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From Word to Scrivener
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I LOVE Scrivener. I used to use Word exclusively for writing, but found it too "linear" and restrictive in terms of how I write or compose. And that's the key in terms of writing novels---at least for me. When i write books or plays or screenplays, i rarely work from beginning to end, or if I do, then I need some allowance to swap scenes or insert scenes into the first part to resolve something that I've conceived in the latter half, etc. etc. Basically, writing is a non-linear exercise, as your characters and their personalities tend to influence how your story resolves itself, or might even open up plotlines that you hadn't thought of before. Also, you might want to write a chapter or scene, and keep it on the side...but don't' want to get it lost in a folder somewhere, so it's nice to have all documents accessible in one place.What I like about Scrivener is that it allows me to be a writer with it, meaning it gives me plenty of space within the program to do my notes, outlines, have my research files (images, videos, text, html, etc.) in one place, the ability to compose scenes, have various VERSIONS of those scenes, select and choose which part of the scenes I want to keep in the final version, and be able to compose all of these elements into a particular form, such as a Novel, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic book script, etc.
And the best part is that you can do it all in one program, that way you're not searching around a folder for a ton of different word documents or excel sheets.
You can go to Scrivener's website and see for yourself the variety of different features it has. For me, its the best bang for your book. It's a program that was designed with "Writers" in mind, rather than have the writer forced to use a specific application or format.
Word is great for finalizing your finished document, by the way. And that's ultimately what I use Word for. Once I've "written" the book, then I compile it into RTF (you can actually, by the way, compile your work into a variety of different formats, such as PDF, HTML, .epub, etc. etc.) and then use Word to "finish" the book, creating table of contents and then make it ready for publication.
Anthony:Thanks for the helpful reply. I write just like you do - non-linear, with scattered scenes that come to mind (usually when I'm nowhere near my PC). As the work progresses, I tie the scenes together and reorganize them as needed to make the flow fit better.
One question - how easy is it to compile a single Word manuscript from your various Scrivener chapters, or nodes, or however they are categorized?
It's pretty easy. Just compile the chapters/ sections that you want and output it in RTF format...then open it into word for further formatting etc. What I like to do is work on my stuff in scrivener and routinely compile what I have and output in a Ebook format (you have a choice between ePub or kindle mobi) so that I can read it in a kind of book format to see how it "reads". It's a pretty decent ebook edition, at least for preliminary work.
I suggest good old cut and paste. I used scrivener whilst constructing and writing my 1st & 2nd draft. Then copied it into word for page numbers & formatting. No sure if that is what you were actually asking. I ALSO LOVE Scrivener, moving sections and back checking is so easy.
Anthony wrote: "I LOVE Scrivener. I used to use Word exclusively for writing, but found it too "linear" and restrictive in terms of how I write or compose. And that's the key in terms of writing novels---at least..."What a great answer, I should have read above earlier.
All this talk I'm gonna check it out. I've gotta get better at not revising as I write, but Scrivener should allow for some flexibility....is there more than a 30 day trial somewhere anyone knows of?
Jay--The trial is 30 user days, so if you only use it once a week, the trial period goes on and on and on. I've been resisting the move because I've heard there is a bit of a learning curve, but I downloaded the trial version earlier today (mumbling this post as I'm biting the bullet ;D) Thanks for the advice on Scrivener to Word for formatting.
Although I haven't got around to using it myself (at the moment I'm translating one of my books from English to Spanish and with work don't have time for much else) I found this post/video by an author I know very informative. Have a look and see. It's not the way I write but...http://www.karen-prince.com/the-top-5...
Did anybody make a successful transition from Word to Scrivener, or figure out a way to use these programs in synchronicity? I don't think I'm ready to abandon Word entirely because it's all I know. Any advice would be appreciated!