Scrivener

Dragonchilde — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:27:04 -0500

Using Scrivener for Windows or Mac? Discuss problems/questions here! Don't forget to visit our Scrivener thread in the Special Offers forum!

Re: Scrivener

Dreamers Cove — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:22:56 -0500

With the updates to Scrivener this past year, I'm really looking forward to Nano this year. The targets, the name generator. I have it already set up to back-up projects like crazy. I use main Target window (Apple-Ctrl-T) to help me keep track of where I'm at each day. Set the daily quota, the hopeful word count of the entire novel, and away I go. Has anyone used the target controls on individual documents instead (the 3-inset circles on the bottom right)? Any benefit in doing that other than drilling down to what is wanted down to each document/scene/chapter?

Re: Scrivener

Millamant — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:26:00 -0500

I love scrivener to bits, and I do use the targets for individual documents, mainly because I like to tap buttons instead of tricky key strokes, but also because it keeps me on track, and stops me from straying into different chapters. I like to keep things simple and it works for me. I've reached the 50k goal every time for six years.

Re: Scrivener

johnlo — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:45:18 -0500

Hi, scriv user here too! Anyone using Linux? I'll be happy to listen to any tips, still in a daze..

Re: Scrivener

ArOhBeWyEn — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:25:55 -0500

I got Scrivener after I won NaNo last year, and have used it more for planning some more intricate pieces than for writing. However, I think it may be time to break it in. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use it. There's a lot about it that seems to have those scary complications and distractions that aren't conducive to NaNo, but then again it has features like the target system and fullscreen writing. I've always been so highly no-frills in the past that I'm nervous about breaking that habit, haha.

Re: Scrivener

MissTrenchcoat — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:26:21 -0500

I too love Scrivener! 2009 was my first year in nanowrimo and I used their 30 day trial. Once I won that year I bought the program with the discount because I was soo impressed with it. I really don't think I would have made it to 50k without the application. Since their big update last year I have been utilizing the dropbox feature to move documents from Scrivener onto my iPad for editing. It has been a dream to use! I highly recommend it to anyone who writes.

Re: Scrivener

Cameron_Talley — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:29:41 -0500

I used Scrivener last year and absolutely loved it. I've used it for all my writing projects now and can't imagine writing without it. It's a fantastic piece of software!

Re: Scrivener

melior — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:08:45 -0500

I do my writing in Linux, and I'm looking forward to checking out the Linux beta!

Re: Scrivener

Rithe — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:48:21 -0500

I've been using the Windows and Linux beta's for a while now, and love them! I'm glad we're close to the Windows release, finally.

Re: Scrivener

KaliAngel — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:50:15 -0500

This is the only program I will ever use! Everything is so well organized and in one place!

Re: Scrivener

divajess — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:53:59 -0500

The iPad sync makes me so happy it's ridiculous. I heart Scrivener so freaking much. I've been using it since it came out for the Mac, and it makes my writing life so much easier.

Re: Scrivener

Catana — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:31:06 -0500

I don't usually set word count goals, so I haven't used the targets feature yet. But I'll probably look into it for this year's novel. I've been using Scrivener for several years, and keep being amazed by it, especially with the latest version. Anything that's longer than a blog post has its own Project file, so no matter how disorganized and crazy things get, everything's in one place, ready for business.

Re: Scrivener

Brandice — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:29:21 -0500

Love Scrivener!! :) I write on my iPad, but sync back to my MacBook with Dropbox and organize/edit in Scrivener. Great application.

Re: Scrivener

elixireleven — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:45:03 -0500

I'm a longtime Scrivener user (on an MBP), but this is the first time I'll be integrating iPad syncing for on-the-go writing. Any suggestions for workflow management (or reference organization)? I'm still on the hunt for a solid iPad app that can handle my research content and the draft itself.

Re: Scrivener

The_Seventh_Sage — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:06:38 -0500

I JUST found Scrivner. I haven't used it yet, but after going through the tutorial, I am SO excited to use it :D. SO much stuff to use, or so little. I'm glad they give you the choice, and it's not overwhelming and cramped. It's the coolest writing program I've found so far :D.

Re: Scrivener

Limulus — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:23:24 -0500

Love it. I can brain-dump everything into it and then sort it out later. And when I do sort (aka edit), it's like flowcharting and I don't have to cut and paste! It's everything I wish I had had when I was writing my dissertation!

Re: Scrivener

feathermuse — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:39:28 -0500

I didn't start using Scrivener until after NaNo last year because I didn't want the trouble of learning a new program on top of doing the challenge, but after using it all this past year I am definitely looking forward to using it for NaNo this year. It's so easy to keep your manuscript organized.

Re: Scrivener

definedancing28 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:43:01 -0500

Is the 2011 NaNo trial available yet? The link in the Special Offers section keeps giving me a 404. :(

Re: Scrivener

reptile_smile — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:24:57 -0500

I'm on Ubuntu 11.04 (for a day or two more ;-) ) and I'm LOVING Scrivener Beta - works just fine. It's not as complete as the Mac version, sure, but it's working just fine for me...

Re: Scrivener

reptile_smile — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:26:09 -0500

PS - it was when I read that the lead writer for Gears of War III was using it - then I stopped wondering about what I wanted to use, and signed up, quick smart...

Re: Scrivener

incitata — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:29:56 -0500

It's not available yet. It's supposed to go up next week. You can go ahead and download the regular trial now though and give it a spin. It won't interfere when you download the NaNo trial next week. (Though I think you may have to uninstall the regular trial first prior to installing the NaNo version.)

Re: Scrivener

Donnabc — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:51:55 -0500

elixireleven, I've also been seeking a decent app for my iPad and I've found one that looks promising and is supposed to play well with Scrivener: Notebooks by Alfons Schmid. There is also an app for the iPhone, and there are plans for a Mac version to be released later this year. I installed it today and I'm crossing my fingers.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:15:13 -0500

Hey, I started to really like that kind of stuff, like Q10. Then, I discovered the full screen mode in Scriv (F11 for PC users, or you can just hit the shortcut button in the tools bar). I even found a free program that I can start and then close when I'm done that gives me typewriter sounds. You can change the color of the text and background to suit your mood, so you can get into that minimalist mode and just lose yourself in the writing. It's actually quite fun to have the music going and nothing but a completely black screen with dim yellow text to fuel the creative juices on a late night write-a-thon.

Re: Scrivener

Night Owl — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:22:01 -0500

What is the difference between the regular trial version and the Nano trial version?

Re: Scrivener

Rach — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:47:53 -0500

I wouldn't dream of using anything but Scrivener for NaNoWriMo. I love the full-screen mode, especially. I set it so I can still see my desktop background on either side (I always have it set for something inspiring) along with my timer program for sprints. :)

Re: Scrivener

Serena Casey — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:25:08 -0500

I just bought Scrivener for Mac after doing the free trial and loving it. I even went through the entire tutorial, got really excited about what it could do, and then promptly forgot everything I read. :) I'll have to go through it again prior to November 1 because I'd hate to miss out on features that could be really helpful if only I knew they existed.

Re: Scrivener

alswaiter — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:39:09 -0500

First time using Scrivener this year for NaNo. I've only used it before to move and organize my last year's novel into a more manageable format. I'm really looking forward to using it!

Re: Scrivener

moonmomma — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:47:07 -0500

I tried the Scrivener for Windows beta last year and really liked it. The one thing that kind of gave me a hard time is that Scrivener counts hyphenated words (for example, "bright-colored") as 2 words while the NaNo word count validator only counts them as 1 word (the word count validator actually counts the *spaces* between the words). So you'll need to allow for this so you don't come up short in your word count at the end.

Re: Scrivener

duendeoflorien — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:25:19 -0500

I use it so much that I don't even bother with Microsoft Word anymore. I love Scrivener for every stage of writing.

Re: Scrivener

teacherguy66 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:51:03 -0500

I started using the Scrivener beta for Windows last year. Loved it. Using it currently for planning. I will definitely purchase it when it's available.

Re: Scrivener

laura1814 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:01:34 -0500

Started using Scrivener for Windows last Nano. It was fantastic, and I've been using it ever since. Its planning modes are fantastic, and I love the full-screen mode for writing. Note to moderator: The link in the first post of this thread does not go where it says it will.

Re: Scrivener

incitata — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:35:58 -0500

The main one is that the regular trial version runs out on November 7.

Re: Scrivener

MikeAlx — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:43:12 -0500

I used Scrivener for Mac last year, but mostly for outlining, notemaking and compiling, since most of the text was thumped in on my Alphasmart Neo. I found it very useful. Sadly, my iBook has now died and I'm too skint to replace it, so I will probably use the Windows beta this year.

Re: Scrivener

iridescent1 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:52:16 -0500

I'm absolutely in love with Scrivener. Its functionality is amazing and its the one program that has managed to completely satisfy my organizational needs. (The only thing I could say is lacking from the software is a built-in thesaurus.)

Re: Scrivener

elixireleven — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:46:38 -0500

Sweet. Let me know how it works out for you. I've been investigating Simplenote for the draft with Awesome Note for research, but Notebooks looks promising. (Not too thrilled with the GUI, but if it keeps my folders organized and synced neatly, I'm willing to compromise.)

Re: Scrivener

Circe Marda — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:00:12 -0500

I just started using Scrivener today and I have been going crazy, uploading notes and pictures and outlining my novel. How did people ever write a novel before this? Or are we just spoiled? There are so many tools and options in Scrivener that I never thought of using but make so much sense when you get down and dirty with writing a novel.

Re: Scrivener

mt si dad — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:25:42 -0500

Love Scrivner. Discovered how easy it is to work with Dropbox, so I can write nearly everywhere I want on nearly any computer I have at hand.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:03:34 -0500

Wait until you figure out how to use Collections and Keywords, that really blew my mind. So simple, it's brilliant. That and the ability to link all your resources together.

Re: Scrivener

bravrayj — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:03:39 -0500

i've been using scrivener for two years now (since 2009 nano), and it's the perfect writing tool for my macbook. it's gotten me to actually write my stories instead of just planning them out, and is awesome for planning and keeping my notes together for my various projects as i write them. scrivener 2 last year just made things even better with some of the new features, and helped me streamline my stories even more. i have no idea how i would survive nano without it.

Re: Scrivener

helenf — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:58:31 -0500

Silly question perhaps, but do Scrivener files open okay between different versions? I use both a Mac and a PC so will have to buy both versions - but I want to make sure files transfer okay before I do so!

Re: Scrivener

amino — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 05:18:30 -0500

Actually, the regular trial version runs out after you open it on 30 separate days, (so if I have it open just once a week it'll last me 30 weeks). The NaNo trial version has a specific time limit-- it runs out December 7th no matter when you download it. However, if you download it the first day it becomes available, you get about 44 days out of it, instead of 30.

Re: Scrivener

qvinta — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:05:01 -0500

I actually bought myself a mac because of scrivener! I liked the mac version of the program better than the windows version and traded away my PC for good.

Re: Scrivener

Lydia_Ember — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:11:00 -0500

is the recent beta for Linux okay? I downloaded the one that expired September and it partly worked once, then stopped. idk if it's something I did or what. It's a shame cuz it looks really good and I really want to use it.

Re: Scrivener

Incandescent — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:59:55 -0500

There was a bug in that version that caused a few users' programs to crash on start-up. They've fixed it in the current version, so you should be good to go.

Re: Scrivener

MikeAlx — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:24:41 -0500

Hi Helen, last time I checked they were not compatible, but this may have changed. Check with the scrivener folk at the literature and latte forums: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/ cheers Mike

Re: Scrivener

sacherjj — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:56:48 -0500

I've only been using Scrivener (Win) for a week or two. It has already revolutionized my organization. I'm not a detailed plotter or organizer. The tools that want me to fill out full character sheets and plot outlines and such, just don't work for me. This allows me to be as detailed and lax as I feel needed and just use the tool. Now I'm making separate text documents inside a monthly folder for my journal. Work great.

Re: Scrivener

helenf — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:20:26 -0500

Thanks for the link. It seems that it's possible to work using both versions and synchronising with Dropbox but you have to be absolutely diligent in making sure all files are uploaded correctly or it won't work - and I think I'm too nervous of losing my work to try.

Re: Scrivener

reptile_smile — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:40:38 -0500

I've opened the same file created in the Mac version in the Linux version, so I assume the answer is that it now *is* platform independent..?

Re: Scrivener

reptile_smile — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:41:10 -0500

Current Beta in Linux is working fine for me!

Re: Scrivener

Seagull 116 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:47:59 -0500

The Linux version is fine. I'd actually pay for it as it is now, it's way better than some crap you pay 10x as much for !

Re: Scrivener

Victoria Nonpraeda — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:10:52 -0500

I had a mac last year and ADORED Scrivener. Bought a PC this year (cheaper) and was sad until I found out Scriv for Windows was in Beta! Thrilled to pieces to have it for this year. I firmly believe Scriv helped me get my first win last year.

Re: Scrivener

monquito — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:19:26 -0500

HE ADDED A NAME GENERATOR?? I haven't updated my old Scrivener yet, but I think that alone would be worth price of admission even without the other new awesome sounding features...

Re: Scrivener

Andalee — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:47:00 -0500

I just started using the Windows beta version in anticipation of buying it on the 31st, (I've been waiting since NaNo last year to buy it) and I am LOVING IT. Although, I can' figure out how to do wordcount, since my scenes are divided into separate documents, and I have other notes I don't want counted towards wordcount in my research folder. How do I do this?

Re: Scrivener

Zippygirl — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:02:35 -0500

I'm very close to doing the very same thing! I love my 5 and a half-year-old Dell, but she's starting to show her age. When I saw the screenshots of Scrivener on the Mac... drool. The only question now is Air or Pro?

