

Or simply create an Idea Log or Change Log document. If it applies to the whole project, add it to the Project Notes. Just want to jot down a note about the scene, but not in any particular spot? Put it in the Document Notes. Comments are similar, but let you link to a word or phrase and view the comments in the sidebar to keep the clutter out of your manuscript. Annotations are little colored bubbles of text that you can insert right into your document as a reminder. Scrivener gives you several ways to make notes. What do you do when you’re knee-deep in a scene and you realize you need to know the average life span of a blue whale? Or you decide that your villain needs to make his first appearance at the baseball game, not the funeral parlor.ĭon’t stop writing! Make a note to yourself and keep going. Document targets provided a quick visual cue for how I was doing.Ĭapturing ideas. When I was writing Scrivener For Dummies, I had to stick pretty close to my estimated chapter lengths. The progress bar shows up in the footer of the document you’re working on. blog post, magazine article, scene, essay, or chapter) with a prescribed number of words? Use a Document Target. On the Mac, you can even set a deadline and let Scrivener calculate your daily goal for you.īut what if you’re working on an individual document (e.g. Progress bars show you how you’re doing on each. Do you set daily or weekly word count goals to keep yourself on target? Scrivener’s project targets let you establish a goal for the manuscript, and a goal for each writing session.
#Bought scrivener for mac mac#
On the Mac version–and coming soon to Windows–you can add a photo to calm your nerves or remind you of your book’s setting. Have you heard that blue is good for creative endeavors and red for detail work like editing? Change your background to suit your task. What you get is nothing but a blank page and a background of your choice, with hidden access to other elements. Scrivener can’t put the kids to sleep or stop the neighbor’s dog from barking, but its Composition mode (Full Screen mode in Windows) can cut out visual distractions. To celebrate, I thought I’d touch on some of my favorite features that Jeanne didn’t mention.Ĭhoosing just a few things to talk about was like trying to decide which child I like better, but since I had to narrow it down, here are four things I love about Scrivener.
#Bought scrivener for mac windows#
Now Scrivener for Windows is out–and should be caught up to Mac within a year or so–and Scrivener for iPad is on the horizon. Jeanne Kisacky did a fabulous post about Scrivener last August that included some of the best parts of Scrivener for Mac. To my mind, just the fact that it opened up right where I left off writing was worth half the price. And that was before I figured out 95% of what it can do. When I met Scrivener three years ago, it was instant love. It’s like a virtual version of my old Trapper Keeper with the unicorns and rainbows on the front. With Scrivener, I can keep them all together in one project. I’m a fairly linear writer, but I also like to make notes for future reference, jot down snippets of dialogue for future scenes, keep track of possible storyline changes, and store research and photos for easy access. The tool that keeps me glued to my story is Scrivener. Whether it’s Microsoft Word, an old typewriter, or crayons and construction paper, just do it. Enjoy!ĭid you catch Yuvi’s fun video on Saturday? I’m totally on board with his basic premise: The best writing tool is the one that gets you writing. I’m excited to have here today to profile four things we might not know about Scrivener that could ultimately turn us into devotees–if that hasn’t already happened, that is. Not only is Gwen a Scrivener expert, she’s also an aspiring romance author, so she knows just what Scrivener needs to bring to the table for storytelling success. Today’s guest is Gwen Hernandez, the author of a new book of interest for writers that will be coming out this summer called Scrivener For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.). Winner to be chosen at random next Tuesday. GIVEAWAY: One commenter will receive a copy of today’s profiled book, Scrivener for Dummies, which will be released later this summer.
