Kirk McElhearn - Take Control of Scrivener 2

Writers have a nearly endless choice of tools. The number of word processors, text editors and other text software available today is staggering. But most of them are designed for a specific type of writing: linear writing, where you start at the beginning, then write until you get to the end.

Scrivener is designed with the assumption that most writers of long-form worksnovels, non-fiction books, theses, screenplays, and so
ondont write in a linear manner. Scrivener provides a unique environment that frees you from the strict constraints of beginning, middle, and end. You can start at the end of your work, then write the beginning, then fill out the middle, if you wish. As you write, you can easily move around scenes, sections, and chapters, until your work is exactly as you want.

In addition, Scrivener allows you to easily store items such as research material, character sketches, and setting information in the same project file with your writing, giving you instant access to all this material.

As a writer of either fiction or non-fiction, you have myriad options for the tool you use to record your words. However, you may find that Scrivener can replace the current program you use for writing, and provide you with powerful features that your current writing program doesnt offer. Welcome to the text program that may become your essential writing tool!

In this book, I look at Scrivener from the point of view of a writer about to embark on a project. This project could be fiction or non-fiction; it could be a screenplay or a collection of short stories. I show you how you can easily start working with Scrivener, leverage its powerful organizational and text management features, move ahead as you write, then forget that youre using the program. For, after all, when writing, what counts most is the words. Your tool is important, because it is the scaffolding around which you create, but you need to focus on your text, not your tools.

In order to present a realistic project in the examples used in this book, I have chosen Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick , the classic novel of obsession and the quest for redemption.

This ebook discusses Scrivener 2 on the Mac. It was developed using Scrivener 2.0.5.

Scrivener was initially a Mac-only program, and it remained so for many years. But Windows users, jealous that they had no similar tool, finally convinced Scriveners developer to work on a Windows version of the program. At the time of this writing, a Windows version is in beta, and it is due to be released soon. So you, dear reader, may be working with the Windows version.

The Windows version will be behind the Mac version for a while, so if you are using the Windows version, you may find that some of the features in this book are not available. (The Windows version will eventually have all the same features.) Check the Literature & Latte Web site ( http://www.literatureandlatte.com/ ) for more information about the Windows version.

Viewing the Scrivener manual: You can view the Scrivener manual from within the program by choosing Help > Scrivener Manual. Since the Scrivener manual is in flux, and chapter and section numbers may change, all references to the manual in this book include chapter names. Check the manuals table of contents for the specific items I refer to.