What a cracking good tutorial. Thank you. Ten years ago, I wrote a book, as yet unpublished, using WORD. Using Word, I became fluent in profanity trying to locate chapters, drafts, research and so forth. The process became a nightmare. This app may just make me a better person. Thanks, again.
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. Longer ago than you, I used to relish an online resource called "Bend Word to Your Will" which had thousands of really key tips. Until one day I just realised I could use Pages or Scrivener or just about anything else, and spend my time actually writing.
Thanks for the video..... After I did my first novel in Scrivener, I will never go back. My novel is a wired story jumping back and forth in time and place, things are connected and characters are changing into some one else.... yes, I know, it sounds crazy.... and also the intensity of the story will expand from a norman novel to a hard blown actionmovie..... I would never had been able to do this in any other program. Moving stuff around in the storyline, keeping notes, using colors to keep the events together, the tool where I can reed sections connected alone,- and my favorite feature, the "clean just write" mode. Crazy...... right now I am using Scrivener for writing a 3 book fantasy story..... many words, many people and places..... this is why I love Scrivener, because I am no afraid to do this.... I now use it all sorts of things..... my speeches, my standup, my work as master of ceremony. so if you are a writer, fiction og non-fiction, dont wait.... dont let Word kill your momentum,- buy Scrivener NOW and get back to work.
Thinking about your momentum point there. Isn't it strange how you can type on the same keyboard, on the same device, but still there is such a difference in writing apps? I find Word slows me down and Scrivener, Pages, OmniOutliner, all sorts of other ones speed me up.
Thanks, I appreciate that. I’ve had times when I’ve tried something because of a review and realised the reviewer can’t possibly have used it. Once it was even clear that they hadn’t launched it because - the developer later admitted - there was a bug that meant it crashed on launch. Don’t ask me how it made it through Apple’s approvals.
I just want to leave a comment thanking you for the time and effort you put into these tutorials. I've been using Scrivener for years, and I still learned a lot from this. So thanks to you from Kentucky!
Yet again an excellent 3BG....I've had scrivener for years and lost HOURS if not days of work because I forgot to close it down in my office...sat down on sofa with laptop and then started working on same document .....disaster. Scrivener for me personally will always be flawed until they implement somehow iCloud and instantaneous synch . THAT is the number one reason I moved over to Ulysses. Your Scrivener guide yet again does an excellent job of reminding us that we write text. End. Everything else is bells and whistles. Ulysses allows me to do that across multiple devices and drag blocks of text around to create a structure. You did ask for suggestions for future 3BGs so: 1. Ulysses - for long form fiction . 2. Advanced drafts- with some of the drafts actions I could actually write solely in Drafts it is now SO powerful.
Ooooh. That would be another vote for Ulysses but a first for Drafts' actions. I am woefully underusing Drafts, this could be the excuse I need... to put off writing. I like it, thank you.
Wonderful thanks for your time putting this together. I will send this link out to all my writing clients struggling with Scrivener. Your guide is more accessible than the instructional videos put out by Literature and Latte itself at this time.
William, you are a Genius! We are big fans of Scrivener and your UA-cam contributions. Informative and entertaining at the same time, Keep On Keeping On. Much appreciated, Julian and Pam
The word ‘Genius’ has now been devaluated and holds only 00.7% of it’s orginal value. It is, in fact, almost meaningless, except to youtube viewers who, in their cultural poverty, lack the ability to apply a better term.
Brilliant chat, thank you again for your work! Initially I was a bit put off by the length of the video, but I quickly realized how silly that trepidation was once you started speaking. Your style and humor are the perfect companion for exploring the software. I’ve been on Scrivener for years, and somehow I missed the snapshot bit, thank you for that little nugget! I giggled about the name generator-“all work and no play,” after all, no? Thank you again for your work, newly subscribed and looking forward to enjoying the bounty of the channel!
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. I worried about the length, but I wanted to make a single comprehensive video. I might do more chapters and signposting, though.
This is incredible, thank you so much for this in-depth guide! I’ve been wanting a place to start writing and now’s my chance. Having everything right in front of me that’s neatly packed, labelled properly, and aesthetically pleasing just scratches a good spot in my brain. 😂
Thank you this has been very useful. I just purchased the MacBook Pro to be able to get the full screen of Scrivener rather than the iPad version. However, I am now a novice at using the Mac and find myself learning not only scrivener but how to navigate through Mac! In your video you delightfully referenced the ability to use the Name Generator via an Edit ability on the Mac. I can not find this any where. Please enlighten me when you can! Thank you! A very novice writer......15 stressful minutes later, Voila, there it was when I entered full screen of Scrivener. As I said, I am new to MacBook. I can not tell you how excited I am you mentioned this little, wonderful, transformative tool!
Thanks. Do you mean you found the Name Generator? I had to go searching, too, but it's under the Edit menu. Choose Edit, then Writing Tools and then you get the Name Generator at the very bottom of the list. 58keys is about the Mac in part because UA-cam likes a specific niche, but really because I love this stuff and I don't believe I'd have had the writing career I have without Macs. I hope you come to love yours as much..
Wonderful tutorial. Clear and concise. Unfortunately, I've no longer got any excuses for delaying writing. All that "Can't start writing yet because I need to learn Scrivener, and it's really complicated so it'll take me some time before I can start working on the novel" nonsense no longer works. So, thanks William for making it easier to understand....and damn you for forcing me to actually commit to starting the novel.
I’ve had Scrivener for Mac for several years, but up until now I haven’t known how to use it because the instructions have been baffling. I came across your UA-cam I was riveted. For the first time I can see the sense in it. It’s still going to take time, of course, but at least it now makes more sense. Thank you 👍
a wonderful introduction to Scrivener! I have wanted to learn how to use it, but most people's advice has only made me more confused. Thanks to you, I feel really confident now...
Fantastic! I've watched several 'how to's on Scrivener before but never quite got to grips with it. Now I've watched yours, I know exactly what to do: Start writing! Thank you.
That made me beam, thanks. Isn't the advice always, always "start writing"? Except when it's "keep writing." Or, as in this case with me right now, "stop making tea and get back to writing."
