner, saying “Never mind”.
I’ve just started using Scrivener, too. It’s a great program, but it takes a little geting used to. The Binder, for example, is a little bit different way of organizing information than I’m usd to. Don’t get me wrong–it’s quite useful. The ability to keep one’s research immediately at hand in its own Research folder, for example, is awesome. I haven’t been using it long, but I think it’ll be my tool of choice.
Also, not one of my better efforts, but I’ve put up a pretty brief review of my own.