Re: Scrivener

Incandescent — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:58:15 -0500

Uncheck the little box that says "Include in compile" in the Inspector window on the ones that you DON'T want to count toward your wordcount. Then go to Project --> Project Stats to see the wordcount of the rest of the documents. Or just move all the ones that you want to be counted into the Draft folder, and all the ones you don't want counted into the Research folder.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:05:31 -0500

The caveat about syncing with Dropbox is just a "syncing with Dropbox" thing more than between versions--it holds true if you're syncing between any two machines, even if they're the same platform, and the issue is just that as a Scrivener project is made up of multiple files, you need to allow time for all these files to sync to the cloud from the first computer and then to sync to the second computer before you open the project there. Only the files you've modified in some way (including a few indexing files that the program will modify every time you open the project to save interface settings, etc.) actually change and will need to sync, so even with a huge project the actual sync will normally not take ver long on each computer since it's usually just an .xml file and a couple text files syncing--nothing exceptionally large. If you add a lot of media during a session, then it'll take a little longer for those larger files. As long as you keep an eye on your Dropbox icon to check when it's done syncing, you should be fine. Also, Scrivener for the Mac will make automatic backups of your project when you close (you can change those settings), and you can manually make full project backups on Windows, so if you're doing that regularly even if you do run into a sync error, it's easy to just restore your work from the backup. If working with a live project on Dropbox or similar worries you, though, you can go another route and zip your project when you're done working and then put that zip file on Dropbox or email it to yourself or whatever, then pull it down on your other computer and work. A zip file is just seen as a single file, with everything compact, so you won't run the risk of opening a partially synced project with this method. Just make sure you always pack up and send yourself your latest copy when you're done working. Extra benefit of course is that you leave a nice trail of backups!

Re: Scrivener

reptile_smile — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:07:17 -0500

UPDATE: Scrivener was working fine in Ubuntu 11.04 for me. Having updated to 11.10, it now doesn't work at all. Curses. Am going to reinstall 11.04 tomorrow and hope for the best...

Re: Scrivener

thewritechristine — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:43:32 -0500

I love Scrivener! But maybe someone can help me with a pesky annoyance? When I'm writing I want the words to "scroll to the top" with blank space at the bottom. Right now it's filling the screen to the bottom. Hopefully this makes sense. I'm poking around in the settings but don't see anything yet.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:34:16 -0500

thewritechristine - With the focus in the editor where you're writing, turn on Format>Options>Typewriter Scrolling. This setting applies individually to each of the split editors and to the full screen (composition mode on Mac) editor, so you'll want to set it depending on where you're writing. If you're on Windows, use the Meta-Ctrl-T shortcut while in Full Screen to toggle the typewriter scrolling on and off. (Meta is the Windows key.)

Re: Scrivener

retromaisie — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:08:33 -0500

I didn't know that about Gears, big fan of those games and the storyline. Adding this to the random facts I now know.

Re: Scrivener

retromaisie — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:10:39 -0500

I downloaded the Windows Beta yesterday, went through the tutorial today, and have already dived in. Seriously love this baby, the program I used earlier was fine last year when I was using a modern time setting and a familiar location. But diving into a historial mystery, and I needed to organize all my research and world-building ideas. It was all a giant mess. Within an afternoon I've transferred everything, and added more, love it. And the fact that I can add images, especially helpful for clothing and home furnishings of the 1920s.

Re: Scrivener

GoddessCarlie — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:54:23 -0500

I have the windows version. I believe you go to tools>options>editor> and tick typewriter scrolling

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:17:43 -0500

Oh yeah, the tickboxes in the Editor will change the default for new projects. You'll still need to use the Format>Options menu to change it for an existing project. (It's the same on the Mac version, Scrivener>Preferences>Editor to set the new-project default for the editor; to set the default for composition mode you click the "Use current composition settings" button in the Compose preference tab to apply your current settings, including typewriter scrolling, as the default. Factory default for full screen and composition mode is to have typewriter scrolling on, though, for both Mac and Win so you probably don't need to change this.)

Re: Scrivener

thewritechristine — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:41:58 -0500

Thank you SO MUCH. I found the typewriter scrolling option last week, changed it, and was so annoyed when nothing happened since it sounded like the setting I needed. I am eternally grateful!

Re: Scrivener

Aberration — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:38:38 -0500

Wait a minute, are you saying that Scrivener is portable? Like I could run the Windows beta from a flash drive? Because that's the one thing keeping me from using it for any major writing; I like to write on my lunch break at work, and I'm not supposed to install applications on my work computer. So I've been using Liquid Story Binder on a flash drive, or Google Docs (and now Yarny) in my browser. As much as I like Liquid Story Binder for the ability to throw anything into it and keep it more or less organized, I like Scrivener's corkboard feature and actual text window better.

Re: Scrivener

Bovver — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:52:46 -0500

I got Scrivener 3 months ago and I am just about ready to toss out Word, because I will never use it again!! So excited to do my first Scrivener NaNo!

Re: Scrivener

StealthyMangos — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:06:34 -0500

Use Scrivener and go for it, I reckon! The Compose option (ie, full screen) will give you exactly what you want: a screen with NO distractions. You can also configure it to show you your word-count for the day, so that you can meet your daily NaNoWriMo target! The fabulous thing about Scrivener is that you have everything relating to your story in one place. Characters, notes, outlines, research, setting descriptions, plus whatever you can think of. Mega-fabulous: being able to shuffle scenes around in the corkboard is awesome! Try doing THAT with word (or Pages if you use a Mac). I can't write without it. Well, I could, but I'd rather not. Cheers, Stan

Re: Scrivener

Lydia_Ember — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:18:23 -0500

Yeah, I got Debian on mine. idk which, though. I semi ranted about my Linux obsessed guy refusing to take "no" for an answer in terms of whether I wanted it or not. Wow, write one writing program in FreeBASIC and they think you're a computer nerd :/ I'll try to install it later.

Re: Scrivener

cindy9712 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:12:52 -0500

I use the Windows Beta, which probably will be updated to a "real" version soon. I just LOVE it. It's perfect for both outlining and writing, and when the Windows version is released I will probably buy it, if I haven't bought a Mac before then...

Re: Scrivener

Uskaro — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:12:24 -0500

I LOVE Scrivener. I've been working with it for a couple of months now, and it's just perfect for how crazy organized I like to be. I used StoryBox last year, and Scrivener is definitely a step above. Don't get me wrong, StoryBox was awesome, but I like the clean simplicity of Scrivener. I'm going to try writing my novel in the program and see how I like it. Keeping all of that information in one place is so nice.

Re: Scrivener

Anyssia — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:58:08 -0500

Question: I love Scrivener and everything, from my texts to my notes/pdf/images/... are organized there. But, I can't always use Scrivener. So I was looking at the export option, to change the files to *.doc so I can get the files names and folders like in Scrivener, instead of just numbered rtf/txt files. Problem, the export function only export the Draft folder, as far as I know. Is there a way to export the Research folder too, with the folders and names like it does for the Drafts?

Re: Scrivener

Whispy360 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:28:35 -0500

I got Scrivener last year, and I've used it for everything ever since. It makes me feel so organized! And I love being able to add notes in. :)

Re: Scrivener

ClipperDown — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:46:56 -0500

Scrivener is an absolute dream. Everything I need is right there, be it research, character synopsis, place description or my outline. I've been using it since last year and I cannot imagine using anything else.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:31:34 -0500

File>Export works anywhere in the binder, so you should be able to just select the files you want to export from the Research folder and go. If you mean Compile, that by default only compiles the Draft, but you can create a collection with any of the text documents you want to bring out and then in the Contents pane of compile, select that collection. (On a Mac, choose "All Options" in the compile sheet to see this; on Windows, click the down-pointing arrow button.) Collections are flat lists so you won't get all the hierarchy options for formatting and such you would normally get with the draft, but it doesn't sound like that's going to matter much for what you're doing. Keep in mind though that compile creates one file out of all the documents you're combining, whereas the actual Export feature will keep each document separate, the way it is in Scrivener. You can still add the document titles to each section when you compile (make sure the "Title" element is checked down the column in the Formatting pane of the compile settings), but that might not be what you want. Depends how you're working. If you're on a Mac, you might also want to check out the Sync with External Folder option, as that's specifically designed to let you sync selected documents to a folder outside Scrivener so you can work on your text in an external program and then easily sync the changes back into your project. §13.2 in the user manual goes into this, so you can give that a glance and see if it's something that would work for you. There's also a short video tutorial you can check out here: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/videos.php

Re: Scrivener

PelicanGoddess — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:34:57 -0500

I'd never found the Name Generator before! This is how I'm going to avoid working on my plot for the next week!

Re: Scrivener

Andalee — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:43:55 -0500

It keeps telling me I've written things, when I haven't written anything but synopses yet... I have no idea what to do.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:11:37 -0500

How are you trying to track your words? For getting a total word count of your Draft, the best way is to use Project>Project Statistics. The "Draft" count at the top of the panel will go off your current compile settings, which means that documents included in your Draft folder that are set not to compile won't be included in the count. Unless you've changed your compile settings, it will also exclude annotations, so if you're making notes to yourself that way these words will also not be counted as part of your 50K. For tracking your progress during your daily writing session, Project Targets are probably what you want; you can set a goal for the whole Draft folder and for daily writing if you want. If you check "Documents included in Draft only", only documents in the Draft folder that are set to be included in compile will count toward this goal. (At present, the session goal will include writing done in any documents contained in the Draft folder, regardless of whether they're set to compile.) Targets will only track words typed in the editor, not in the synopsis area. The Project Statistics will include synopses if they're set to compile, so if that's where you're noticing the count, you might want to open File > Compile and check your settings there. Most of the presets don't include synopses, though--only the outline one does. If you can let me know how you're viewing the count and where it's telling you that you've added words, we should be able to sort this out! --- Jennifer (Scrivener support)

Re: Scrivener

yourprincess. — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:49:44 -0500

Go with Macbook Pro. Macbook Airs were designed to be put into business cases for business tirps, and not to be used as an independent/main computer. They aren't durable at all. :)

Re: Scrivener

sarchasm — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:17:10 -0500

I just found out about Scrivener around August. I have to say, it's pretty amazing. I love that you can block out everything except for the document, if that makes sense. And it's really easy to organize. I'm pretty excited to use it this NaNo! =)

Re: Scrivener

Anyssia — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:55:30 -0500

THANK YOU! ^^ My problem was that I didn't select both the draft and research folders. Actually, I didn't select anything ^^;; as I thought that it would simply take everything. I have the Windows version, so no sync, unfortunately T_T I can't wait for them to bring the Windows version to the Mac version's level. But that won't be for some time yet ;p

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:03:01 -0500

It really does depend on if it is your second or primary machine. I'd say if you are looking for a new primary, the Air is probably not your best choice. I don't quite agree with the durability comment---I have the 11" and it seems to me just as solid as any other Apple product, and because it has no moving parts save for the fan, in some ways I'd call it more portable. You can close it and walk off immediately. No need to wait for the drive to spin down or worry about using it on your lap while riding in a vehicle. I suppose some people do that stuff anyway, but it can be murder on a hard drive. Battery power is also going to be better than a MBP if that is important. I like being able to take it out without a power cord and work for six or seven hours without worrying. It is also, in some things, faster than a hard drive based computer. It actually beats my MBP at certain things even though it on a spec sheet it is by far inferior. So, as a secondary computer, I really love it. It's so light and small it slips into a light shoulder bag; you'll forget it is even there. In many ways, using it is not at all like using a traditional laptop. There is no big special bag; all the cases; cords; extra batteries; and other such things. When I'm done with my coffee I just tap it closed, slip it into the bag, stand up and walk out. Everyone else is still coiling up power plugs, crawling around on the floor to get the wall wart out, waiting for it to shut down. You know the drill! So, I'm not sure about the claim that it was specifically designed for business briefs---I've never heard that before---but I can say for a portable writing computer it's top notch and I've really yet to meet anyone that has one that feels otherwise. Only person I've known that returned their MBA really needed more power for graphics and such. But, like I say, I wouldn't want to *just* have a MacBook Air. I still have software on discs, it's powerful for its specs, but it definitely has its weak points. For an all around primary computer, the MacBook Pro is a very safe bet, and if you can afford it stick with the 15" if you need any performance at all, you'll be disappointed with the 13". If not, it's a decent computer and definitely more portable.

Re: Scrivener

Michaylalove — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:07:42 -0500

I wanted to use Scrivener, but I can't :/ Don't have the money right now and don't have a Mac. Well I'm using Yarny and Scriptito though!

Re: Scrivener

moonmomma — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:12:18 -0500

Free Scrivener for Windows Beta

Re: Scrivener

melomania — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:14:22 -0500

I've been "using" Scrivener for a while now. I started my NaNo novel last year using it, but I never did finish last year. This year I'll be doing it again. I've downloaded the free trial (30 days) because I don't have the money to buy the software right now, but I'll be buying it as soon as the trial runs out because I do want to make the investment.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:16:29 -0500

Good luck on your book this year! Remember if you win you'll get a 50% off coupon for the program, so if you're on a tight budget that's something to work toward.

Re: Scrivener

MikeAlx — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:14:05 -0500

I was struggling to convert last year's Scrivener Mac project for PC - then I realised the files were Scrivener 1 format. Fortunately, I managed to temporarily resurrect my moribund iBook and convert the project to version 2. Now it opens into Scrivener for Windows just fine. Very handy, since this year's project will be book 2 of the trilogy I started last year! The Win UI looks great - very similar to the Mac version.

Re: Scrivener

seajewel — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:27:54 -0500

What's the program you use for typewriter sounds? I have a keyboard with clacky keys already but I kind of would like to try your program out! :D

Re: Scrivener

seajewel — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:35:43 -0500

How do you show word count on the full screen? Maybe it's a Mac-only feature at the moment, I couldn't figure it out. Thanks!

Re: Scrivener

Rhyddid — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:30:37 -0500

Maybe it IS a Mac-only feature, but the word count (for the text) is displayed on the toolbar at the bottom in full screen mode (you have to move your mouse to the bottom of the screen to make it appear). The complete word count is only visible in the "Targets" or "Project Statistics", at least I haven't found it elsewhere. You can make the "Targets" visible in the fullscreen mode by clicking on "Project" --> "Show Project Targets". The little window pops up where you see the draft target (your total word count measured against your total word count goal, that's where you have to insert the 50k) and the session target (which gets set automatically if you enter a deadline in the options)

Re: Scrivener

Rhyddid — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:36:08 -0500

couldn't edit - my description is for the Mac version, but I think the windows version is similar enough to find the features if you're looking for them (someone correct me if that's not true :-/ )

Re: Scrivener

Rhyddid — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:08:51 -0500

Portable - I don't think so. But if you sync your novel to Dropbox (www.dropbox.com - how do you insert a clickable link?) you can access your text as rtf files there, and any rtf text you put there, or any changes you make in one of those texts will be synced to the scrivener file you're working on. That means, you could use whatever word processor you've got installed at work, write something, save it as rtf in your dropbox and find it later in Scrivener. What you cannot do is using the corkboard or other Scrivener features if you've just got the synced files

Re: Scrivener

seajewel — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:19:54 -0500

Thanks! I was wondering because the poster said the full screen could be "configured" to show word count, so something more permanent than mousing over the bottom.. but maybe it's not possible.