Thanks for this William. I've just started with Scrivner on my first Mac Air M1 and this has been just the job. I'm in the process of getting my work on to it now and I can get back to banging out plenty of words. Many thanks once again
Loved this. I would like to get my head around Scrivener’s ‘Folder to file’ features where a text file (not a folder) can contain subtexts. I use Scrivener folders to fence my thoughts into one chapter that wants to bloat into a crazy number of scenes - each scene becomes a text file within a folder. But the idea of text files with sub-text files shakes my confidence in what’s real. It’s territory I daren’t step into. Compiling is a breeze by comparison. Guidance welcome.
If I understand you correctly, this is about the way you can drag one text file into another. So then you have the first text file and tucked away within it, the next or however many you want. I see how to do it, and I suppose I can see the advantage in how you can collapse those text files so that only the top one is showing. But I don't know why I would use that.
Excellent vidéo! I’ve been using Scrivener for a couple of years now and was doing okay with it. This video taught me a number of new features that I didn’t know existed. Thank you William for taking the time to explain this great program to us!
This is wonderful,. You mentioned early to save in Dropbox, I always have but Scriv has prompted me that I was saving in an inappropriate place at risk of automatic overwriting. While watching you it occurred to me that I'd named the folder with the draft and archive docs 'Scrivener'. I changed that and all good now :) And WOW, I'd no idea it could import a webpage into research. That's wonderful. And snapshots! YES. I'm still sorting out the versions and mess I ended up with in the old days of trying to use Word for drafts and notes. THANK YOU!
This was very helpful, as I am a writer wannabe and full of stories, and trying organizing tools like Scrivener. Thank you for the clarity! It is a real shame Scrivener can't find a solution for the iCloud issue ... oh well, AirDrop will just have to do in a pinch. Thanks again and keep these coming. ☮️
Thank you. But let me warn you against AirDrop. It's a great, great thing, but it's manual. You will have to remember to AirDrop the Scrivener document between your devices and also remember which device has the latest one. It will go wrong. There's not going to be a solution that lets Scrivener use iCloud because of how the two work right at heart. But you're unlikely to have any Scrivener document that is bigger than the free space Dropbox offers: I've been using Scrivener with Dropbox from the start and I am still on the free version.
@@WilliamGallagher Just to confirm, there seems to be one file ".scriv" which is the whole project and up-to-date if I quit Scrivener before doing some sort of manual copy, correct? I don't see a folder with many files for each project. And I am just not a fan of Dropbox, especially since I pay Apple $3/month for iCloud (which does work for most apps) ... I do understand the "manual delimma" though. Thank you for the reply and the extra information.
The .scriv file is the complete thing, yes. But while you see it as a single file, it’s really a package containing very many parts. The trouble is that iCloud, because of how it is designed, could well sync some of those parts at one point and the others a little later. It breaks the Scrivener document. I hear you about paying for iCloud, I do the same, but for what we need, Dropbox is free. So I’m fine using it for this.
Thank you. And sort of: I chose not to screen record the process because it's long, but I did talk through what it does, what you need to know, and what you need to worry about in the last section, which you can find here: ua-cam.com/video/2d55-sbWMh4/v-deo.html
In particular, I like your style of presenting! Not going into every detail but explaining what is really needed and most helpful to get writing though preventing time consuming mistakes on the way. I’m using Scrivener for some time already. One question still bothers me: is there still no way in Scrivener to password protect one’s work? For some of my projects this was a deal breaker to use Scrivener.
Thank you. I don't believe there is a way to password-protect a Scrivener document, no. But I realise I haven't looked into it before because my Macs are password-protected and Dropbox where I store the documents is encrypted. Could that be enough?
@@WilliamGallagher in some cases it might be enough, but there are situations where a second layer of protection might be required or advised: e.g. during the time window where the computer is still unlocked until it locks itself according to the settings one chose; or more than one admin on the same computer, … I was just curious if you’d know some way to do it in Scrivener. Thanks taking the time to reply.
Thank you! I enjoyed this video very much. However, as much as most people who buy and use Scrivener write fiction, there are people like me who write academic work, and that means footnotes and bibliographies. The Research section of Scrivener might as well not have been there because it's too feeble, at least for my stuff, but LiquidText and Obsidian take care of that. But what about bibliographies, inline references and things like that? Any idea where I could get a good overview of what's involved? Thanks again for the lovely video.
There is a Settings, General, Citations section in Scrivener but I've not used it. Have you looked into that one? And, oh, LiquidText is amazing, absolutely. Thanks.
Absolutely wonderful video! I have a question, do you know of a “simple” app where one can noodle over a difficult paragraph, changing and rewriting many times, etc, before sharing or sending to Scrivener. I just got Bear for that purpose, super clean writing area, but to my dismay, what was sent to Scrivener was a pdf.
That sounds less about the app you write in and more about the Mac or iPad's Share feature. If it is just a paragraph, I suggest you just copy and paste into Scrivener. Or more specifically, copy and then from the Edit menu choose "Paste and Match Style" so that the new text fits with everything else and you don't have sudden font changes. I presume there must be a way to share an excerpt via Shortcuts, but I've just been looking and I can't see a way to specify that I want to share to Scrivener.
That's a good point: I don't know and I'm surprised to say that I haven't even thought about it. I seem to remember a lot of work being done on the Windows version, possibly to bring it up to parity with the Mac one, but that was a long time ago.
Yes, there is a crucial difference between iCloud and Dropbox. As much as I use and actually very much like iCloud, the way it physically does its syncing will break Scrivener documents. (Scrivener saves one document as what appears to be a single file, but is really a package of very many of them tied together. Dropbox will sync them all together, but iCloud will sync only parts at a time. So you could open a document on one machine and find that only some of it had been synced from your other one.).
another vote for a 3bg for Ulysses… and have you seen an ipad only app called MUSE - a sort of digital whiteboard but the best outlining experience if you don’t get on with mind map tools great videos as ever and proper grown talk!
With Apple's updates along with the M3 iMacs, I missed that Apple moved the local copy of my Scrivener projects on Dropbox (mirrored). As a result I have projects that I worked on offline and online but neither project were "mirroring." Has anyone got in this pickle, and found a solution to reconcile safely the work contained in both copies?
