I have been converted…

by | Oct 1, 2015 | writing

Scrivener-Logo…to Scrivener. I held off. I fought tooth and nail. I clung to my LibreOffice Word Processor and minimal usage of Microsoft Word as long as I could. But it was inevitable. As soon as I was exposed to the wonders that this software held for the writer such as I, I could no longer deny that this might very well be the tool for me.

fancyFancy-Schmancy. First of all, “Fancy” and “Techno-saavy” are not words that ANYONE would use to describe me. These are reasons that I shied away from Scrivener for a while. It just seemed like too many shiny buttons and gadgets for my “level” of techno-ability. I need things that are easy to understand and “user-friendly”. (Just a note here: I am an oddity for my generation in this technolo-don’t. Always have been…probably always will be.)

FREE Trial. Can I hear an “Amen”? Now they’re singing my song. Free trial with a rather in-depth tutorial – even better. Now, I’m doing my slow walk on the fast track to learning Scrivener.

cork boardWhat’s so cool about Scrivener? There are many unique features about Scrivener that I won’t go into, but the way they let you organize information is definitely one of them. My novel is divided up by chapter and scene and I can attach information about that scene such as POV character, level of progress, and other miscellaneous information that I can see at a glance on an on-screen cork board. The other thing I will find so useful about Scrivener, I think, is that it gives me the ability to keep all of my research in one place – pictures, documents, links, etc. So, instead of having multiple files in a folder in my dropbox, all of my research will be accessible through “binder” when I’m in my manuscript.

“The Lady Bornekova” Sequel. This is the first novel that has been transferred into Scrivener. (I was about 5 chapters into the novel in LibreOffice.) Already, I am LOVING working in Scrivener. I can’t quite bring myself to transfer my completed works…but just barely. The transfer was pretty painless. But I fear a whole novel would be a bit more laborious.

All in all, I am looking forward to discovering and utilizing even more of the features available with Scrivener. No doubt you’ll hear more about it in the future! From someone who thought they would never be able to work anything more complicated than the most basic word processor, I’m out there and giving it a go!

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Sara R. Turnquist