Re: Scrivener

aggieamy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:34:38 -0500

I have a Beta version that says it will stop working on November 7th. That's really bad news because I won't be finished with NaNo by then. Will I be able to extend the trial period? I'd buy it but it doesn't seem to be available on the PC yet.

Re: Scrivener

Ravven — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:30:15 -0500

I was in the same situation - but even if you've been on the prior beta, you can still use the NaNo beta. Just uninstall the old one, download the NaNo version, and install it. Back everything up, but it shouldn't affect any of your existing files.

Re: Scrivener

Ravven — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:31:11 -0500

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo.php

Re: Scrivener

myviolettears — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:36:55 -0500

I downloaded the NaNoWriMo trial today and I'm already in love! <3 It's perfect, I'm going to buy it in December after I reach 50k ;)

Re: Scrivener

Aquaria — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:05:48 -0500

I've been using the Windows beta for a good while now and I freaking love it. I've hoped around and tried a bunch of different writing programs and I do believe I finally found the one I will be sticking with for good. It does everything I need it to without being confusing. If I manage to reach 50,000, I'll definitely be buying it in December. :D

Re: Scrivener

Laurabird — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:27:15 -0500

Agreed - go with MacBook Pro over an Air. (from a long-time MPB user)

Re: Scrivener

goodgreek — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:13:56 -0500

Downloaded the Nano version last night. Got it to work with R-to-L languages (which word can't do). I'm a pretty happy kitten right now.

Re: Scrivener

Dreamers Cove — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:29:58 -0500

Hehe, glad I could help with the procrastination. :P

Re: Scrivener

Dreamers Cove — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:43:08 -0500

For anyone who is still looking for a way to use Scrivener as an outlining/planning tool, I wrote up an article how-to for the free emagazine "Vision: a Resource for Writers" a while ago complete with screenshots. It uses the the old version of Scrivener but since it uses the basic tools you will still find everything still in place as shown in the article. Maybe it might help others who want to use Scrivener for the first time this year. Scrivener Hybrid Outlining - By J. A. Marlow

Re: Scrivener

Nicolas McGregor — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:28:41 -0500

Only discovered the Windows Beta Scrivener recently, and it's already become indispensable. Can't imagine returning to Word or Open Office. Been recommending it to everyone I know. Mostly everyone I know doesn't write. Recommended it regardless - that's how good Scrivener is.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:08:53 -0500

I've ran Scrivener off of a flash drive no problem before, and that's the Windows beta versions.

Re: Scrivener

DocWood — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:21:25 -0500

Me, too. I would have killed for something like this when I was in grad school.

Re: Scrivener

MsJessica — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:14:06 -0500

I bought scrivener after Camp Nano this summer - can't wait to use it for this Nano!! It's helped me plot out three stories since August - I haven't had a lot of writing time, but it's been a great tool for when I get an idea! And looking through this thread, I need to spend some time looking through the features!

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:39:23 -0500

It's calle qwertick.

Re: Scrivener

eaglewings51 — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:20:14 -0500

I downloaded the trial version for Windows and I played with it a little bit. However, I'm not a huge fan. I ended up deleting it. I like good ol' Microsoft Word better. I'm not a fan of making separate chapters and not having page breaks and stuff like that and just the overall set-up, I'm not really fond of. I'm sure it's great software, it's just not for me.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:00:14 -0500

Hmm, Scrivener doesn't even have a chapter feature, let alone force you to break things up into such things. Perhaps you were testing with one of the templates which has some suggestions as to how you can organise things? At any rate, the whole philosophy of the program is to have a fluid outline. Maybe one part of the book is four chapters long; and another has a chapter that is so complicated it's broken up all the way down to the paragraph level. It is true that if you create a predictable outline structure, you can use some of the automation to create predictable formatting---so there is that to consider, but you don't *have* to work that way. Where you are definitely right is that this type of program will appeal more to those who do tend to think in smaller pieces. The ability to "scope" out arbitrarily sized sections and edit/view them together as you would in a word processor largely negates any of the clumsiness that would otherwise be associated with smaller pieces in, say, Word. Having 500 individual .DOC files scattered all over your drive would be a nightmare. In Scrivener it's just par for the course and no more clumsy than one file. But again if you don't *think* in 500 sections then it might not be worth it for you. As for page breaks: I'm not sure where you are getting that the software doesn't support them. You can page break by section with a checkbox, insert them manually into the text flow, or determine them procedurally based on predictable outlining structures (say, if folders with scene files are "chapters" you can have the export engine tack on page breaks for you automatically). Perhaps you were just being rhetorical on that one though; in saying that it isn't a full featured desktop publishing and page layout application. Fair enough, it is more of a word processor in the old-school way. Some writers will definitely need more (though I bet most could manage with less for the 99% of the job that is "simply" putting down words). Anyway, I don't mean to attempt to persuade you or say you are wrong---I think you are right in gestalt---I just wanted to clarify for future browsers that Scrivener doesn't force you to work in chapters and that it does offer basic formatting like page breaks. In fact, I use it as a daily journal, too. No chapters there!

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:03:13 -0500

Thanks! Nice article highlighting one of the more conceptually unique aspects of Scrivener.

Re: Scrivener

Sarahswati — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:21:09 -0500

It's Scrivener all the way for me. I tried the demo for my first NaNo two years ago and was hooked right away. Just what I need!

Re: Scrivener

lisard — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:43:22 -0500

I just downloaded it and started using it... I'm so buying it in Dec. I don't write "linearly" I will write in scenes, the try and cut and paste them in Word, but this is so much better!

Re: Scrivener

dilally — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:59:40 -0500

And it's set up with features that are going to be useful to Nano. I've got the regular version and have just downloaded the nano template. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like it will be good and it's great to have a nano specific template to work in.

Re: Scrivener

dilally — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:14:46 -0500

I have no clue how anyone wrote before this. Particularly people like me who seem to have a knack for breeding word documents that then need to be put together with others but which never are. Scrivener is managing me towards creation... and I'm very grateful for it. (Plus, love your profile pic. Obviously someone managed to write a book before Scrivener... :)

Re: Scrivener

ValkyrieV — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:43:10 -0500

Hi, I'm ValkyrieV, and I'm a Scrivener addict! I picked up Scrivener for Windows Beta last NaNo and instantly fell in love. I've been getting the latest beta versions for a year, and the program's features have just gotten better and better. The name generator is awesome! I tend to use numerous Earth-based languages as bases for my fantasy cultures, so it's right smack dab up my alley (though it could use a few more cultures, if you ask me!) I wouldn't even know how to ask for a better program than Scrivener. It is perfect for my writing style!

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:13:04 -0500

Not only is there are free beta for the first week of nano, there's a free nano trial that doesn't end til December 7th and discounts to purchase the full version software, be it Mac or PC. And the discount only gets bigger if you win.

Re: Scrivener

PelicanGoddess — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:47:45 -0500

This actually helped me name one of my characters. So much for being a distraction.

Re: Scrivener

Angeface — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:57:55 -0500

I am so addicted to Scrivener. I can't even imagine going back to Microsoft Word. I am eagerly awaiting the day that I'm able to buy the full version for Windows. I've already gotten several friends hooked on Scrivener too. This will be my first Nano with it and I can't wait. All my prep work is already sitting in there just waiting for me to start writing. I don't think I've ever been this organized when writing any story. lol

Re: Scrivener

Rhyddid — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:21:11 -0500

That's possible?? Good to know :)

Re: Scrivener

EliStrange — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:37:10 -0500

I wanted to use Scrivener. I so desperately loved the idea of it, but I had SO much trouble with the formating in the document. Font / size / spacing. I couldn't change it. So frustrating. Everything else about is is perfect. But for Nanowrimo 2011, I must stick to Pages 09 on the Mac. Keeping it simple so I don't waste time getting frustrated with paragraph styles.

Re: Scrivener

Kayembi — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:06:58 -0500

Hi EliStrange, Formatting in Scrivener works just like it does in Pages, and should be just as easy, so I'm not sure why you are running into problems - please drop us a line on support@literatureandlatte.com if you need help. Of course, Scrivener won't suit everyone, so if you prefer Pages, all that matters is that you get those 50,000 words. :) Thanks to everyone for the kind words about Scrivener. I'm determined to hammer out 50,000 words myself this year, after years of failing or chickening out... Thanks again and all the best, Keith (Scrivener developer)

Re: Scrivener

Dan M. — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:43:17 -0500

Thanks a lot, Ravven! I too was worried about the trial ending on Nov. 7th but I had totally forgotten about the Nano edition of Scrivener.

Re: Scrivener

pking36330 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:19:43 -0500

[quote=Kayembi] Formatting in Scrivener works just like it does in Pages, and should be just as easy, so I'm not sure why you are running into problems... Keith (Scrivener developer) [/quote] I'm having the same problem. Is there a way to copy in a bunch of text from various places and when I paste it have it Match Destination formatting? Or maybe a Select All for all documents in the Binder and choose a font and font size? Super program! Can't wait to send you my money to OWN a copy. thanks for all you guys do.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:08:09 -0500

Thanks for the link to the NaNo version. I'm so glad I saw this to install that version instead of the version expiring Nov 7.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:28:31 -0500

pking36330 - Edit > Paste and Match Style (Opt-Shift-Cmd-V) will paste your text as plain text, so it will pick up the formatting of the document where you paste it. That strips all formatting, so you'll lose bold, italics, etc., but it can be really handy for getting mismatched text cleaned up from websites and such where you don't care about that or don't need to worry about it. The other option is to paste normally and then use Documents > Convert > Formatting to Default Text Style. This will convert the entire document (or multiple documents, if you select several in the binder) to match the formatting you've set in the Formatting tab of Scrivener > Preferences. It preserves character attributes (font color, italics, bold, etc.) and gives you some additional preservation options so you can refine it a bit before the conversion happens. I use this one so often I've assigned it a keyboard shortcut via System Preferences, because I'm forever getting mismatched text for one reason or another and I can't stand looking at it until it's all pretty the way I like it. ;)

Re: Scrivener

EliStrange — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:09:00 -0500

I have tried to replicate the issue to provide more details to Keith, and I haven't been able to replicate the problem. Was it merely a bad dream that Scrivener wasn't working properly? I hope so. I feel bad for besmirching its good name. Forgive me everyone.

Re: Scrivener

EliStrange — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:12:26 -0500

When trying to replicate the problem again today, I found that selecting the scrivenings view in the highest level document, and enabling the view of the ruler, I was able to 'select all' and reformat perfectly. I don't know why it wouldn't work for me yesterday, but today I am back in love.

Re: Scrivener

Night Owl — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:12:31 -0500

Thanks, everyone. I've been using Scrivener over the past year, since the first Win beta appeared, and quite like it. Must look into the nano template though; haven't explored that yet!

Re: Scrivener

pking36330 — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 05:55:41 -0500

Perfect! It may be awhile before I know my way around Scrivener like I know Word.

Re: Scrivener

in visible ink — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:20:42 -0500

I love me some Scrivener! I downloaded the trial a few months ago, then about 10 days in I took the plunge and bought it. It's...erm..a Christmas present...just a tad early. For those who say they don't like having to break their ms down into chapters 1- I don't believe you have to. You can lump everything together if you want. 2- I always thought I didn't want to either, until I tried it. Now I can't imagine how I lived without it. SO much easier to find what you're looking for, especially since you can do little title descriptions for each of them. And having one place where all my research, links to websites, character profiles (I don't get too involved on them, just nice to have little easy-to-forget things like eye color in one spot), can be grouped together and easily found makes Scrivener worth it for that alone. Oh, and the notes, and the formatting feature once you export, and the cork board ....I'll stop now.

Re: Scrivener

oceansong99 — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:24:29 -0500

I just found Scrivener recently, so I've been learning my way around it, and, thus far, I'm in total lust with it. It's saving me from the pesky problem of my child stealing pages from my many and various notebooks. I transpose everything into notes in my various projects. AND I've already set up my NaNo file, with notes. <3 Total love. And yet another incentive to get to my 50k words, as if I needed more. By the way, you are all making me sick with jealousy with your Macs. My Mac died and I can't afford to replace it... yet.

Re: Scrivener

sacherjj — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:11:53 -0500

You kind of get thesaurus if you use the Tools -> Writing Tools -> Look up in Google Definitions. There are synonyms under the definition. Requires active internet, however.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:18:33 -0500

Does the Windows Beta version only have inline annotations and not the new comment system in the Mac 2 version? I really think I'll do well with Scrivener, especially since I already have an outline and being able to have little descriptions of what's supposed to go in each scene would really help me, but I'm a HUGE fan of comments in MS Word. I'm not sure I can live without them.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:36:52 -0500

At the moment, yes, the Windows version only has inline annotations and footnotes; when you compile to RTF or similar format, these will open in Word as the margin notes you're used to. Linked notes from the inspector, the way that the Mac 2.0 version has, are a feature that will certainly be coming to Windows, but won't be in the 1.0 release. If you haven't played with them much yet, though, give them a chance--it's a different way of working, but it offers some possibilities that the linked notes don't have and the style grows on a lot of users even when at first it seems off-putting. You can toggle the annotations the same way you do bold or italic formatting, so not only is it incredibly easy while typing quickly to jot a note to yourself on what you just wrote without getting out of "the zone", you can also use it as an editing tool by selecting chunks of text and turning them into annotations (or vice versa) and trying different phrasings and such. You can change the color used under the Appearance tab of Tools>Options... and in Format>Options you can toggle "Ghost Notes Mode", which will fade out your annotations when the insertion point isn't placed in them, so they're not distracting you from reading your text.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:18:23 -0500

Thanks blackswan! I'll give it a try. I really like Scrivener so far, so it's worth learning the different system. I'm really grateful that Scrivener is giving us a free trial for NaNo, and for the discount, of course.

Re: Scrivener

scaramouche — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:34:07 -0500

I'll be using Scrivener on my iMac. Love them both!

Re: Scrivener

beezul — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:11:38 -0500

Used Scrivener last Nano, and it worked fabulously for me. Love the project goals, individual word targets for scenes/chapters and the progress bar. If you set these up right, you can monitor your progress as you write. For $45 this program is a steal. Jump on the Nano trial, finish the 50K and get the discount for the full version at the end. Can't go wrong.