I'm not clear what's caused this: there was no macOS change specifically for the M3, at least not a user-facing one like this. And I had no issue when moving to Apple Silicon. I think your best bet is to contact Scrivener support. If it's caused by an Apple change, it must've affected a lot of people and so Scrivener's support team may be aware of it.
how does it cope with photos? My book has thousands in it and am really struggling with googledocs and only a quarter of the way in it won't let me download it any more... If I replicate such a book in scrivener would I have the same issue?
I don't know, but I suspect Scrivener would have to be the same. But there is one thing: if you already know this then I'm wasting your time, but whenever this has come up before, there's been the same reason behind it. Someone drags in a photo, then resizes it to what looks good for the book -- but the word processor retains the full-size image. So you think you've neatly reduced everything but the file size gets bloated incredibly and everything slows down. Could that be what you're seeing? I now always resize images to what I want before I drag them in.
thanks William, but I want them full size with full resolution in case we go for a print version. I couldn't bear the thought of resizing them all for the printer to tell me he wants full res. What I have found is that for 200 pages I have nearly a gigabyte file... War and Peace would have fit on a 1MB floppy...
Sounds risky to me. What are you using to automatically backup to Dropbox on closing Scrivener? It's already easy to forget to close a Scrivener document and so get into problems when you open it on a second machine. This feels like it's adding an extra step and so increasing the chance of something going wrong.
@@WilliamGallagher I have the windows version of scrivener. You have your save location, which I have set to My Documents, but if you go into Options/Backup/Backup Location. There it will backup everytime you close scrivener. I set this to dropbox. The good thing about this is that my book is backed up in 2 locations. There is also a tickbox on this page, to save automatic backups. That has to be on. I have it set to back up on project close, but you can also tick backup on project save too, if you don't like shutting scrivener down.
If you're in a chapter, Snapshots grab just that chapter. But you can select many or all of them in the Binder, then choose the Documents menu, then Snapshots, then Take Snapshots of Selected Documents. That will grab the lot, though I think it divides them into separate chapters.
Question for you, William. When I go to save the project in Dropbox, I get a warning message that tells me the project is "not in a recommended save location". "The project is stored inside its own automatic backups folder. This could potentially result in data loss in the event of an automatic backup trying to overwrite the current project file. It is therefore strongly recommended that you close the project and move it to a different location." Am I doing something wrong?
It sounds to me as though you're not actually saving it to Dropbox. What should happen is that you have a Scrivener folder in Dropbox, and separately on your Mac there is a backups folder. Mine is at /Users/williamgallagher/Library/Application Support/Scrivener/Backups, for instance. Somehow I think you're saving it to there. I suggest you save it, then do a Save As to make a new version within the Dropbox folder. You'll get confused between the two copies for a while -- or at least I get confused by it - so make really sure everything is saved and then make even more sure that when you open the newly saved version in Dropbox that it has everything you expect.
Mike, I had the same issue. I changed the name of the Dropbox folder that contains my Scriv work and other archive stuff so it no longer includes the word 'Scrivener' and stopped getting the messages. Hope that helps.
Disappointed that for a serious writing app, I can’t rely on Scrivener to Sync iOS via iCloud! What’s with that? I don’t want to use Dropbox. So what now? How can I use Scrivener on iPad & ensure files sync?
This is covered the video: you can’t, but it’s for solid reasons. Apple’s iCloud is built on syncing a lot of very small items and it works very well, but any one Scrivener document can be made up of a number of items - and iCloud won’t sync them all at once. So you’d end up with a corrupted Scrivener document. I get why sticking to just one cloud service is better than having a couple, but Scrivener documents tend to be small though that a book won’t fill even Dropbox’s free amount of storage.
Hi got a query. Can you take a chunk of completed work and flow it into Scriv or do have to type everything in line by line or paragraph. Im particularly thinking of radio or stage scripts.
You can paste any text in to Scrivener. Radio and stage script formatting varies so I can’t know for sure that you won’t have to fiddle with them after you’ve pasted, though. I’d get the trial version ne see what happens.
@@WilliamGallagher Does that commit you to a subscription or can you literally just trial it? I've looked at the categories as I'm interested in radio and UK stage drama. What is BBc taped drama though? Does that mean TV?
@@harryturnbull1884 You can just try it, yes. If you like it, it’s then a single outright purchase, there’s no subscription. And BBC Taped Drama is the ugliest of old studio formats, invented in the 50s and meant more for camera operators than anyone else. But it’s the format that EastEnders and Doctors use to this day. I use the regular Screenplay template for everything but radio and theatre. For radio I’ve been writing in a Pages template I created ages ago but I plan to move to Scrivener next time.
@@harryturnbull1884 The trial period for Scrivener was astonishingly long.. 75 days of actual use as I recall (ie if you don't open it for a week, those days aren't included). By that time I was quite comfortable with it and the then price was so also amazingly low.
Couldn't you use Google Drive to sync your work in the cloud, thus having it available on the go? Google Drive has 15 Gbytes of storage space, which is more than what you need for a single book.
Apparently no. I presume that Google Drive syncs in a similar way to iCloud, because the makers of Scrivener say that there is risk of serious data loss if you use it. (Because a single Scrivener document is actually a package of very many bits, such as your drafts and research, and only some bits may have synced over the next time you use Scrivener on a different device.)
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. And OmniOutliner now goes on the list, or rather it moves from What I'd Like To Do over to What's Actually Been Asked For and So is a Higher Priority. Much appreciated.
My #1 issue with Scrivener is that I always make a backup thumb drive copy at the end of the day and it’s absolutely not set up for that. Super frustrating every single day. Seems so simple… give an option for a dated backup copy which is not available in the menu and etc. WHY Would it ever do that? Try to start working from your backup copy on a thumb drive which I never keep connected to my computer in case something happens to it!
How do you make the backup? I can see a way that if you knew for certain that the document was closed and that any changes on different machines were saved, then you could use a backup app to just copy the Scrivener project whenever you insert a thumb drive. Or perhaps a thumb drive with a certain name. That might need something more, like the Keyboard Maestro Mac utility that I swear can do anything.
I would very much like to see you show us your Scrivener knowledge on Windows. Just starting with Scrivener3 and I like your style, you seem like a delightful companion to learn from... and how can one refuse 3 biscuits?
