Why I chose Scrivener

I am now on Chapter 15 and I can’t imagine how I would have managed without Scrivener writing software. I’m not the most organized person in the world. Before I started writing, I looked into the various programs different writers used. I read a lot of articles by authors describing their writing process. Many of them suggested using a writing software. I looked at Livingwriter, Storyist, Final Draft, NovelPad, and Scrivener

I chose Scrivener. It’s not free but does offer a free trial version. You can look at their tutorials and countless YouTube videos on the program. But why do I like to use it and how do I use it?

I like Scrivener because it helps me organize every part of my book on one screen and can be copied into MS word. I can put ideas, scenes, research notes, pictures all in one place and it is all accessible simultaneously access it all at the same time. I used one of their templates and customized it for my own use. Once I open the program on my laptop, the screen displays four sections neatly on one screen as shown below.

Screenshot of Scrivener program.

You can see my chapters, research, character notes all on the left side and you display the chapters I am working on in the middle two columns. In the above example, I have a box for chapter 1 and a box for chapter 2, and on the far right, I have boxes for Chapter 2 synopsis and notes. At any given time, I can display any combination of chapters on the screen and look at the research materials simultaneously. There is also a cork board function it lays out the things in your binder like sticky notes on a wall where you can move the chapters around anyway you like. You can also color code things and the program keeps track of statistics, like word count and how often you use a certain word. Scriverner has the ability to publish to any format (which I have not used yet.) Using this program has streamlined the research process and how I compile data before I start writing.