Re: Scrivener

lifelessmind — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:39:34 -0500

I just discovered Scrivener and will be using it for my novel this year... I'm already in love. I'll also be using it to organize an RPG that I run, but that's a different topic ;D I don't necessarily write in a liner order, so being able to break things down into sections and arrange them as needed will be awesome. I found that trying to scroll to sections in OpenOffice last year got nigh impossible after about 15 pages.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:09:16 -0500

You might want to check out the forums, there are some other RPG'ers that have posted their thoughts on using Scrivener for game design and using it to help keep track of a game you DM for.

Re: Scrivener

Mare9548 — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:08:52 -0500

Ive been using Scrivener this last week and i LOVE it!! I'm so in love with it!! Makes my writing so much easier. Im glad I fuond it before i start my NaNo. Definitely I'll buy it after the trial is over!! one more reason to finish my 50K, everyone who do it it'll get 50% discount

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:58:39 -0500

[quote=seajewel] Thanks! I was wondering because the poster said the full screen could be "configured" to show word count, so something more permanent than mousing over the bottom.. but maybe it's not possible. [/quote] Shift Apple T (or Project->Show Project Targets) will bring up the project and session target window. This window will stay up in full window mode. I've been using Scrivener the last 3 nanos (and again on this fourth), and the project target window is motivating.

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:08:32 -0500

[quote=elixireleven] Sweet. Let me know how it works out for you. I've been investigating Simplenote for the draft with Awesome Note for research, but Notebooks looks promising. (Not too thrilled with the GUI, but if it keeps my folders organized and synced neatly, I'm willing to compromise.) [/quote] I used SimpleNote recently to write a 100-page pilot story. It worked out well, and syncing with Scriv was smooth: Sync with SimpleNote Evernote is great for research, but not nearly as distraction free writing as SimpleNote. It's unlikely I'll use SN for nano since Scrivener is so well suited me for the last 3 years thus far.

Re: Scrivener

92MillionMiles — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:14:42 -0500

I've just downloaded Scrivener for Windows and it's amazing. It looks really good and saves me having dozens of MS-Word documents open! I'm going through the tutorial now and hoping to get to grips with all the features before the 1st.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:40:22 -0500

NanoTemplate Question What do the Chapter designations in the meta-data do? Do they tell the compiler to set things up a certain way? I think I used this wrong because I added new folders instead of duplicating the chapter folder. Will designating the folders all chapters set everything up the way it should be according to the template?

Re: Scrivener

HannahLizza — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:49:40 -0500

LOVE Scrivener! Though, it *can* get distracting messing around with awesome features instead of actually writing. But it is SO handy for organizing! I love the whole index card thing. :D Oh yes, and MAC FOR THE WIN! :D

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:54:42 -0500

SirenPrincess: The provided labels are just there to take up space---you can use those however you like. Many novelists like to use labels (the one with the colour chip associated with it) to keep track of POV, plot threads, or locations. There is no right way to use them, however. They don't typically do anything in the compiler; they are an organisational tool. The label colour can be used to tint various interface elements. For instance the binder icons, or the index cards. This makes them exceptionally useful for some of the ideas I listed above, as you can get a bird's eye view of the plot structure, POV switching, or whatever you wish to track and see if there are clusters with too much of one thing or not enough of another. As an aside, there is nothing special about the items in the templates. The whole template is just an example to give you ideas of how to use the program. Most experienced users don't even use them. That said the templates do establish a relationship between the example structure depicted (files in folders for scenes in chapters) when compiling. So if you do want to mix things up and alter the structure to better suit your story, you'll need to learn a little bit about how to change things in the compiler later on. Nothing to worry about for November, though. The program is very flexible and can take just about anything you throw at it.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:56:34 -0500

92MillionMiles: Glad you like it! Don't worry too much about learning the whole program---it's a lot to learn and you probably won't need to use most of it. I'd wager the stuff you learn in the short 20 minute Quick Tour in the user manual PDF would be enough to write your entire draft this November. The fancier stuff can be learned as you go and as you have time. Good luck!

Re: Scrivener

BryanLincoln — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:05:08 -0500

Playing around with the windows trial. I like what I see so far. I expected something more like ywriter (something I tried before but abandoned due to poor stability) but I'm figuring out how to organize my character info, which is really all I need outside of the ability to move scenes around with ease.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:32:19 -0500

Thanks so much for the answer ambersense. If I am understanding correctly, the labels themselves don't change anything in the compiler. They can be used for their color indicator to help me organize as I see fit. Using the template itself sets relationships in the compiler. So, if I used the NaNo template but just added new folders instead of duplicating the chapter folder, then the relationships would still exist in the compiler? I suppose I could just worry about this later, but I want to back-up copies to Word as I go, and I'd like for them to be formatted well. I think I am going to do POV colors for the meta-data labels. That sounds very useful to me. I saw in the instruction manual how to do this.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:02:52 -0500

Bryan, Glad to hear you're liking what you see! Since Scrivener is a general writing tool, its features are more "tool" based than "feature" based. Which is to say while there is no character organiser, there are plenty of ways in which to organise characters. While this blog post pertains to the Mac version, most of it is applicable to the Windows version: http://www.davidhewson.com/blog/2011/10/17/scriveners-dead-simple-way-to-link-scenes.html In general, poke around on his site with the Scrivener tag, he's got some great tips for using Scrivener from a novelist's perspective (and an e-book on using Scrivener for novel writing, to boot). Some people like to assemble character information as they write, rather than plan everything out. Scrivener has a great technique for working that way. When you first encounter a new character in your writing, right-click on the name and choose "Append Selection to Document" and choose from that sub-menu "New...". You'll be asked to name the document and where to put it you might wish to create a folder just for characters). Now whenever you write in a pertinent detail that you'll need to remember later on, just select the prose in the writing session and use this appending feature to dump the text into that character's file. This way you can gradually accumulate facts as you write. Some also like to track character involvement in scenes with Keywords. Create a keyword for each character, and whenever they make an appearance, drop them into that scene's Keyword Inspector pane. Later on you can search for keywords like this and see all of the scenes that are associated with it. You can even select more than one character to find when two are in the same scene. Keywords are nice because they are free-form. You can also track locations and other plot details in them, and that means you can do conjunction searches to see when character Y was last in location 23 and so forth. There are tons of things you can do with the program. Just keep in mind: it's tools you can use and combine together to create custom workflows tailored the specific demands of each book.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:11:11 -0500

That is correct. Now, in the Mac version you can use some advanced compile features that will in fact utilise labels. You could for instance use a filter to strip out all portions of the manuscript that are labelled a certain way. The user manual project uses this technique to strip out Mac or Windows only sections from the final PDF depending on which platform is being compiled for. That is why I said they don't *typically* do anything. None of the templates base their default way of working on this, as it is an advanced feature for very special cases. In most cases you'll probably end up using labels more as a free-form tool for your own visual benefit as you get all of those nice colours to see in the various views. I'd say if there was one piece of meta-data it would be good to learn, it would be the Label because it can provide so much rich visual information all over the application. The way the compiler works, very briefly, is that it sets up a "style" based on how you organise things. If you put scene files into chapter folders, for example, you can set up the compiler to work with that and handle the folder output as chapter headings and the files and just text with no titles (so you can name the scenes whatever helps you out without worrying about them ending up in the draft). This is a little more complex to set up, which is why we've provided the base templates with examples on how you can do this yourself if need be. To use the template in the fashion which it has been designed to work with the compiler, simply read the instruction file and follow suit with the folder/scene file structure. You won't need to worry about any of this so long as you colour within the lines, so to speak. Just know that Scrivener is highly adaptable to many styles of working, so once you do get a handle on it, if you find the template ideas to be a bit rigid and difficult to work with---feel free to dig in to the documentation and make your own template. Good luck on your NaNo!

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:13:46 -0500

Thanks for the answer.

Re: Scrivener

Andalee — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:52:40 -0500

In my document, it says on the bar at the bottom "Words: 2,276" and that's all I've written IN A DOCUMENT so far. But when I go to "Project Statistics" it says: "Manuscript Words: 2,436" and then further down, "Selection Words: 2,281"

Re: Scrivener

frenziedmonstergirl — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:35:14 -0500

Hey there - kind of a random question, but I'm using the NaNo trial of Scrivener (and adoring it) and it has a pre-set project target of 50,000 by Nov. 30 and shows you a daily target, calculated by dividing the amount of words left to achieve by the amount of days left Ya'll probably already know all this! Sorry. Anyway, theoretically, this means on Yesterday (Day 1) that I should have had 1,667 displayed as my daily target - instead, it was 1,7** (I forget the exact amount but it was high.) Anyway, I wrote just over 2,000 words and waited until midnight to see what it would come up with. Today, my daily target is 1,712 when theoretically it should be even less than 1,667 because I wrote over the average yesterday. It's definitely set as ending on November 30, and my computer is definitely set as being November 2. (And since I waited to midnight, I know it's "using" the right timezone.) Anyone have any theories about what's happening here? Is there a date/time thing that I can set through Scrivener? It's really not a big deal but I'm quite curious!

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:06:33 -0500

Hmm, it looks like it isn't counting *today*. If you set the deadline to Dec. 1, the value reports correctly. The days left counter says 29 instead of 30. So, for now anyway, bump your deadline up. On the other hand, the way it works right now is a bit like setting your clock five minutes up. :)

Re: Scrivener

frenziedmonstergirl — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:10:16 -0500

I like the way you think!

Re: Scrivener

originalgradk — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:04:33 -0500

Using Scrivener looks good but another bloody payout because personal Computing world does not like giving decent stuff for free and so more problems for those of us on low fixed incomes. *sigh* I am on another note glad to see Windows Version. I am also pleased to see what looks like a commitment to Cross Platform availabilty, theoretically Scrivener could go whole way, Iphone, Ipad, Nokia, Blackberry App land.. Desktop syncing...

Re: Scrivener

ArOhBeWyEn — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:33:01 -0500

Using Scrivener to write for the first time. I think that the ability to set wordcount goals for each scene (I've been setting mine blanketly at 500) has really helped me get through my daily wordcount--and QUICKLY. Why did I ever want to write with anything else?

Re: Scrivener

kpsd8 — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:38:43 -0500

I'm amazed at what this application can do, It's really simple but it get's a lot done. I think I'll also use it for my research papers. i tried tons of others, LSDXE and ywriter, blackroom, dramatica, they are ...nice, but were either too complex, or too simple. Scrivener really fits between those.Just found the Word count goals and It's helping me a lot! I have everything planned out, synced with dropbox and life is sweet.... Now to just get it synced with an app I like on my ipod touch...hmm

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:59:17 -0500

How exactly do you set word count goals for each scene? I've been doing that myself in the notes section, but is there an actual tool in Scrivener that can do this?

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:53:15 -0500

kpsd8: Thanks! Glad the program has fit so nicely into your way of working. Synchronisation with mobile devices, in general fashions, is something on the sooner-than-later list. We know a lot of people want to do this, and once the current 1.0 priorities are resolved that'll be up near the top of the list. For now you could do what sync would do automatically. Just use the `File/Export/Files...` command to dump a section of the draft out to a Dropbox folder where your iOS editor can see it and edit away. Upon return, snapshot the changed files and copy and paste them back in. Not elegant, but it works. :)

Re: Scrivener

stillalive — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:38:00 -0500

I love yWriter for a free program, but I am seriously considering buying Scrivener if I win this year!

Re: Scrivener

LatteBleu — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:39:31 -0500

I write using scenes, so I was very interested in Scrivener's corkboard feature. I got really excited when the Windows version came out and downloaded the Nano edition immediately after finding out abotu it. Unfortunately, I found that I couldn't change the 'paper' colour in fullscreen mode. It's pretty important for me because I focus better on a full black screen with blue words. Spent an entire morning trying to find the right commands. I've wrote to Scrivener and so far, still waiting for a response. So, for NaNo, I've decided to go back to using StoryBox. Am still considering Scrivener for later though.

Re: Scrivener

DagniroVanaliel — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:35:16 -0500

I'm using Scrivener and I am completely in love. I was a little worried the little character profiles and setting sketches would distract too much but it's actually been a godsend (especially as I keep blanking on how to spell a secondary character's name, and being able to glance sideways and have it there is awesome). Also, organzing things into scenes? YES. So awesome.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:40:02 -0500

SirenPrincess: Load up the scene you wish to track, and in the footer bar you’ll find a target icon on the far right. Click that; type in a number and choose between word/characters and click Okay. Now you’ll get a progress bar in the footer which will creep up as you write.

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:45:55 -0500

LatteBleu: The setting you are looking for is in Tools/Options… under the Appearance tab. There is a settings tree with colour options for a myriad of interface pieces… paper colour included for both the main editor and the full screen editor. Do note that right now if you have material you copy and pasted in from another program, you might have black text in full screen as some word processors unnecessary assign the colour black to text. If you see blacked out portions of text, select them and use the contextual menu to access the Text Color/Remove Color command.

Re: Scrivener

parasite-z — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:36:55 -0500

I'm adoring this program so very much, it's helping me compile all of my information into a format that's easy for me to understand. Loving the auto save feature, the status overlay, the type of information on the notecards and the binder feature is great for organization. It's crazy imagining writing a novel without this sort of organization now.

Re: Scrivener

reelbigschmidt — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:42:52 -0500

I bought Scrivener last April and I haven't stopped writing on it. I have about five different projects now and that ability to just jump between them as a whole and within the projects themselves (chapters, etc.) has made the purchase worthwhile. I use it every day and this NaNoWriMo is no different!

Re: Scrivener

LatteBleu — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:56:10 -0500

Ahhhh... I was looking in there before but I was clicking on the word, not the arrow, so it didn't open up for me. Duh! Must be a windows thing, haha! Thanks, ambersense, for pointing me to the right place, and for the caution too. I think another video tutorial is in order...

Re: Scrivener

LadyLuck — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:11:40 -0600

Got the NaNo trial version, loving it! Gave me excellent distraction when I first got it a couple of days ago, going through the tutorial and then transferring my novel and notes and also making more just for fun :D Will definitely purchase for Mac at the end of the month!

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:25:07 -0600

Thank you! This program is awesome, and I'm doing really well writing with it.

Re: Scrivener

BrittanyJean — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:16:41 -0600

I am having an issue with the word counter. I put a space in between hyphenated words because NaNo counts that as one, and scrivener as two. Now I am at 10,101 words in Scrivener and 10,094 in the validator. Do you have any idea what is causing this? I cannot figure it out. Otherwise I am LOVING Scrivener and am so glad I had it to start planning out my novel a few days before Nov. 1st. Thanks!