Ah, you wave biscuits at me, but then you say Windows. I know nothing about Windows. I do get that Scrivener is at least remarkably similar, startlingly so, but it’s years since I’ve used a PC. Not even sure I’ve got one around to demonstrate on. If you’re just starting with it, though, then surely you’re in a good place to see what’s clear and what needs explaining. You could do a Windows video yourself.
@@WilliamGallagher You are so funny. Bless your heart. With Scrivener3 the Windows version... apparently it is closer to the MAC version. I will just learn from you and bring my own biscuits! Waving biscuits more!
I'm only 1/3 of one biscuit in, but why can't you use iCloud inside of DropBox for saving? I'm still working with Pages on that landscape project with pictures and more. I've save the biscuit and be back.
It's because of how iCloud syncing works. Apple's one is tremendous when your documents are single items, like one Pages file. Scrivener, partly because of all the research you can add in, has "one" document that is actually countless different little bits glued together. Under iCloud, you would find that some of the document had synced before the rest and it just breaks. Not a criticism of iCloud, just the way it works.
Yes to all: I've not heard of Zotero but a swift search says yes, that integrates with Scrivener. And you can do footnotes and references in Scrivener.
Watching now, sitting on my hands to share my favorite Scrivener trick... You may have it later in your video - but I shall try to snatch the pebble from your hand!
@@WilliamGallagher I think UA-cam ate my reply - sorry 'bout that. It's nothing really dramatic, but it changed how I used Scrivener. Click Windows->Layouts and choose the Three Pane outliner. That will give you an outline on the left and a document on the right. As you select outline elements on the left, the associated document will appear to the right. For a better outlining experience, right click on the outline header bar and turn off everything except title and synopsis. It will be quite a bit like a simple OmniOutliner experience in the left pane, plus the documents in the right. I also like to select the folder I want to work on in the Binder and then turn the Binder off. The Three Pane outliner is better to my taste when pruned to two panes. For better granularity (more outline topics than chapters), outline in a folder under Research. To switch to outline-plus-real-draft, turn off the "automatically open" feature in the bar just under the right hand pane, turn the Binder back on, and open your Draft documents in the right pane with the Binder. Scrivener is very nice with a very nice company behind it. The software is great and the company is a writer's friend.
I had to watch again to see. It’s not baby oil, it’s what was a container for those cotton wool things, the little sticks with cotton on either end. I must have been using it to hold something, perhaps coins, but I can’t remember.
@William Gallagher currently working on book four in a thriller book series. I handwrote the first draft so now typing up for 2nd draft and Scrivener is certainly making it easy to have content and research and notes all in one place.
@@WilliamGallagher I know that old thing with a pen and a pad of paper, was a good process, when I type I am always ahead of myself with handwriting I slowed down and my word choice was better, not sure I would do it the same way for the next book though, lol
If you use Scrivener the way it recommends, it's extremely good. There is just this issue of what happens when you open a Scrivener document on one machine without closing it on another. The app actually does its best to cope even with that, but it is an issue of syncing rather than of Scrivener per se.
I own "Affinity Publisher" which is not really purposed for book writing, but is usable to do so. I can see features that I like in Scrivener; anybody here has both the programs and give me an opinion?
I adore Affinity Publisher, but I'll never write a word in it. Not true: if I have to fix a mistake in the text or add a sentence in, possibly as much as a paragraph, then fine. But for actual writing, it simply isn't built for it. I do obviously like and recommend Scrivener, but really anything you can write text in that you can then import into Publisher is good.
I like the name creating feature. I tend to create my own names based on real people which I have crossed in my life. Having a disclaimer is sufficient to clear any problem that could arise with people bearing the same name. As I found, a lot of the names used world wide are not unique.
Someone once asked if they could include me in their novel: name, personality, physical description, all of it. I said yes immediately because I knew she'd never finish.
Well done, I enjoyed that. I personally use Scrivener and Final Draft / Fade In for the Script and it works for me. It has taken me years of use with scrivener to really give it the respect it deserves and demands. Perhaps that's just me, but looking back the competition has never hung around long enough to be a threat to Scriveners crown, it remains king of its domain for me. How about a "Three Biscuit" review of "Aeon Timeline"?
Ive just tested Aeon timeline 3 for several weeks and it really is not ready. The mind map option seems to be standalone and simply does nothing.....so you are left with basically a spreadsheet view and a narrative. The only thing it does well is synch with Scrivener and Ulysses. Im using mind node ( thanks William for pointing me int that direction) and ulysses.
Hey, reached the end of your Scrivener vids... was hoping that you might point me toward some other writers talking about how to use Scrivener. There are plenty of "Scrivener For Beginners" vids. I am far more interested in the deep secrets that only advanced users know and have discovered. PS. Please don't point me towards yet more happy-talk blonde fantasy-fiction-writing-teen-girls-fiction, or new-tech-Christian-ministers… I can't take it!
Googles "Happy Talk Blond Fantasy Fiction Writing Teen Girls Fiction"... Have you checked out Scrivener's own website? They have a forum on there which I imagine must get really deep into it.
@@WilliamGallagher Although I have had Scrivener for a while I am just beginning to learn all the features. I have now Scrivener for Windows version 3. So, although your presentation here is very good, there are slight differences now between the versions and that it is not on a Mac.
The need for Dropbox is where Scrivener fails.I've read their excuses about why they don't use iCloud and it's still a deal-breaker. I'm not signing up for yet another cloud service just to use one app.
Now, I don’t see it as an excuse, I see it as a reason. If the Scrivener firm made money out of Dropbox, that would be different. But they don’t and for what we would use it for - a couple of books at a time - then the free Dropbox is fine. My one hesitation now is that Dropbox has tightened the limit on how many of your devices can use it when you are on the free version.
Yeah, that's the problem. You take too much time. Scrivener could have been good but they don't know how to guide while doing the job. Too bad. Move on.
It is a strange, strange thing but I truly had not noticed how long it has been since a major update to Scrivener. I just use it and like it. But now it’s been pointed out to me, I remember it being some years before the previous version too. Maybe we’re due.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
What a cracking good tutorial. Thank you.
