Scrivener
Essential Software for Authors:
The Intersection of Writing and Technology Part 4
Let’s talk about a great writing tool, Scrivener.
Scrivener by Latte and Literature, “My Precious” streamlines your writing process. Picture Scrivener as your trusty sidekick in the epic adventure of novel writing. It’s not just a word processor; it’s the wizard who magically gathers your notes, documents, links, and even the occasional cat meme you sneak in for inspiration. Think of it as the ultimate multitasker for authors, a tool that herds all your creative chaos into a neat, well-behaved corral.
But wait, there’s more! Scrivener isn’t just a sidekick; it’s the superhero cape you need to conquer the novel-writing world. With its phenomenal organizational powers, it’ll make you feel like you’ve got a PhD in tidying up your ideas. It’s the ultimate culminating process, the cherry on top of your writing sundae.
And the best part? Scrivener isn’t stingy with your hard-earned masterpiece. It’ll help you compile your novel in more formats than you knew existed. Want to print it? Sure thing. E-book? Absolutely. Clay tablets for that ancient feel? Well, it might not do that, but it’ll get you pretty darn close.
So, buckle up, because Scrivener is here to turn your writing journey into a joyous, organized, and maybe even slightly magical ride.
I’m sure you’ve heard of it if you are a serious writer. However, let’s just examine the immensity of this product.
Both PLOTTR and Scrivener have trial periods to sample the software or at least a money-back option within reason. And they both offer a “standard” license that you can buy monthly, yearly, or lifetime. Scrivener offers an educational discounted option while you are enrolled in school.
“Scrivener is a powerful writing tool providing writers with a flexible and customizable platform for organizing their writing projects and helping them stay focused and productive throughout the writing process.” Taken off the Literature and Latte website.
Check out those keywords, folks. Powerful, flexible, customizable, organizing, and staying focused. This is like a dream come true writing tool made just for authors. I think of it as the Ferrari of writing tools. This definitely beats so many Hondas out there. Competitors such as Ulysses, yWriter, Novlr, Manuskript, Bibisco, and others. Now I said I wasn’t going to list a bunch of other software but I’m confident in my assessment. I am working on my Windows OS, but Scrivener is offered in both Mac and Windows.
The obvious Pros are its organizational capabilities, its customizing features, its research storage options, a beautiful distraction-free space, and the many export options that include eBook formatting. I’ll admit the Cons can be challenging as well. There is a learning curve to all this magnificence. No writer is the same and everyone uses writing tools differently, so expect to spend time customizing and learning the robust features of Composition Mode, Corkboard, or Outliner. Also, the price while reasonable can be repetitive. At $59 for a Standard license per platform, it’s also licensed per version control (i.e., version 3 is the current version, but if they upgrade to 4, another $59). I don’t find this pricing awful, as it allows you to install it on multiple systems within your household. Another con may be the formatting abilities of the tool. While Scrivener offers eBook format capabilities, you have to figure out the settings and that’s almost a whole course in itself. Regardless, the tool is worth every dime, ten times over.
If you consider yourself a serious writer, you will, at a minimum, try this software.
Joseph Michael's
Learn Scrivener Fast
Also, Joseph Michael offers a great course called Learn Scrivener Fast: Alternative Text “Joseph Michael’s cartoon image with text Learn Scrivener Fast in bold.”
This course offers endless hours of learning and tons of bonuses included all of which are worth investing in. I absolutely love it and visit it often since it has so much material. He is also keeping it updated with new revisions, so the product is golden.
Speaking of available E-course – My own tutorials for PLOTTR will be coming out soon and will include many tutorials from the users’ view of how Famous authors might have used it to create their novels, manuscripts, poetry, and more. I also provide free tutorial videos via my YouTube channel so make sure to sign up on my channel for more information.
Embrace the fantastical, embrace the futuristic, and above all, embrace the infinite potential of storytelling in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. As this final chapter blog turns, the adventure is never truly over, for the quill of an SFF author is forever poised to write the next cosmic tale, and readers like you are always ready to embark on the journey. So, until our next interstellar encounter, may your pages be filled with wonder and your dreams take flight among the stars. If writing is your passion and you’ve enjoyed these Essential Software blogs and want to continue getting technology integrated into your writing, please follow my social media and check out my Affiliate Links of the best of the best software for writers.
Check out my Youtube channel for PLOTTR videos @jlnichauthorsff
Joseph Michael’s Learn Scrivener Fast e-course
Please read and review my serial publishing novel Sparrow’s Legacy on Kindle Vella. You can read the first three chapters free on Amazon by searching for “Sparrows Legacy Kindle Vella” or clicking here. I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please subscribe to my website if you want to be notified when I’ll be publishing or to get free samples of my work.
JLNich, Science Fiction Fantasy Author