Re: Scrivener

ambersense — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:31:48 -0600

BrittanyJean: Oh that's hard to say. Counting words is no exact science, and every program is going to have its own quirks that cause slight differentials. Something this small (7 words out of 10k) is definitely within the "error bars" for such discrepancies. I wouldn't worry about it too much until week four when you start getting close to 50k. Just calibrate now and then and mentally figure for how much over or under you are.

Re: Scrivener

BrittanyJean — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:19:00 -0600

[quote=ambersense] BrittanyJean: Oh that's hard to say. Counting words is no exact science, and every program is going to have its own quirks that cause slight differentials. Something this small (7 words out of 10k) is definitely within the "error bars" for such discrepancies. I wouldn't worry about it too much until week four when you start getting close to 50k. Just calibrate now and then and mentally figure for how much over or under you are. [/quote] OK That makes me feel a lot better. Thank you very much :).

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:52:42 -0600

Along with the hyphenated words, NaNo won't count words connected by an em- or en-dash or by an ellipsis as two, so if you're not adding the extra space there that could also be off.

MY REVIEW OF SCRIVENER

aurelius.rabbit — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:05:57 -0600

I bought Scrivener for Windows and it's nice enough, but it lacks a few features of other programs (daily word counts, timelines, relationship charting, graphs, searchable help (there's a pdf manual), ftp backups. Having text formatting (fonts, indenting etc) is all very well but not being able to save paragraph styles is disappointing. ie. Headings, interspersed lyrics/poems etc, I would expect to simply style the paragraph instead of manually doing each one. Also, not a big issue but surprising, but the dictionary seems to lack a lot of words and I'm having to teach it a lot of words. Today I taught it tabard and crepuscular! If any of these things exist (in Win 1.0) and I haven't found them, please let me know. Overall it's doing the job, seems solid, but by no means the complete package.

Re: Scrivener

Bicicletta — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:16:40 -0600

The Windows version is still in beta, so it's not yet for sale; did you actually pay for a version, or just download it? Also, because it's a beta, and is still being worked on, it doesn't have all the features that the Mac version has. So, yes, it's not yet a complete package, but that's the goal. Have you checked out the forums at the developer's website, www.literatureandlatte.com? There is a forum especially for the Windows version, and you can ask questions or offer suggestions there.

Re: Scrivener

Reverend Robbie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:30:30 -0600

The Windows version isn't in beat anymore - they're at version 1.0, and it's been released for sale.

Re: Scrivener

Bicicletta — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:29:31 -0600

WHAT? How did that creep by me? What the heck have I been .... oh, right, NaNoWriMo! Well, now I have to catch up so I can get the Windows version at half price for my little netbook. I stand by my second paragraph, however: check out the Windows version forum on the developer's website; there are some expert users there who can help.

Re: Scrivener

pking36330 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:17:03 -0600

I'm using the Mac version of Scrivener for the first time and I can't believe how easy it is to be productive. I set up the various chapter headings that help me shape my story, entered a new Daily Target template for each scene supporting the chapter, and then used the Corkboard view to fill in a sentence or two describing the scene. Then I use the Corkboard view at the start of each session to see which index card tickles my fancy. That's the scene I write no matter where it is in the order that I set up. It is GREAT to be able to write the scene I'm inspired to write while still being sure how it fits in the overall body of work. I'm actually finding that I have several cards that I want to write every time I look through them, and every scene I write seems to light up three or four other cards that I want to get to as soon as I can. Thanks for this great tool. With a holiday weekend available, i think I might reach the NaNoWriMo goal by next week. More importantly, I might actually complete my full outline and have a complete novel by the end of the month. Wohoo!

Re: Scrivener

CassMorris — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:22:41 -0600

I've been using the Scrivener beta for a few months, and I'm completely in love. It's perfect for the way I write -- really piecemeal. I'm pretty much incapable of writing sequentially. I jump around in my timeline, change my mind about when things should happen, get an idea for something that won't occur for years in the characters' timeline -- and Scrivener makes that so.much.easier to deal with. No more scrolling for a million years to find where that new scene needs to go in! The corkboard organisation is brilliant. And I love that I can look at my research notes, character lists, maps, etc, on the split screen -- and now that I'm on Windows 7 and can split *that* screen, too, I can pull up research in a browser too, and look at THREE things at the same time! Crazy, I know, but to someone who's been on a system of very limited functionality for such a long time, this is like magic. ;)

Re: MY REVIEW OF SCRIVENER

Catana — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:58:33 -0600

If Scrivener works the same way in Windows that it does on the Mac, it's using your computer's system dictionary. It doesn't have one of its own.

Re: Scrivener

originalgradk — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:35:13 -0600

I bittterly regret using Open Office for Novel Writing as clumsy. Like many here I plan to buy the discounted version once I hit the Winners post.

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:08:50 -0600

I've used Scrivener for Mac since 1.0 for all four of my NaNoWriMos. That's where I took it for a real test spin. I recommend taking the 30 day trial, especially if you plan on buying it at the end of the month. I've been using SimpleNote sync with my iPad and Scrivener, and so far it's been fantastic, though I only use my iPad to write on Sundays when I have long hours to devote to just writing. During the week it's Scrivener all the way.

Re: Scrivener

tehjess — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:33:28 -0600

I'm joining in with the Scrivener love! However, I've noticed a bit of a discrepancy between the targets feature and the project word-count: both have been set to just include what would go into my compile, and yet there's a hefty difference between the two. The target says ~11000, the word count ~9000. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing this? Thanks!

Re: Scrivener

NBDriggers — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:20:23 -0600

Question: I'm halfway through my novel on my desktop. I just bought my first netbook. I want to be able to take my work into the woods with me and type (bought it more for it's portability than to actually be online). Now, should I download ANOTHER copy of Scrivener and bring my work over on flashdrive, or should I copy my Scrivener program on the drive and carry the whole thing around? That's what I intended to do, but the Literature @ Latte site advises against. Will I have to pay for two copies of Scrivener? Any ideas?

Re: Scrivener

indigo_skye — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:37:48 -0600

I believe that when you purchase your copy of Scrivener, you are allowed to use it on how many machines you have as long as they are the same operating system. So multiple Windows or multiple Apples, but not one of each. I can't answer about the flashdrive since I only keep my copy on my desktop and write on an alphasmart when away.

Re: Scrivener

February — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:53:24 -0600

Okay, Scrivener gurus, I need a little help please? I am using Scrivener for Windows (purchased full version) I've got my manuscript going and am testing compile settings (getting the whole chapter/title/ layout thing figured out) thing is, I can't figure out what happened to my title page! It's just gone. Does anyone know of a setting/command that creates a title page in a manuscript you already have going when you compile it? When I compile I just get it starting with the first page of my text. I know at some point there was a template for a title page- and I don't know how but I must have managed to delete it :( any ideas? thanks in advance ~bru

Re: Scrivener

Bicicletta — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:07:18 -0600

My Mac version is allowed to be installed on up to five computers, and I have it on three, including one belonging to my fiance. (It's a "household" license.) I would think that you would be allowed the same number for the Windows version. I only use flash drives for an exra back-up; when I'm at work, I create a text document that I email to myself and/or save to the flash drive on my key ring, then paste into Scrivener where it should go.

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:16:07 -0600

I have been using the Scrivener for Windows free trial and so far I am completely in love. The other day I made up my own Character profile sheets by copying and pasting different parts of other profiles. Since then every time I start working on one of them then the program stops working after a while. Does anyone have any idea why this is or what I can do to fix it. Is it because I copy pasted? Would I have been better making it in Word or some other program and then importing it into Scrivener?

Re: Scrivener

NBDriggers — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:36:22 -0600

So, my takeaway from this is: don't worry about loading it on the flash drive, because when I purchase my license key I can unlock it on both my computers (most likely). Thanks guys!

Re: Scrivener

JackGilbert — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:33:46 -0600

Yep. That's the more reliable way to go. That is what I've done and let Dropbox handle the rest (Scrivener even reminds me if I've left the novel open on the other computer before I start changing things...) The folks at Scrivener say you can install it not only on your computer, but those of your family still at home (family, not roommates) and on a computer outside of your home (your computer, not your pal's). I suspect it may be on the honor system but I think that's pretty fair of them. It's a great product and they deserve to benefit from their efforts.

Re: Scrivener

myviolettears — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:37:18 -0600

I am using Scrivener with my novel and my word count is off, by a fair amount. The nano validator says 18,590 and Scrivener says 18,313. What could be causing this?

Re: Scrivener

Scylax — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:51:03 -0600

I've used Scrivener for all 3 NaNo's I've done (well, this is the third, but I have no intention of not completing it), and for countless fanfics, essays, ideas etc. I love it more every time, and the community is also priceless. I've never had any problems either. As for word-counts, I've never yet seen them the same in *any* two pieces of software. As far as I'm concerned, as long as this site says I'm over 50k by the end of November, I'm happy.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:26:51 -0600

It could be hyphens and dashes between words. I think that Scrivener counts words separated by these as two words, but the NaNo site does not. I know some people get in the habit of adding a space after hyphens just for the NaNo word count.

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:48:21 -0600

I can't find it in the settings, but are you generating it as a draft and not as a final product?

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:30:06 -0600

If you actually had a title page before, then maybe it's in the trash folder (at the bottom of your binder). If you never had one, then it's just a matter of creating a blank document at the top of your Draft folder, and format it as you like. If that doesn't work, the folks at the Literature & Latte forums are very helpful in guiding people through issues like this. http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=30

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:35:37 -0600

Looks like you're ahead of the game anyway. Not sure why Scrivener would show a lower word-count, since NaNo's counter is pretty rudimentary. If you hyphenate - like - this, the nano counter might count your isolated dashes, with spaces around them, as words. On the flip-side, well, flip-side would be counted as one word. If you got the numbers backwards (or I did), then File->Find->Project replace can add a space after each dash in your manuscript.

Re: Scrivener

Scylax — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:42:10 -0600

And once again Scrivener has taken me to a win, no problems :)

Re: Scrivener

E. Hyde — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:49:02 -0600

Okay, my cat was on my keyboard and she messed some settings up. Scrivener used to display a word count (of the current scene) at the bottom of the screen and now it's not, and I can't figure out how to make that display again. I liked having that there, it was great for word wars. Any ideas? I'm using the Windows version if that makes a difference.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:14:09 -0600

The title page is just another document in your binder, as everyone's said; there's no way to generate one during the compile process, so if it's not showing up that means either you've accidentally moved or deleted it or it's set not to be included in compile. Try using the project search to look for it--if it comes up in the search results, select it and choose View > Reveal in Binder to see where it's at, and move it into the Draft (or "Manuscript") folder above all your other documents in the Draft. Also open the inspector and ensure that "Include in compile" in the meta-data section is checked.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:21:24 -0600

Please note that Project Replace isn't an undoable action, so make a backup of your work (File > Backup > Backup Project To...)\ before you do that, just in case. It's better to just compile at the end and run a find/replace on that before dumping it into the NaNo validator, but I understand it might get cumbersome if you're validating daily. Where you're getting the word count from in Scrivener and how you're getting the text into the NaNo validation page can also make a difference; for instance, the footer count in the editor will include annotations, but if you're copying without annotations to paste into the validator or compiling with the default settings, the annotations are getting stripped. Swapped, if you're using Project Statistics to calculate your word count in Scrivener, that will go by your compile settings and so will probably be excluding annotations, but if you're just copy/pasting directly from the editor into the valitator, they're being included.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:24:47 -0600

Most likely your clever cat either hid the editor footer or switched you to script mode. If instead of a word count you see something like "General" in the right of the footer and the document icon in the editor header is a pale yellow, you're in scriptwriting mode; go to Format > Scriptwriting > Script Mode to deselect it. If you don't see a footer at all--your editor text just runs right to the bottom of the project window--select View > Layout > Show Footer View.

Re: Scrivener

E. Hyde — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:46:19 -0600

Aha, it was the second one. Thanks! The keyboard shortcut is alt arrowkey apparently; simple enough for a cat to manage.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:43:15 -0600

Project Statistics uses your complete compile settings, meaning that it may exclude annotations, add titles or prefixes, etc. based on how you've set things up in File > Compile. Project Targets, since it needs to keep a live update as you write, will calculate based off the text displayed in the editor, so including inline notes, not including titles, and so on. It also will include the text of files that you have set to compile even if in the formatting of compile you've fancied this up to include just the title of the document's type rather than its text. For instance, if you set a folder to compile and have written some notes directly in that folder text but aren't compiling them, Project Statistics will not count them but the Project Targets will. If you find you're doing this a lot--writing text in a document that you do want to compile, just without text--you might want to just deselect "include in compile" for these temporarily to keep your Targets more on track, then adjust the settings at the end of the month when you're ready to compile the whole draft for validation.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:47:27 -0600

Project Targets can be brought up in composition mode on the Mac but currently can't on Windows, so you can cheat around this by calling them up before you go into full screen and placing the floating window over to one side, then in FS adjust the background fade so you can see through to the project targets while you write. Document-specific word count is visible in the control panel at the bottom when you hover your mouse there or in the context menu if you select text and right-click.

Re: Scrivener

redgypsee — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:21:12 -0600

Great info. Do you have to download the Dropbox program to your computer to use it-or can it strictly be done via cloud? I am using the Nanowrimo Trial Scrivener for Windows(love it), and I would like to be able to write from my laptop too and stay synced.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:44:20 -0600

The best way to prevent this in the future is to get a dog to sleep on your keyboard. -- You're welcome. :)

Re: Scrivener

pking36330 — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:51:26 -0600

Many thanks to Scrivener for providing a tool that made it pretty easy for me to achieve the 50,000 word mark this early in the month. I think I've got about that much again to write before I get this whole story down. But I can clearly see where I need to go with the novel because I developed the outline in Scrivener all along as I completed the sections I understood well enough to write. Great tool and probably eliminates the last excuse I had for not completing several writing projects I've had planned for years. Now I deserve the luxury of watching a few of the videos about advanced Scrivener features to see what added capability is available beyond the basic features I've found so useful. And then off to see if I can't get another 25k in before the end of the month. Thanks to the L&L team.

Re: Scrivener

Char99 — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:37:58 -0600

I love it to bits... might be getting the proper version at the end of NanoWrimo, not sure yet... Had a few problems tho. My first annoying problem is fixed now (im not sure how or what was wrong) but Scrivener kept freezing and I had to re-open it many times. My second big problem is that I pasted a lot of text from travelling around and updating my main scrivener file... now the word count is missing at least 5k... A tad annoying.

