What is Scrivener?

I’ve recently become a Scrivener convert. What is Scrivener? Scrivener is writing software. If you’re like me, it might never even have crossed your mind that you needed anything else but that old stalwart Word for your words. That is until you heard rumblings from writers that you should give Scrivener a shot.

I first tried Scrivener a couple of years ago, and was underwhelmed. I kept toggling between what looked like a blank page and index cards tacked to a bulletin board, unsure how they related to one another. I found the templates for novel-writing bewildering. Scrivener has a thirty-day trial, and I opted not to pay the $45 for the program at the end.

Recently, however, I returned, unable to ignore others’ enthusiasm for the software. This time, I tried a new tactic: before jumping in, I watched a tutorial video. That cracked the door open just enough for me to squeeze in and uncover all the wonders of the software. Today, I’m in love.

I find that the things I love about Scrivener are simple and are not necessarily its most-advertised features. I don’t touch the specialized templates. I’m content with the blank page.

I decided to write a blog post summarizing my favorite features of Scrivener, hoping it will help those who are like I was once was, considering the program, but a tad intimidated by its complexity.

What is Scrivener?

Scrivener is a magical organizer that allows me to keep all my research, which includes character notes, timeline, feedback from my editor and agent, and outline, in one place, conveniently adjacent to the draft I’m working on. The close proximity of my research makes it easy to access, which cuts down on my tendency to get sidetracked by email or other Internet distractions while I search for draft-related attachments. To the left is an image of my Scrivener project file for all my blog posts!

Scrivener is an amazing stress reliever as it never crashes and saves everything as it is written.

Scrivener is a hip designer who makes my final manuscript document sleek by allowing me to seamlessly insert centered lines rather for scene breaks.

Scrivener is an expert cleaner. Gone are all the distracting icons crowding up Word, the buttons for pie charts and tables that I’ll never use. Scrivener has a simpler interface. The visual menu is boiled down to such basics as font type and size and bullet points. I find that this aspect, along with the infinite scrolling white page really get me focused on the writing itself.

Scrivener is a math genius that makes keeping track of word counts a cinch with a tool called Project Targets. Calculating word counts, especially for freelance projects, can be a hassle in Word, full of scrolling and highlighting, then grabbing a calculator. Project Targets gives you a bar graphic that lets you see instantly how close you are to making word counts for an entire project or for an individual writing session.

Scrivener is a trustworthy translator. Exports to Word are smooth and easy.

Scrivener is an ink saver. Before Scrivener, I would constantly hit print, then realize I’d forgotten to paginate and be forced to print everything again. Scrivener paginates everything automatically. This feature is my favorite so far, and I think best exemplifies Scrivener’s understanding of a long-form writer’s true needs.

I encourage anyone on the fence about getting Scrivener to go ahead and take the plunge!  I have really just skimmed the surface of this powerful software, and yet I still find it incredibly useful. I think it was worth every cent.