Ten years ago, I wrote a book, as yet unpublished, using WORD.
Using Word, I became fluent in profanity trying to locate chapters, drafts, research and so forth. The process became a nightmare. This app may just make me a better person. Thanks, again.
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. Longer ago than you, I used to relish an online resource called "Bend Word to Your Will" which had thousands of really key tips. Until one day I just realised I could use Pages or Scrivener or just about anything else, and spend my time actually writing.
Thanks for the video..... After I did my first novel in Scrivener, I will never go back. My novel is a wired story jumping back and forth in time and place, things are connected and characters are changing into some one else.... yes, I know, it sounds crazy.... and also the intensity of the story will expand from a norman novel to a hard blown actionmovie..... I would never had been able to do this in any other program. Moving stuff around in the storyline, keeping notes, using colors to keep the events together, the tool where I can reed sections connected alone,- and my favorite feature, the "clean just write" mode. Crazy...... right now I am using Scrivener for writing a 3 book fantasy story..... many words, many people and places..... this is why I love Scrivener, because I am no afraid to do this....
I now use it all sorts of things..... my speeches, my standup, my work as master of ceremony.
so if you are a writer, fiction og non-fiction, dont wait.... dont let Word kill your momentum,- buy Scrivener NOW and get back to work.
Thinking about your momentum point there. Isn't it strange how you can type on the same keyboard, on the same device, but still there is such a difference in writing apps? I find Word slows me down and Scrivener, Pages, OmniOutliner, all sorts of other ones speed me up.
Very nice to see a description of Scriv from someone that actually uses the tools.
Thanks, I appreciate that. I’ve had times when I’ve tried something because of a review and realised the reviewer can’t possibly have used it. Once it was even clear that they hadn’t launched it because - the developer later admitted - there was a bug that meant it crashed on launch. Don’t ask me how it made it through Apple’s approvals.
Thank you, William. That’s the clearest tutorial on Scrivener I’ve ever seen! 📚📖📒
Thanks, that's very good of you to say.
I just want to leave a comment thanking you for the time and effort you put into these tutorials. I've been using Scrivener for years, and I still learned a lot from this. So thanks to you from Kentucky!
Thank you, that's made my day. And I've been to Kentucky: I only had a day but I liked it enormously.
Yet again an excellent 3BG....I've had scrivener for years and lost HOURS if not days of work because I forgot to close it down in my office...sat down on sofa with laptop and then started working on same document .....disaster. Scrivener for me personally will always be flawed until they implement somehow iCloud and instantaneous synch . THAT is the number one reason I moved over to Ulysses. Your Scrivener guide yet again does an excellent job of reminding us that we write text. End. Everything else is bells and whistles. Ulysses allows me to do that across multiple devices and drag blocks of text around to create a structure.
You did ask for suggestions for future 3BGs so:
1. Ulysses - for long form fiction .
2. Advanced drafts- with some of the drafts actions I could actually write solely in Drafts it is now SO powerful.
Ooooh. That would be another vote for Ulysses but a first for Drafts' actions. I am woefully underusing Drafts, this could be the excuse I need... to put off writing. I like it, thank you.
@@WilliamGallagher Comments seem to be disappearing from here- drafts actions are really powerful- drafts to MindNode,omnioutliner,ulysses etc.
Wonderful thanks for your time putting this together. I will send this link out to all my writing clients struggling with Scrivener. Your guide is more accessible than the instructional videos put out by Literature and Latte itself at this time.
Goodness, that's very kind of you to say. Thanks.
William, you are a Genius! We are big fans of Scrivener and your UA-cam contributions. Informative and entertaining at the same time, Keep On Keeping On. Much appreciated, Julian and Pam
Goodness, that's very kind of you to say. Thank you both.
The word ‘Genius’ has now been devaluated and holds only 00.7% of it’s orginal value. It is, in fact, almost meaningless, except to youtube viewers who, in their cultural poverty, lack the ability to apply a better term.
@Mr.Monta77 Well.
@@WilliamGallagher Sarcasm intended, I should possibly have added.
Brilliant chat, thank you again for your work! Initially I was a bit put off by the length of the video, but I quickly realized how silly that trepidation was once you started speaking. Your style and humor are the perfect companion for exploring the software. I’ve been on Scrivener for years, and somehow I missed the snapshot bit, thank you for that little nugget! I giggled about the name generator-“all work and no play,” after all, no? Thank you again for your work, newly subscribed and looking forward to enjoying the bounty of the channel!
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. I worried about the length, but I wanted to make a single comprehensive video. I might do more chapters and signposting, though.
This is incredible, thank you so much for this in-depth guide! I’ve been wanting a place to start writing and now’s my chance. Having everything right in front of me that’s neatly packed, labelled properly, and aesthetically pleasing just scratches a good spot in my brain. 😂
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. Now go write something!
Thank you this has been very useful. I just purchased the MacBook Pro to be able to get the full screen of Scrivener rather than the iPad version. However, I am now a novice at using the Mac and find myself learning not only scrivener but how to navigate through Mac! In your video you delightfully referenced the ability to use the Name Generator via an Edit ability on the Mac. I can not find this any where. Please enlighten me when you can! Thank you! A very novice writer......15 stressful minutes later, Voila, there it was when I entered full screen of Scrivener. As I said, I am new to MacBook. I can not tell you how excited I am you mentioned this little, wonderful, transformative tool!
Thanks. Do you mean you found the Name Generator? I had to go searching, too, but it's under the Edit menu. Choose Edit, then Writing Tools and then you get the Name Generator at the very bottom of the list. 58keys is about the Mac in part because UA-cam likes a specific niche, but really because I love this stuff and I don't believe I'd have had the writing career I have without Macs. I hope you come to love yours as much..
@@WilliamGallagher yes! It took a bit but I did find it and will definitely use it!
Wonderful tutorial. Clear and concise. Unfortunately, I've no longer got any excuses for delaying writing. All that "Can't start writing yet because I need to learn Scrivener, and it's really complicated so it'll take me some time before I can start working on the novel" nonsense no longer works.
So, thanks William for making it easier to understand....and damn you for forcing me to actually commit to starting the novel.
Thank you -- and sorry, too.