Re: Scrivener

February — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:10:30 -0600

thank you everybody for the ideas- i'll go looking for it in the trash bin, etc- much obliged and sorry I didn't thank you sooner- been sick the past week (soooo behinnnnddd) ~bru

Re: Scrivener

Marina Castle — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:56:33 -0600

I just started using scrivner for this nanowrimo, really like it and have been using it for my essays as well, jolly useful to have all the research instantly accessible!

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:20:55 -0600

Did you check to see your text isn't in the research folder? Scrivener excludes that information. I'm not sure if it excludes writing not in the draft section of your material. I don't have Scrivener in front of me to see what it does.

Re: Scrivener

Austruck — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:16:34 -0600

I've been using the Windows Scrivener for most of this month. I love the look of the writing screen and the easy document map. I haven't gotten into the cork board or other features this month -- too busy just churning it out -- but it'll be nice to know the work is already in a program where I can rearrange things and reorder things easily once I hit the editing stage. I'll win NaNo no matter what it takes, if only so I can use the NaNo winner's discount to buy it outright. Yay me! :)

Re: Scrivener

redgypsee — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:28:31 -0600

Does anyone know-if I use the compile feature in Scrivener for Windows-will I still have the project file as is? Will it create a new file which is everything I included in the compile in order to continue writing?

Re: Scrivener

stillalive — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 04:35:01 -0600

I had just under 50k in scrivener, and when I validated I lost almost 4,000 words!!!!! I'm really upset about this! I was strongly considering buying it if I won, but this has freaked me out enough that I'm reconsidering. :( why would it take away that much???

Re: Scrivener

beckstrous — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 06:14:18 -0600

Hey all Well, I made it - my first NaNo! I don't know if I'm being really dim (and have maybe missed something - if so, sorry), but where do I find the Scrivener discount code for 2011 winners? I think the software is great and would like to buy it. Cheers :)

Re: Scrivener

pking36330 — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 07:38:22 -0600

The page on the Literature and Latte website where you downloaded the program said this: If you achieve your 50,000 words to become a NaNoWriMo 2011 Winner, you will be eligible for a 50% discount off the regular licence of Scrivener (which is normally $45 for the Mac version and $40 for the Windows version). Details will appear on your "I Wrote a Novel. Now What?" page around December 2nd.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:11:36 -0600

First of all, it's the NaNo counters which are taking away so many words, just to pick a nit. Second, the primary reason that you get this kind of thing is because of punctuation that joins words, either intentionally or not. The following sentence would be only 6 words long according to the nano counters: "I'm a seat-of-my-pants writer...How about you?" Scrivener would count 10 words. The nano counters only see spaces as word separators, so the -'s and the ...'s that join words make them into one instead of multiples. The solution: In both cases, choose the Compile feature to assemble your work into a single document. It's under File menu on both, I believe. If you're using the Mac version, choose the NaNoWriMo (obfuscated) compile preset. This creates a file with scrambled output, and also replaces all dashes (on the output only, again), with spaces. Your original Scrivener text is completely unaffected, so nothing will get ruined in this process. If you are running the Windows version, compile as Plain Text (the bottom drop-down in the Compile window), and then open that document in any word processor (Word, or even Notepad). Do a search-and-replace for all -'s and replace with a space, and do the same for ellipses for good measure. Validate with your resulting output file, and you should see something much closer to Scrivener's word count. If not, you might want to ask on the Literature and Latte forum's Tech Support section

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:13:46 -0600

Oh, if you often to double-dashes, which are transformed into those special "em dashes", you'll have to produce one of those, copy it, and put it into the search field, since most of the time, the search box doesn't recognize them as the same character.

Re: Scrivener

Austruck — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:42:37 -0600

I knew this about word counters and so, I've just been putting spaces on either side of an em dash or an ellipsis. Not good typesetting protocol, but it works for NaNo validation usage, at least.

Re: Scrivener

redgypsee — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:59:35 -0600

I installed it on my laptop too, I am using drop box to keep the files synced and that seems to be working well.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:50:42 -0600

That's how it's worked for the last few years. All of the winner's goodies are given to you via a link that is shared on the NaNoWriMo website after December 1, including the discounts for various software packages and and other services from sponsors of NaNoWriMo.

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:59:43 -0600

I'm not at 50K yet, but I wanted to see how far off my Scrivener word count is from NaNo's counter. However, I've tried twice to compile my novel, and both times, the first when I saved it as an .rtf file and the second I tried a .txt file, all I got when I opened the compiled files were the chapter headings. Nothing else. This is the first time I've used Scrivener, but I did read the instructions and it seemed pretty obvious what to do after clicking on "Compile" so what have I done wrong?

Re: Scrivener

beckstrous — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:29:41 -0600

pking and BetaWulf - thanks for the replies. threeoutside - not really an expert on Scrivener but did you check which boxes were ticked when you did the compile - had you maybe just compiled the titles somehow? Sorry, probably a rubbish answer!

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:34:25 -0600

Not at all, thanks for the tip. I'll check and see.

Re: Scrivener

.Infinity — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:54:35 -0600

Is anyone having issues with Scrivener recognizing the project files? I'm on the NaNo trial version for Windows (I'm on Windows 7), and mine keeps telling me the files are incompatible with my version of Scrivener, every time I try and open them. (Screenshot here: http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x461/iL42/scrivenerissues.png ) I've got my novel exported and backed up (I do that compulsively, so I haven't lost anything), but it is quite annoying. This is silly, I hadn't changed a thing from when I was writing previously and it was working fine. I've uninstalled and am reinstalling the non-NaNo trial, but that hasn't made a difference. I'm rather fond of the program and have been using it without issues for days, and I was looking to buy it once I'd won and had my code, but it would be pointless to buy if it doesn't work properly.

Re: Scrivener

cathy brockman — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:00:24 -0600

i sort of liked it too,but lst night when tryng to copymine to do it i saw somthign about compile and my book vanished all the files on my computer said what yours does not compatible. somehow i mange to find my book but i cannot get it to oone file to put on the validator.

Re: Scrivener

cathy brockman — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:04:24 -0600

i wish i understood all this. i would like to use scrivener but i am computer iliterate. all i did was just type in idiviual scenes which helped me so i can move them about,but now i have my 50k and all this daily documents and cant figure out how to get it to the verify process.I would by scrivenr but after last nihgt when i accidently hit a key thee word compile apeared adn i lost my entire 50 k, after 32 hours of crying and searching i finally found it i think but i cnat figure out to verify on word count on NaNo

Re: Scrivener

cathy brockman — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:06:16 -0600

i wonder how to usea name generator, there is so much on here to use all i do is the individul texts for scenes which was greeat for me,but last night i lot my intire50 k i didn finally find after 2 hours but im learyof it now.

Re: Scrivener

cathy brockman — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:13:11 -0600

Hell does anyone know how i can get my work to validate word count. evidently all my work is in seperate files.if i copy one and validate it never adds just puts in that files word count. i tried to valiate last night and am vry leary of trying again becase somehow i lot my entire50 k took me 2 hoours to find but somehow by accident i finally did. id likee to valiate my count so i can officially win,but not losing my book is more important to me.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:07:28 -0600

Compile the novel into a .doc or .odt document, then use either LibreOffice (free) or Word (if you already have a copy) to validate it. Do a search on this website as there are a couple of help aids that will explain how to do all that. It's easy, once you know how to do it.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:13:40 -0600

Click on help at the top right of this screen, then click on the part that talks about validating nanowrimo. There should be a question that asks how you can scramble your words for submission. Do that in your favorite word processor. There are templates available for compiling and writing here http://www.literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo.php Good luck.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:15:15 -0600

Oh, and make sure that the individual files that have your actual wordcount in them are marked "include in draft" and are in the correct master draft folder (or whatever the official name is, it's the one folder that your manuscript is supposed to go in). Again, good luck.

Re: Scrivener

.Infinity — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:53:12 -0600

If you compile it (there's a button right on the top toolbar thing that looks like a piece of paper with a blue arrow on it) then you can have it saved as a .rtf, and any word processing program, even note pad and such, can open it. You can probably just copy/paste from there to validate.

Re: Scrivener

moonmomma — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:20:56 -0600

Or, if you're still feeling reluctant to try to compile with Scrivener again, just do this: Open up Notepad. One file at a time, copy your novel and paste into the same Notepad file. When you have all your novel files pasted into one Notepad file, save it. And then I want you to go to Dropbox.com or Sugarsync.com or Google Docs or SkyDrive (or two or more of these) and back up your Notepad file with your entire novel onto one of those places. Then in your Notepad file, you can ctrl-A to select the whole novel, ctrl-C to copy, and then paste it all into the NaNo word count validator (ctrl-V to paste). It's fun to try new software during NaNo (I tried Scrivener last year), but trying to compile your novel and validate a win is no time to be trying to figure out something tricky with the software! Congratulations on your win!

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:36:24 -0600

Question: I have been using Scrivener this whole month and absolutely love it. I just finish my novel for the first time ever doing NaNo and I really believe it is because of this program. Now that I am done I want to make a time line so that I can make sure that everything goes in order and that I have the characters saying the right days when speaking. Is there a way to make a normal timeline (e.g. spreadsheet like) or do I have to make it more of a document text? Thanks.

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:16:29 -0600

I see I forgot to come back and report, after y'all's helpful comments. What I ended up doing was, Compiling my novel so far, doing a Select All, then Copy, and I pasted it into Open Office, made sure it was all there, the Select All and Copy, and I put it into NaNo's counter and it worked! And for some reason, NaNo gives me a few more words than Scrivener. It wouldn't work for me copying it directly from Scrivener to NaNo's word counter. I haven't scoured these forum boards, maybe someone has come up with an explanation but as long as I have something that works, I don't care. Thanks again, everyone!

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:57:37 -0600

Nope, and the creators of Scrivener have said there will probably never be a timeline option put in to Scrivener because of the way the program itself is built. That's the only reason I've kept yWriter around, although there are alternatives out ther (Gantt Project being the other free method mentioned). You can read the discussion on the topic here http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=15569. There are a couple of alternatives mentioned, and I hope they help.

Re: Scrivener

Willcan — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 11:26:20 -0600

This has probably been asked before, but should I be so lucky as to win, and decide to purchase Scrivener, how long does the 50% off last? Thank you.

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:45:19 -0600

Thanks for the info. I figured that might be the case but I was hopeful. I will look into the other things that you mentioned.

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:03:30 -0600

I just got Scrivener today for my birthday and I'm wondering if I should keep using the Nanowrimo trial until it runs out or should I download the full version. What do you guys think? Am I going to lose anything changing or get anything by changing now.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:16:39 -0600

Save yourself the effort of one-at-a-time copying. Click on the main folder that contains all of your novel's pieces. In the toolbar, there's a "group mode" set of tiny icons. One looks like an outline, one looks like a cork board, and the other looks like either a page, or a group of pages. Click on that icon, and it will show all of your novel's text in one long document view. Copy and past THAT into the validator.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:20:12 -0600

You'll lose some bugs, but really the only thing you might lose is the NaNoWriMo template, which is really just the Novel template with 50,000 word goal set in the Project Targets interface, plus a couple of instructions. Templates are really just Scrivener documents tweaked for a particular purpose, with a structure set up to make things easier to get started, so you're not missing out on much, and there's nothing that will change your current Novel. In short: Upgrade. It's well worth it.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:36:43 -0600

Really? Could I have used 'really' more in that post? *Resists urge to look at last few thousand words of book*

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:37:23 -0600

Do you think one of those bugs could be why every time I start working on a character sketch the darn thing stops responding and I get a box that tells me Scrivener has encountered a problem and has to shut down. Cause that is getting really annoying.

Re: Scrivener

bookworm36 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:01:44 -0600

I just experienced the same thing about two hours ago (also using the NaNo trial, also in Windows 7, same error message, tried reinstalling and rebooting a number of times). Not being as compulsive about backing up as I should be, my last full backup was from the 16th, because I like playing with fire, apparently. I was able to find a version of the project file from the 23rd with Windows Restore, and Scrivener read that, but when I tried to put the new scenes in (I've been writing with a new scene for every day, so I get a good view of my progress and how much I've done every day, and I found the scene files from poking around in the Scrivener 'Docs' folder where my project file was. The file names were random numbers, but the words were there, thank God, and I just had to put them in order), the files emptied as soon as I went to a different scene. ARG ARG ARG. I wound up reassembling the file in Word and saved it in 258,452 different clouds, as well as a USB drive, so it's okay now. I'm back to working in PageFour, where I've done my last three NaNos, but I'm very frustrated because I liked Scrivener very much and thought seriously about buying the full version when I finished. Additionally, I had lots of supplementary information that's now sorted into files with random numeric names, which sucks. And it ate two hours of time when I should be writing. Guess I just saved myself twenty dollars, though. My PageFour says that it serves me right for running off with the first shiny thing that came along.

Re: Scrivener

Solarstar — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:07:46 -0600

Anyone else notice this when they compile. This is the first time I've tried Scrivener (Windows demo), so I don't know if this is a bug, or something I've done wrong. Anyhow, whenever I compile, the last paragraph of each chapter changes from a left orientation to centered. it only seems to be the last paragraph and only when I actually compile the project. Like I said, I'm not sure if this is a bug, or if it's something that I'm doing wrong.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:53:21 -0600

Yup, I think that is one of the bugs that got fixed for the release version. Although, sometimes I find Scrivener to hang when there's a big project it's chunking on (70,000+ words plus dozens of reference files, it likes to take it's time sometimes and I get impatient with it). Luckily, Scrivener has a great support forum to check on what's left of the bugs (not much at all, far less compared to other software) and the turnaround on getting fixes is pretty darn quick. Like I said, three patches for minor glitches (more for additions of minor new features) in the few weeks Scrivener has been out. It's great software with awesome support. If you're still getting the glitches, then all you have to do is go onto their support forums and they'll get you taken care of in a jiffy.

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:13:03 -0600

I'm kind of eavesdropping on your conversation here. I'm planning to buy Scrivener whether or not I win NaNo (but now it looks like I will - squeee!) so your "It's well worth it" has intrigued me. Does the purchased version have a lot of other stuff it does beyond what the NaNo trial version does?

