Why I Love Scrivener

I've mentioned previously that I use Scrivener for my writing. It took some getting used to, mainly because I'm used to writing in one long document. If you're happy doing that, I would tell you not to spend the money on writing software. I reached the point where I decided that wouldn't work for me, so that's why I tried out various writing software.

Page Four is a great (free for some of the features) software that is great if you're looking for something to help you be a bit more organized. The tabbed view is a great way to see all of your documents at once. When I got my Mac, I immediately downloaded the Scrivener free trial and I'll admit I didn't use a lot of the great features right away because I was so into Positive Tension that I didn't feel like making the effort.

Now that I'm starting to plot out The Spectery, I have to say that Scrivener is invaluable. I love the Corkboard feature. Instead of having one big long document, I have note cards (and separate documents) for each chapter, and I write a synopsis for each.  You can see how that works below.

It is beyond helpful to have a novel laid out in this way. I no longer have to scroll through one big document if I need to make a change or remember something, I can merely switch to Corkboard view when I want to remember where a particular piece of action happens. I can also drag & drop the note cards if I want to move chapters around. One other neat feature? You can color code the pins on the cork board to suit your purpose. Mine are all pink because I'm plotting out chapters.

If you see below all the chapters, there's a Research tab. You can insert photos, text, video, etc. It's so helpful to have everything in one place!

This is just my current reason for loving this software, as it can do so much! The best news (for Windows users, that is) is that Scrivener for Windows is coming! So now all writers will be able to use this amazing software so they can write more productively!


Do you use a writing software to write or do you prefer Word or another word processor?