I’ve had Scrivener for Mac for several years, but up until now I haven’t known how to use it because the instructions have been baffling. I came across your UA-cam I was riveted. For the first time I can see the sense in it. It’s still going to take time, of course, but at least it now makes more sense. Thank you 👍
That’s made my day, thank you.
Many thanks for this. I just bought Scrivener today and your tutorial really helps.
Thank you. I hope you relish Scrivener as much as I do.
a wonderful introduction to Scrivener! I have wanted to learn how to use it, but most people's advice has only made me more confused. Thanks to you, I feel really confident now...
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. Now, of course, you just have to go write in Scrivener. Off you pop - and do let me know how you get on.
Fantastic! I've watched several 'how to's on Scrivener before but never quite got to grips with it. Now I've watched yours, I know exactly what to do: Start writing! Thank you.
That made me beam, thanks. Isn't the advice always, always "start writing"? Except when it's "keep writing." Or, as in this case with me right now, "stop making tea and get back to writing."
There are precious few Scrivener courses (of length) on UA-cam. Thank you sir, for your great lesson.
Thank you, that's very good of you to say.
Just came across your tutorial William. I though it enjoyable and very informative. Thank you so much - good job.
Thank you, that's very good of you to say.
Thanks for this William. I've just started with Scrivner on my first Mac Air M1 and this has been just the job. I'm in the process of getting my work on to it now and I can get back to banging out plenty of words. Many thanks once again
Excellent. Would you let me know how you get on? Scrivener and a MacBook Air are a very nice combination.
Loved this. I would like to get my head around Scrivener’s ‘Folder to file’ features where a text file (not a folder) can contain subtexts. I use Scrivener folders to fence my thoughts into one chapter that wants to bloat into a crazy number of scenes - each scene becomes a text file within a folder. But the idea of text files with sub-text files shakes my confidence in what’s real. It’s territory I daren’t step into. Compiling is a breeze by comparison. Guidance welcome.
If I understand you correctly, this is about the way you can drag one text file into another. So then you have the first text file and tucked away within it, the next or however many you want. I see how to do it, and I suppose I can see the advantage in how you can collapse those text files so that only the top one is showing. But I don't know why I would use that.
Excellent vidéo! I’ve been using Scrivener for a couple of years now and was doing okay with it. This video taught me a number of new features that I didn’t know existed. Thank you William for taking the time to explain this great program to us!
Thank you, that's so good of you to say.
This is wonderful,. You mentioned early to save in Dropbox, I always have but Scriv has prompted me that I was saving in an inappropriate place at risk of automatic overwriting. While watching you it occurred to me that I'd named the folder with the draft and archive docs 'Scrivener'. I changed that and all good now :)
And WOW, I'd no idea it could import a webpage into research. That's wonderful. And snapshots! YES. I'm still sorting out the versions and mess I ended up with in the old days of trying to use Word for drafts and notes. THANK YOU!
That's made my day, thank you.
This was very helpful, as I am a writer wannabe and full of stories, and trying organizing tools like Scrivener. Thank you for the clarity! It is a real shame Scrivener can't find a solution for the iCloud issue ... oh well, AirDrop will just have to do in a pinch. Thanks again and keep these coming. ☮️
Thank you. But let me warn you against AirDrop. It's a great, great thing, but it's manual. You will have to remember to AirDrop the Scrivener document between your devices and also remember which device has the latest one. It will go wrong. There's not going to be a solution that lets Scrivener use iCloud because of how the two work right at heart. But you're unlikely to have any Scrivener document that is bigger than the free space Dropbox offers: I've been using Scrivener with Dropbox from the start and I am still on the free version.
@@WilliamGallagher Just to confirm, there seems to be one file ".scriv" which is the whole project and up-to-date if I quit Scrivener before doing some sort of manual copy, correct? I don't see a folder with many files for each project. And I am just not a fan of Dropbox, especially since I pay Apple $3/month for iCloud (which does work for most apps) ... I do understand the "manual delimma" though. Thank you for the reply and the extra information.
The .scriv file is the complete thing, yes. But while you see it as a single file, it’s really a package containing very many parts. The trouble is that iCloud, because of how it is designed, could well sync some of those parts at one point and the others a little later. It breaks the Scrivener document. I hear you about paying for iCloud, I do the same, but for what we need, Dropbox is free. So I’m fine using it for this.
@@WilliamGallagher Thank you ... and I'm looking forward to watching more videos.
Excellent video! However, did I miss you showing how to compile the full document?
Thank you. And sort of: I chose not to screen record the process because it's long, but I did talk through what it does, what you need to know, and what you need to worry about in the last section, which you can find here: ua-cam.com/video/2d55-sbWMh4/v-deo.html
In particular, I like your style of presenting! Not going into every detail but explaining what is really needed and most helpful to get writing though preventing time consuming mistakes on the way. I’m using Scrivener for some time already.
One question still bothers me: is there still no way in Scrivener to password protect one’s work? For some of my projects this was a deal breaker to use Scrivener.
Thank you. I don't believe there is a way to password-protect a Scrivener document, no. But I realise I haven't looked into it before because my Macs are password-protected and Dropbox where I store the documents is encrypted. Could that be enough?
@@WilliamGallagher in some cases it might be enough, but there are situations where a second layer of protection might be required or advised: e.g. during the time window where the computer is still unlocked until it locks itself according to the settings one chose; or more than one admin on the same computer, …
I was just curious if you’d know some way to do it in Scrivener. Thanks taking the time to reply.
this guide was really great and enjoyable
Thank you.
One thing I forgot to mention was Mindnode & Scrivener. Saving mindmaps within Scrivener with MIndnode is a joy, I cant praise it enough.
That never even occurred to me. I’m having that, thank you.
Thank you! I enjoyed this video very much. However, as much as most people who buy and use Scrivener write fiction, there are people like me who write academic work, and that means footnotes and bibliographies. The Research section of Scrivener might as well not have been there because it's too feeble, at least for my stuff, but LiquidText and Obsidian take care of that. But what about bibliographies, inline references and things like that? Any idea where I could get a good overview of what's involved? Thanks again for the lovely video.