Re: Scrivener

Pashtun — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:58:25 -0600

Can someone help/guide me. I woke up to a disaster. I was using Scrivener, and today - three days from the end of Nanowrimo - my Novel got wiped out. When I opened Scrivener today, there was nothing -- blank!! :( Can anyone help me, please? I did NOT hit delete. I only exited the program last night, but I have been doing that each night, to continue next day. Something happened today - but I dont know what - even my back up into Dropbox is gone!! I am at my wits ends because there is Nanowrimo but there is also the loss of all that work. There is probably a rational explanation for all of this but at this time I am so upset I cant think of anything. If you know of a way (I thought Scrivener saved everything automatically) to retrieve my work, gosh, I will be forever grateful. Thanks.

Re: Scrivener

JackGilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:10:22 -0600

No fun.... 1. Dropbox stores at least the most recent versions of deleted files. 2. Are you using the Mac or Windows version? In the Mac Version, the Scrivener back-ups are stored on your hard drive under Users - (your user folder) - Library - Application Support - Scrivener - Backups Good luck

Re: Scrivener

JackGilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:56:41 -0600

Nope. The good folks at Scrivener let us use the full program for free during the month of November. I think it's a very great marketing idea on their part.

Re: Scrivener

bookworm36 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:16:56 -0600

In Windows, there's generally a whole bunch of folders together with your original project file (wherever you save the project to - mine was in My Documents, which is where I think it puts it unless told otherwise). Inside File is Docs, and inside Docs are all the RTF files of anything you put in - text, images, etc. They're labeled with random numbers (I had to open them up all and assemble manually), but the material should all be there, if you've suffered the same problem I did, anyway. There's probably an easier way to do that, but that's what I did.

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:11:42 -0600

Wow, that's really cool! OK - it's fine, in fact, because i was thinking there's no way I'd ever be able to use all the cool stuff there as it is!

Re: Scrivener

ReadySetWrite — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:42:41 -0600

The people who code Scrivener, answer tech support, and everything else want to be paid too. They want to be able to have a 401k and retire before they're 98. ;)

Re: Scrivener

ReadySetWrite — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:44:52 -0600

Download the trial, not the nano trial. The nano trial was released before the official release and is missing a few features and still has some bugs. On another note, look at the tech forums, they might have answers. literatureandlatte.com is where you want to go.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:59:58 -0600

Log on to Dropbox on the web. Navigate to the folder where you had your project backup. There's a button/link labeled "Show deleted files". Use that to find your backup, restore it, and then use that to recover. It sounds like something wiped some of your files. Are you missing anything else on your computer? Good luck!

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:08:16 -0600

There should be a Format as: drop-down list. Choose the Novel Standard manuscript format, or whatever is closest to that in your version. Then try compiling. If that doesn't work, contact support at the literature & latte website, and give them as much detail as you can about your compile settings, maybe even do a backup with zip compression and send it as an attachment, if it's less than a couple of megabytes in size, so they can open the project and figure it out more quickly.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:12:11 -0600

That's odd. Some browsers can interfere with pasting text from various sources, so maybe try Firefox if you're not using it already.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:13:05 -0600

I think a few months. Maybe into February, but you'll know the real details in early December when you visit the link for winners. Good luck!

Re: Scrivener

redgypsee — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:23:18 -0600

That happened to me when I upgraded to the nano trial from the beta-but I think the files are still on your computer-check for them.

Re: Scrivener

redgypsee — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:25:02 -0600

BTW-I back up everything into a zip file everynight-as well-I am using dropbox also.

Re: Scrivener

WriteAway93 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:03:32 -0600

I have a different compiling question or at least I think it's different. I went in to compile a proof print of my nano novel and it compiled everything but when I got to the flashback scenes that I had done all in italics they came out underlined and bold. I completely don't understand that. I went back and clicked on the as-is button but again underlined and bold. Is it because I was compiling as a PDF instead of a word doc or something like that? Anyone else having this problem? Ps. I am using the Windows trial version and not the nano trial version.

Re: Scrivener

Pashtun — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:07:34 -0600

[follow up] I lost 50% of my work. I was able to re-construct from Dropbox about 15K words. As best as I can re-construct it this is what transpired: On 11/28/11 Scrivener issued an update. This update wiped some, but not all my files. The ones that were in Folders are saved. Here is what happened to the Back-up. Since the back-up overwrites the last version, so the update *with* the wipe-out was backed up, giving me less not more. Not sure how to over come this in the future, other than manually. Looked in deleted files in Drop Box, same story, not all files present. The same files as the ones in my Dropbox on my own hard drive. So from over 39K words I go back to some 15K words - but the loss - its never the same reconstructing the work, even the first draft. There was dialogue I had worked very hard to create. I am really bummed out. I mean there will be next years Nanowrimo, but all this work is gone. SO on a chance I also used the "Restore" function to see if I could get something more back. Nothing! because Restore does not affect documents. See you all next year. Now tell me, do you recommend, I buy Scrivener? (Windows) Thanks.

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:25:41 -0600

I haven't participated in this thread because I'm new to Scrivener myself, I'm no way a techie, and I barely know how to use it myself. Therefore, I wouldn't dream of advising you on that either way. However, I would encourage you not to give up on your novel! Even though you've lost those precious words, there are many more where those came from, and you can go on from where you do have text. It's heartbreaking. I have lost an entire master's thesis once, back in the bad old Apple ][ days. (Not my fault; someone else pressed the wrong button at exactly the wrong time, and there it went, irretrieveable!) And in the spirit of trying to glean *some* morsel of good from a disaster, now I know to put all my material in folders on Scrivener. I've already done that with the manuscript chapters, but not with all the extra stuff. My sympathy. Hang in there and keep writing!

Re: Scrivener

JackGilbert — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:41:08 -0600

Pashtun, That's feeling of losing all those lovingly crafted words must really hurt. Have you contacted the Literature & Latte tech people? I've heard of them accomplishing miracles in the past. As in the spirit of NaNoWriMo, I think most of us agree that if you wrote those words, you should get credit for them, even if they are currently lost in the netherworld. This entire wonderful project is based on the honor system anyway. If it were me, I'd just paste in 25k placeholder words into my document, and keep on to the ending of my story. That doesn't bring back those magical words you wrote, but in your heart you know you wrote them. Write on, my friend... Jack

Re: Scrivener

Shannanigan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:13:06 -0600

I agree with this.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:16:42 -0600

That's absolutely horrible that you lost so much. You have my sympathy. I'd had concerns about this when I heard about the automatic back-up to Dropbox setting. If you mess something up in your file, and it automatically backs up, then your back-up is messed up too. I'm very picky about backing up, so I'm going to post what I do here for others in case they are concerned about this too. This is what I do after every single writing session, yes, every single one. I copy my Scrivener files over to a USB flash drive and manually to Drop Box. I also go into Scrivener again after I have backed up the Scrivener files and compile to rtf. I then back-up the rtf to all three places. I also KEEP my old previous versions. I just name them something different. For example, Book 29Nov11AM. Then my afternoon session file would be called Book 29Nov5PM. That way no matter what happens, I always have the old files to go back to. Should we have to do all of this? Absolutely not. But it's a really good idea to get overly obsessive with backing-up to cover all scenarios.

Re: Scrivener

Argentis — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:47:00 -0600

Hi guys, I've just gotten Scrivener, and I've been poking around with it. So far so good. I was wondering how easy it is to use a scrivener project as a repository for characters, settings, and other stuff that I come up with but don't have a full story yet. Is it easy to move stuff from one project to another? If not, what else would you suggest? Thanks, Argentis

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:22:01 -0600

Check your compile settings, that sounds like a setting is set in compile (I can't think of where right now) that's in there for preparing a manuscript for a publisher who's format doesn't support italics and instead uses the underline to substitute for italics. At least, I think that's what that is all about.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:24:44 -0600

Yup, it's easy. Drag and drop.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:54:07 -0600

As the others said, it sounds like your compile settings just aren't set to include the text but only the titles. This should be fixable quickly by just going into File > Compile... and clicking the blue arrow for all the options if you're on Windows or choosing "All Options" if you're on Mac. Then click on "Formatting" in the left sidebar and you'll see a table of different file types (folders, document stacks, and single documents) and levels. Unless you arranged your binder such that you have notes stored in some places where you'd only want the title to compile you're probably safe to just tick the entire column for "Text". (You really only need it for whatever type and level you put your text in, but without knowing what your binder setup is I can't really tell. At a guess, if you were using the NaNo template or Novel template, maybe you wrote in the "Chapter" folders directly or have your text documents on that same level instead of as subdocuments of the Chapter folders? In which case the default settings would be excluding text from those.) If you want to post over at the L&L forums or send an email off to support @ literatureandlatte . com with a screenshot of your binder indicating what levels of documents need to compile the text, we can help sort it out more specifically.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:55:15 -0600

It sounds like one of the internal files didn't save properly on close. First thing, make a zipped copy of your project's entire .scriv folder by right-clicking on the folder and choosing "Send to \ Compressed (zipped) folder", just for safety's sake. Then, try these steps: 1. In Windows Explorer, open your project's .scriv folder, then open the Files folder 2. Open the "version.txt" file there in a plain-text editor (e.g. Notepad) 3. In the editor, select all, type "16" (no quotes), then save Then try opening the project again in Scrivener.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:00:58 -0600

Copying the full text from a Scrivenings session will only work at present in the Mac version, just FYI--this will be coming to Windows, but it requires some deep-seated changes so it didn't get into the initial 1.0 release. I'm not sure why you'd try to copy and paste out of every individual file though instead of compiling into a single document? That's definitely the way to do this. You can use File > Back Up first to make a full backup of your project first if you're concerned about it, and then just choose File > Compile... to pull together all your disparate documents into a single file that you can then use to validate.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:03:07 -0600

Yeah, the code will be good until mid-spring, I'm not sure the exact date. March something? Anyway you'll have a few months to sit on it if you want, though I recommend copying it off of the Winner's page and saving it somewhere yourself so you don't need to depend on accessing the NaNo site for it.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:07:59 -0600

Strictly speaking, if you're on Windows, the 1.0 release does have a little more than the NaNo trial (which technically was still a beta), but it shouldn't cause you to burst with over-feature-itus: 1.0 has automatic backups, so you won't even have to do anything about them. ;) (You can however adjust the settings and choose where to store them in the new "Backup" tab in Tools > Options...). The Mac 2.2 version also just came out which might have one or two additional features to the NaNo trial, but not much, as the NaNo was actually basically the secret pre-2.2 release and newer than the regular trial when it came out. Heh.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:10:40 -0600

Sounds like a bug--I recall one where the last paragraph of a section would pick up the alignment of the following text (in MS Word, at least), so if you've got centered titles or centered scene separators, this would make sense. This is fixed in 1.0.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:16:31 -0600

Pashtun - Have you tried using the Windows search to look for some text in the project or for the project name specifically? Also, have you double-checked that you're opening the most recent version of the project in Scrivener? I'm not quite clear from your description what you're seeing when you open Scrivener, whether this is your proper project but it's missing documents from the binder or whether documents are blank that should have text or whether you can't find the .scriv project folder on your computer at all. Definitely check on the Dropbox website for your backup file, as Dropbox will store deleted files for I think 30 days, and you can "undelete" from there. Were you storing the project directly on Dropbox or was this just a backup that you'd made of the project? That could be part of what happened, if sync settings got changed accidentally for instance and you stopped syncing on that computer the folder where your project was stored (in which case it will still be on the Dropbox server and on your other computers that were syncing that folder). If you haven't already found your project or otherwise gotten this sorted, it might be faster if you could email support @ literatureandlatte . com with the details on what happened and what version of Scrivener and OS you're using.

Re: Scrivener

ReadySetWrite — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:24:56 -0600

You can have one project with everything (novel, notes, etc. That's what I have), or you can have innumerable tiny projects. Whatever works for you. If you want to copy a file, just open both projects and drag the files back and forth. It's quite easy, and rather fun. :D

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:37:15 -0600

Pashtun - Whoops sorry, I replied earlier in the thread before I saw this one. Are you using the Mac version then, it sounds like? Nothing in the update would have affected your files, so I'm still not clear what happened there. Dropbox should still have records of your previous versions of files, though, so you may still want to sift through that again--even if a single backup zip file was overwritten the older version should still be around. Also, Pashtun and SirenPrincess - Scrivener's default settings for automatic backups will save the five most recent backups, and the lowest you can change this to is three, so there shouldn't be a case where you're only getting one automatic backup that is constantly overwritten. You can increase this number as well and even choose to have older backups never removed at all so you can sort through them manually if you need to clean up your space. (You can adjust the settings in the "Backup" section of Tools > Options... in Windows or Scrivener > Preferences on the Mac.) There's no setting in Scrivener that would let you continually overwrite a single backup automatically. If you're making the backups yourself and choose to overwrite an existing file, that of course is doable, but it'd be something you'd be doing consciously and would be the same as choosing to overwrite a file in any other program. Making extra external backups yourself and "milestone" copies of your project that aren't part of the automatic cycle is still a great practice and I don't discourage it, but I just want to clarify how Scrivener actually handles the auto backups.

Re: Scrivener

lunascreatures — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:54:37 -0600

So, everyone seems to be compiling before they're validating their novel - can't I just copy-paste from my whole manuscript in group mode? Or does the NaNo validator not like that...for some reason...I don't know XD

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:53:36 -0600

[quote=BetaWulf] Really? Could I have used 'really' more in that post? *Resists urge to look at last few thousand words of book* [/quote] You should look at a zipf graph of your words after nano to check. It's interesting when you take out the novel specific words and common words.

Re: Scrivener

zenken — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:02:52 -0600

[quote=lunascreatures] So, everyone seems to be compiling before they're validating their novel - can't I just copy-paste from my whole manuscript in group mode? Or does the NaNo validator not like that...for some reason...I don't know XD [/quote] Compiling is a good way to also have a 'snapshot' of what your novel looked like at the end of nano. Even if you continue to work on your manuscript from rough draft to first draft, you'll still have this old version. I think it's interesting to do it this way. It'll probably make you laugh when you go back and look at it later. I think group mode is great. You can see how your chapters overlap.

Re: Scrivener

lunascreatures — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:19:32 -0600

[quote=zenken] Compiling is a good way to also have a 'snapshot' of what your novel looked like at the end of nano. Even if you continue to work on your manuscript from rough draft to first draft, you'll still have this old version. I think it's interesting to do it this way. It'll probably make you laugh when you go back and look at it later. I think group mode is great. You can see how your chapters overlap. [/quote] Alright, awesome! I was just planning to compile after the 30th, but I saw people compiling beforehand and I was wondering if there was anything about that that was more convenient for validation. I keep being paranoid that my wordcount is lower than the validator wants, but I just checked and the wordcount it gave me was higher than the one in scrivener. I am very pleased.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:15:33 -0600

If you're using the Mac version, no, there's no reason you couldn't just copy/paste from a Scrivenings session. I like zenken's idea about the "NaNo snapshot" from compile, though; I'd never thought of it like that. Strictly speaking I'm going to hit 50K but not have finished out my last couple scenes (in all likelihood), so I may cheat on my snapshot and just copy for the validation and then compile after I've banged out the final scenes. They still get treated in NaNo style (write quickly with no editing), so I tend to consider them part of the NaNoWriMo effort even if I don't complete them until Dec 1 or 2. On the Windows version, selecting text across Scrivenings isn't yet possible, so compile is necessary in order to pull all the texts together into a single document for validation.

Re: Scrivener

Pashtun — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:44:41 -0600

threeoutside, Blackswan,SirenPrincess, Betawulf, JackGilbert: Thanks to one and all Nanowrimo's who responded to my call of help. It is a nice feeling to know that someone cares enough to write when they themselves have a deadline. So, thank you, thank you. Also there is no way I have given up, but I wasted so much time trying to recover my work that it is too late for me to make to 50K this year. There is always next year right? OK, so no I was not using Mac but windows version. Learnt my lesson, multiple back up from now on. I will write to the support at the office of Literature and Latte. But I dont feel good about claiming winning when I did not reach 50k. Is it any use submitting anyway? Even if I submitt at the 37900 word count I was at what does it do?

Re: Scrivener

threeoutside — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:16:45 -0600

I think it would just tell you how NaaNo's counter counts your words. Which would at least tell you whether you lose or gain when you run it through the offical counter. I have no idea whether the counter will be changed by 2012, so no idea whether this information would be useful next year. Unless you've written right up to 50,000 words, and fear your official count might fall short of that, I don't see any important function.

Re: Scrivener

Grifty — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:07:32 -0600

Does anyone anticipate having an extra 50% off winner's code that they won't be using? I won in 2008 but never cashed in. I used the trial and would like to purchase Scrivener, but I didn't win this year. I know codes are transferrable, so if anyone will have one they won't be using, please PM me!

Re: Scrivener

Dragonchilde — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:27:05 -0600

[quote=Grifty] Does anyone anticipate having an extra 50% off winner's code that they won't be using? I won in 2008 but never cashed in. I used the trial and would like to purchase Scrivener, but I didn't win this year. I know codes are transferrable, so if anyone will have one they won't be using, please PM me! [/quote] If you head up to the Life After NaNoWriMo forum, there will be a thread for offering special offer codes. Please don't ask in this thread. :)

Re: Scrivener

Grifty — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:51:12 -0600

Understood. Handy thread.

Re: Scrivener

bernie_noble — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:33:05 -0600

I wrote in Word 2007 -- v. messy; am looking forward to using shiny new "Winners" Scrivener to start organising my chunks of novel... Question -- Every night when I was done for the day, I stuck in a flash-drive, deleted "NanoFolder" and then copied the (new, revised, added-to) NanoFolder from My Documents into the newly emptied flash-drive. Any reason I can do the same as I revise and re-write in Scrivener? TIA Bernie

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:35:09 -0600

I do it all the time. I just make sure that my Scrivener project folders are in the same root folder as the rest of my novel stuff so when I back up my writing folder, all my Scrivener projects get saved too.

Re: Scrivener

IrishMouse — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:52:41 -0600

I can't get the tutorial to start. I tried selecting it a couple of times, closing and reopening scrivener, and uninstalling/reinstalling it. I'm wondering if it didn't fully uninstall the beta version I had. I have the windows version. Can anyone help? 1. Making the tutorial work 2. Completely uninstalling it so I can reinstall it. I see some old files listed.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:49:40 -0600

Back up your actual projects if you haven't by right-clicking their .scriv folder in Windows Explorer and selecting "Send to \ compressed ( zipped) folder" and make sure these are saved somewhere accessible like your desktop or Documents folder. Then go to your installed Scrivener directory--probably in Program Files (x86 if you're on a 64-bit version of Windows) or Documents if you installed as a standard user rather than as admin. Run the uninstall.exe file in the Scrivener directory (if it was installed as admin, right-click to run the uninstaller as admin as well) and then if the Scrivener directory is still lingering after the uninstall is finished, you can delete that manually. Then download the latest version of Scrivener from here, save that .exe file, and then navigate to the download folder and run the installer from Windows Explorer. Once you've got that installed you should be able to create a tutorial from the New Project window or from Help > Interactive Tutorial.

Re: Scrivener

SirenPrincess — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:31:41 -0600

Does anyone know what you change in the compile settings to not show chapter names in your compiled document? I just want chapter numbers, not names. I named my chapters zany, silly things to help me remember what goes where, but they definitely don't belong in the final document. I've looked around myself a little, but can't quite figure it out.

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:29:32 -0600

In the "Formatting" pane of Compile, you'll want to deselect the "Title" checkbox for the appropriate file type and level. (If you don't want titles anywhere, you can just deselect the whole column and not worry about it.) So if you have all your chapters as folders, just go to the folder row in that pane and uncheck the box for "Title". The prefix, probably something like "Chapter [Number]" will still show up, but you won't have your binder title included--you should see this in the preview area there.

Re: Scrivener

Cadaverine — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:27:38 -0600

I don't really understand Scrivener. What's the deal?

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:44:25 -0600

I'd suggest the "Back up to" function rather than that. It'll create a copy (optionally zipped) of your project in one step.

Re: Scrivener

BetaWulf — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:47:48 -0600

Watch the following video: http://literatureandlatte.com/videos/ScrivIntroSmall.mov If that doesn't make you grab your screen and chant, "I want! I want!" then it may not be for you. It should also give you a decent idea of how the software helps writers. :)

Re: Scrivener

Xenocrates — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:22:03 -0600

Is there a grammar checker in the Windows version of Scrivener? If so, where is it?

Re: Scrivener

blackswan — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:21:56 -0600

There's a spell checker (Scrivener uses Aspell for this), available from Tools > Spelling with options that can be set in the Auto-Correction tab of Tools > Options, but there is not a grammar checker. Writing a tool like that is a pretty monstrous task and just isn't feasible with a one-man developer team.

Re: Scrivener

WhiteHare — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:26:20 -0600

Has anyone on this thread used Scrivener for a series? I have another book planned using the settings and characters from my NaNo novel (largely because they are still screaming their backstories in my head and I'm going to have to write it as it is (a) good stuff and (b) probably the only way to get them to shut up). I don't really want to duplicate character and location info across 2 projects and have to keep them straight in both. Would you recommend I dump each project into its own folder in a single Scrivener file and then have text files below that for the scenes/chapters? Would that get really ungainly or is it workable? Is there a better way of doing it/best practice?

Re: Scrivener

indigo_skye — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:10:03 -0600

I'm in the process of breaking up 2011 novel into 3 or 4 novellas. I am keeping everything in the same project since they all have the same characters and locations, but I will be creating 3 or 4 master folders for each novella and then branching down the stories in my normal fashion from that point. I assume that you could do this for your series. Just move what you have now into a master folder and then start a new master right below it. One of the cool things about Scrivener is that you can break up things how every you like in whatever combination works for you.

Re: Scrivener

cathy brockman — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:46:52 -0600

This is a good idea. i do notknow how to do all this master folder stuff and have had some issues with -losing- stuff trying to move them. I do like hte scrivenr but i still am not good at using it.I have read the tutorial a couple times. Thanks for the help. i may look into it. i also have troublee when i get more than one scene (folder) into the same I cna never get it back out. Good luck to you and you r novel-novellas!

Re: Scrivener

WhiteHare — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:51:05 -0600

Yes, that was what I thought would be the best approach. Added bonus is that tags will then work across both novels, so I can make sure things are consistent and get timelines right etc.. My problem is going to be tinkering with the prequel when I should be concentrating on the original novel, but I'll just have to try to be strong! Thanks for replying!

Re: Scrivener

indigo_skye — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:27:23 -0600

You might be losing things due to having the same name on files. When you "move" something, try copying the file and then pasting into a file instead of cutting it. Then go back and delete when your move is succeful. I've been in the habit of doing this for years since my old timey word processor was finicky. However, I find that scrivener is pretty stable for the most part. Thanks for the positive wishes though. I'm going to need it. LOL :)

Re: Scrivener

indigo_skye — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:29:22 -0600

You are having the prequel blues, eh? It sounds like fun whitehare. Good luck with your series! :)

Re: Scrivener

DouglasMB — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:04:53 -0600

ok i just bought this with my winer coupon... I mean how could i not... so... when I wrote my novel I did not add chapters nor did I break it up... I just wrote... and wrote and wrote... with that being said. Would this program be something good for me to use to break up my book? Please please any tips or tricks you have learned I would really love to get this edit done some time in the next few months and i think this may help. If you know of any other software I am not scared to buy something else if it is easyier.

Re: Scrivener

S. M. Worth — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:51:58 -0600

It took me forever to find the discounted version from winning NaNoWriMo 2011. In case anyone else is as slow as me I posted where to find the code here. Also, if you really want a coupon code for this great program and didn't quite make the NaNoWriMo goal I posted a discount code here. I'm not sure how long it will be good, so good luck! I can say this is a great program and I used it exclusively during this last NaNoWriMo. As always YMMV. :)

Re: Scrivener

DaveK — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:50:09 -0600

I just found this and haven't had a chance to look at it. Nor did I check to see if it has been posted before (maybe I'm bad). http://www.davidhewson.com/free-scrivener-template/

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:03:08 -0600

It's really, really easy to break your novel up from a main document into chapters and even scenes. The designers actually figured you would do that during the course of using Scrivener and have a special, made just for you, specialized tool that's really easy to access. The included, interactive tutorial will teach you how to become proficcient with the software in about an hour or so, so it's a really easy piece of software to learn (easier than any other piece of writing software out there, and I tried quite a few before settling on Scrivener). It's called split at selection, and split with selection as title. Have fun.

Re: Scrivener

S. M. Worth — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 10:32:08 -0600

Posted some Scrivener templates I've found from around the web. Feel free to visit and download the ones you'd like. As always, feel free to tweak them to your liking. Scrivener Templates

Re: Scrivener

Septimus Pfluger — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:17:49 -0500

Got Scrivener for my birthday a while back, and just messing around with it, it really impresses me. Glad I got it.

Re: Scrivener

Nappara — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:51:31 -0500

Scrivener is great, but there's just one little thing I wish it could do -- or I wish I knew how to make it do, if someone knows? Several of my novels are set in the same universe, but they're sufficiently separate in terms of plot/time/whatever that it would be silly and very confusing to write them all in the same Scrivener file (like some folks above are doing for a series -- these are not in a series! :P). Unfortunately though, this means that I sometimes make up a bit of worldbuilding/history for one book only to move to a different one and realize that something I wrote there contradicts it. Is there any way for Scrivener projects to share just a single page between multiple projects? Then if I make some kind of statement about the global weather system or something, I can make (or just append) a note of it there without having to open all three or four separate projects in that universe. Or does anyone have a suggestion for how to make this work some other way?

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:29:13 -0500

Depends, are you working on Windows or Mac. I don't know anything about the Mac version, but in the windows version the only way to really share something across Scrivener projects is to drag and drop which would get really tedious in the situation you're describing. However, you could just link a single file into multiple projects. Let's take a timeline for example. You could create a single file for the timeline of the entire series you're working on in some open source program like The Timeline Project. Then you link the same timeline file into each of the project research sections of your Scrivener projects. That way, when you want to access the timeline file for your entire series, you can launch the file via the link in that Scrivener project and viola, quick access to your timeline. And since all the seperate Scrivener projects are linked to the same file, you'll always have an up to date file to access whenever you open the link. Hope that helps.

Re: Scrivener

Nappara — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:43:18 -0500

Mac. But that sounds like a brilliant plan, thank you! I'm off to try it now; let's see if it works.

Re: Scrivener

Nappara — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:53:57 -0500

Yes it does! Not as elegant-looking as if Scrivener would just do this itself, but completely functional, I think. And I can use the "worldbuilding" page that I created in Scrivener (to hold the link) as a dumping ground for bits of worldbuilding I referred to in the draft and have since forgotten, so it's not just a blank page with one link.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:55:36 -0500

Actually, I do things a little differently but with the same concept. If you look at the bottom of the inspector pane, there are a few choices like snapshots, research, etc., on top of regular notes. And you can switch some of them between project notes (meaning for the whole project itself) and document notes that are specific just for that individual document. Research works the same way. Some of my scenes are linked to stories on the web that are specific for just that scene while I have a project wide links set up for my Freeplane mind-map, writing playlist, and some other supporting documents including a little java program that handles timelining and plotting (called awrit) running for the project. It's just fast and slick, giving the program incredible flexibility. The only drawback is when you want to work on it on another computer, it doesn't go with you easily. Okay, now after writing all this stuff above, is your worldbuilding page held inside the Scrivener itself or somewhere on you hard drive where Scrivener can get at it no matter what project is linked to it? Just curious.

Re: Scrivener

Nappara — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:48:42 -0500

Unless I'm misreading, that method still requires that all of the stories in the same universe also be in the same Scrivener project? I'm looking for a cross-project mechanism, so yeah, right now my worldbuilding page is a Textedit document and all of the relevant Scrivener projects include links to it in a document called "worldbuilding" in each project. Then when I need to add bits to how the universe works for the sake of a particular story, I make a note of it in the "worldbuilding" document, and go back later to be sure that detail works with all of the previous details of the universe.

Re: Scrivener

MrDithers — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:58:05 -0500

Nope. The file is in another directory outside of Scrivener that contains all the data (lets say for example in my Documents folder). For example, lets say I've got a universal timeline of a trilogy of novels that each have their own Scrivener project assigned. In a different folder on my hard drive, separate from the Scrivener projects, is the timeline file that contains all the details I want to use to keep all the stories in line. I can go into the reference section of the inspector pane, select project notes, and then add an external reference. When I do that it pulls up a screen to find and select the other folder where the timeline file's chilling out (in our example, I would navigate to the Documents folder which is separate from the Scrivener project folders). Then, to access that timeline file from inside Scrivener, all I have to do is go back into project references in the inspector pane and double click on the link and it will launch the timeline program and load the file just as if you had double clicked on the file in the folder on the computer itself. If for some reason you still don't understand my explanation, let me know and maybe I can just do a quick video tutorial for you and send it to you somehow. The same concept that works in Windows will work on the Mac. And I'm sorry if I've confused you even more.