There is a Settings, General, Citations section in Scrivener but I've not used it. Have you looked into that one? And, oh, LiquidText is amazing, absolutely. Thanks.
Bravo for your pledge about Scrivener.
Thank you. I had to think there what I'd pledged.
Thanks, William... very helpful for a complete novice.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Absolutely wonderful video! I have a question, do you know of a “simple” app where one can noodle over a difficult paragraph, changing and rewriting many times, etc, before sharing or sending to Scrivener. I just got Bear for that purpose, super clean writing area, but to my dismay, what was sent to Scrivener was a pdf.
That sounds less about the app you write in and more about the Mac or iPad's Share feature. If it is just a paragraph, I suggest you just copy and paste into Scrivener. Or more specifically, copy and then from the Edit menu choose "Paste and Match Style" so that the new text fits with everything else and you don't have sudden font changes. I presume there must be a way to share an excerpt via Shortcuts, but I've just been looking and I can't see a way to specify that I want to share to Scrivener.
@@WilliamGallagher Thank you! That was very helpful, copy-past is just fine. Thanks again for all your wonderful videos!
When are Lit & Latte going to do a complete update? Does anyone know?
That's a good point: I don't know and I'm surprised to say that I haven't even thought about it. I seem to remember a lot of work being done on the Windows version, possibly to bring it up to parity with the Mac one, but that was a long time ago.
Nice approach to the whole thing. Thanks.
Thank you.
Best tutorial I've seen on youtube; there isn't any similar in german. But: Why don't you use icloud? Is there a difference to dropbox?
Yes, there is a crucial difference between iCloud and Dropbox. As much as I use and actually very much like iCloud, the way it physically does its syncing will break Scrivener documents. (Scrivener saves one document as what appears to be a single file, but is really a package of very many of them tied together. Dropbox will sync them all together, but iCloud will sync only parts at a time. So you could open a document on one machine and find that only some of it had been synced from your other one.).
@@WilliamGallagher Ah, okay, didn't know that. Thank you very much for the quick and detailed answer. Helped me a lot. 🙏
another vote for a 3bg for Ulysses… and have you seen an ipad only app called MUSE - a sort of digital whiteboard but the best outlining experience if you don’t get on with mind map tools
great videos as ever and proper grown talk!
Oooh, no, I don't know of MUSE: thanks, I'll take a look. And thank you: I appreciate your saying this.
With Apple's updates along with the M3 iMacs, I missed that Apple moved the local copy of my Scrivener projects on Dropbox (mirrored). As a result I have projects that I worked on offline and online but neither project were "mirroring." Has anyone got in this pickle, and found a solution to reconcile safely the work contained in both copies?
I'm not clear what's caused this: there was no macOS change specifically for the M3, at least not a user-facing one like this. And I had no issue when moving to Apple Silicon. I think your best bet is to contact Scrivener support. If it's caused by an Apple change, it must've affected a lot of people and so Scrivener's support team may be aware of it.
how does it cope with photos? My book has thousands in it and am really struggling with googledocs and only a quarter of the way in it won't let me download it any more... If I replicate such a book in scrivener would I have the same issue?
I don't know, but I suspect Scrivener would have to be the same. But there is one thing: if you already know this then I'm wasting your time, but whenever this has come up before, there's been the same reason behind it. Someone drags in a photo, then resizes it to what looks good for the book -- but the word processor retains the full-size image. So you think you've neatly reduced everything but the file size gets bloated incredibly and everything slows down. Could that be what you're seeing? I now always resize images to what I want before I drag them in.
thanks William, but I want them full size with full resolution in case we go for a print version. I couldn't bear the thought of resizing them all for the printer to tell me he wants full res. What I have found is that for 200 pages I have nearly a gigabyte file... War and Peace would have fit on a 1MB floppy...
I find the best way to save it to your documents, and you can autobackup to dropbox, when you close the programme.
Sounds risky to me. What are you using to automatically backup to Dropbox on closing Scrivener? It's already easy to forget to close a Scrivener document and so get into problems when you open it on a second machine. This feels like it's adding an extra step and so increasing the chance of something going wrong.
@@WilliamGallagher I have the windows version of scrivener. You have your save location, which I have set to My Documents, but if you go into Options/Backup/Backup Location. There it will backup everytime you close scrivener. I set this to dropbox. The good thing about this is that my book is backed up in 2 locations. There is also a tickbox on this page, to save automatic backups. That has to be on. I have it set to back up on project close, but you can also tick backup on project save too, if you don't like shutting scrivener down.
Does Snapshot "grap" the Chapter or the whole book?
If you're in a chapter, Snapshots grab just that chapter. But you can select many or all of them in the Binder, then choose the Documents menu, then Snapshots, then Take Snapshots of Selected Documents. That will grab the lot, though I think it divides them into separate chapters.
Question for you, William. When I go to save the project in Dropbox, I get a warning message that tells me the project is "not in a recommended save location". "The project is stored inside its own automatic backups folder. This could potentially result in data loss in the event of an automatic backup trying to overwrite the current project file. It is therefore strongly recommended that you close the project and move it to a different location." Am I doing something wrong?
It sounds to me as though you're not actually saving it to Dropbox. What should happen is that you have a Scrivener folder in Dropbox, and separately on your Mac there is a backups folder. Mine is at /Users/williamgallagher/Library/Application Support/Scrivener/Backups, for instance. Somehow I think you're saving it to there. I suggest you save it, then do a Save As to make a new version within the Dropbox folder. You'll get confused between the two copies for a while -- or at least I get confused by it - so make really sure everything is saved and then make even more sure that when you open the newly saved version in Dropbox that it has everything you expect.
Mike, I had the same issue. I changed the name of the Dropbox folder that contains my Scriv work and other archive stuff so it no longer includes the word 'Scrivener' and stopped getting the messages. Hope that helps.
Disappointed that for a serious writing app, I can’t rely on Scrivener to Sync iOS via iCloud! What’s with that? I don’t want to use Dropbox. So what now? How can I use Scrivener on iPad & ensure files sync?
This is covered the video: you can’t, but it’s for solid reasons. Apple’s iCloud is built on syncing a lot of very small items and it works very well, but any one Scrivener document can be made up of a number of items - and iCloud won’t sync them all at once. So you’d end up with a corrupted Scrivener document. I get why sticking to just one cloud service is better than having a couple, but Scrivener documents tend to be small though that a book won’t fill even Dropbox’s free amount of storage.
Hi got a query. Can you take a chunk of completed work and flow it into Scriv or do have to type everything in line by line or paragraph. Im particularly thinking of radio or stage scripts.
You can paste any text in to Scrivener. Radio and stage script formatting varies so I can’t know for sure that you won’t have to fiddle with them after you’ve pasted, though. I’d get the trial version ne see what happens.
@@WilliamGallagher Does that commit you to a subscription or can you literally just trial it? I've looked at the categories as I'm interested in radio and UK stage drama. What is BBc taped drama though? Does that mean TV?
@@harryturnbull1884 You can just try it, yes. If you like it, it’s then a single outright purchase, there’s no subscription. And BBC Taped Drama is the ugliest of old studio formats, invented in the 50s and meant more for camera operators than anyone else. But it’s the format that EastEnders and Doctors use to this day. I use the regular Screenplay template for everything but radio and theatre. For radio I’ve been writing in a Pages template I created ages ago but I plan to move to Scrivener next time.
@@harryturnbull1884 The trial period for Scrivener was astonishingly long.. 75 days of actual use as I recall (ie if you don't open it for a week, those days aren't included). By that time I was quite comfortable with it and the then price was so also amazingly low.
Couldn't you use Google Drive to sync your work in the cloud, thus having it available on the go? Google Drive has 15 Gbytes of storage space, which is more than what you need for a single book.
Apparently no. I presume that Google Drive syncs in a similar way to iCloud, because the makers of Scrivener say that there is risk of serious data loss if you use it. (Because a single Scrivener document is actually a package of very many bits, such as your drafts and research, and only some bits may have synced over the next time you use Scrivener on a different device.)
I would personally love a Three Biscuit Guide of OmniOutliner. I really enjoy the way you explain the apps :)
Thank you, that's very good of you to say. And OmniOutliner now goes on the list, or rather it moves from What I'd Like To Do over to What's Actually Been Asked For and So is a Higher Priority. Much appreciated.
@@WilliamGallagher do you find much overlap between your use of OmniOutliner and Scrivener? Do you go for one over the other in certain situations?
I learned loads. Thank you 🙂
I'm so pleased. Thanks.
My #1 issue with Scrivener is that I always make a backup thumb drive copy at the end of the day and it’s absolutely not set up for that. Super frustrating every single day. Seems so simple… give an option for a dated backup copy which is not available in the menu and etc. WHY Would it ever do that? Try to start working from your backup copy on a thumb drive which I never keep connected to my computer in case something happens to it!
How do you make the backup? I can see a way that if you knew for certain that the document was closed and that any changes on different machines were saved, then you could use a backup app to just copy the Scrivener project whenever you insert a thumb drive. Or perhaps a thumb drive with a certain name. That might need something more, like the Keyboard Maestro Mac utility that I swear can do anything.
@@WilliamGallagher Thank you William!! I am intending to get a MAC as my next computer 😊… sounds good!!
I would very much like to see you show us your Scrivener knowledge on Windows. Just starting with Scrivener3 and I like your style, you seem like a delightful companion to learn from... and how can one refuse 3 biscuits?
Ah, you wave biscuits at me, but then you say Windows. I know nothing about Windows. I do get that Scrivener is at least remarkably similar, startlingly so, but it’s years since I’ve used a PC. Not even sure I’ve got one around to demonstrate on. If you’re just starting with it, though, then surely you’re in a good place to see what’s clear and what needs explaining. You could do a Windows video yourself.
@@WilliamGallagher You are so funny. Bless your heart. With Scrivener3 the Windows version... apparently it is closer to the MAC version. I will just learn from you and bring my own biscuits! Waving biscuits more!
@@luannapierce2544 Hmm. It would be rude of me to not wave biscuits back, wouldn’t it? You are very bad for me: thank you hugely.
I'm only 1/3 of one biscuit in, but why can't you use iCloud inside of DropBox for saving? I'm still working with Pages on that landscape project with pictures and more. I've save the biscuit and be back.
It's because of how iCloud syncing works. Apple's one is tremendous when your documents are single items, like one Pages file. Scrivener, partly because of all the research you can add in, has "one" document that is actually countless different little bits glued together. Under iCloud, you would find that some of the document had synced before the rest and it just breaks. Not a criticism of iCloud, just the way it works.
@@WilliamGallagher got it, thanks for the explanation.
What about footnotes? References? Does it integrate with Zotero?
Yes to all: I've not heard of Zotero but a swift search says yes, that integrates with Scrivener. And you can do footnotes and references in Scrivener.
Watching now, sitting on my hands to share my favorite Scrivener trick... You may have it later in your video - but I shall try to snatch the pebble from your hand!
Tease. You’ve got to tell me. Got to.
@@WilliamGallagher I think UA-cam ate my reply - sorry 'bout that.
It's nothing really dramatic, but it changed how I used Scrivener.
Click Windows->Layouts and choose the Three Pane outliner. That will give you an outline on the left and a document on the right. As you select outline elements on the left, the associated document will appear to the right.
For a better outlining experience, right click on the outline header bar and turn off everything except title and synopsis. It will be quite a bit like a simple OmniOutliner experience in the left pane, plus the documents in the right.
I also like to select the folder I want to work on in the Binder and then turn the Binder off. The Three Pane outliner is better to my taste when pruned to two panes.
For better granularity (more outline topics than chapters), outline in a folder under Research. To switch to outline-plus-real-draft, turn off the "automatically open" feature in the bar just under the right hand pane, turn the Binder back on, and open your Draft documents in the right pane with the Binder.
Scrivener is very nice with a very nice company behind it. The software is great and the company is a writer's friend.
Wish there was a really good tutorial on Scrivener for IOS on an iPad Pro. Nothing covers as much as this for Mac.
Thank you, that’s very good of you to say.
What is that bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby oil doing on your desk?
I had to watch again to see. It’s not baby oil, it’s what was a container for those cotton wool things, the little sticks with cotton on either end. I must have been using it to hold something, perhaps coins, but I can’t remember.
Great video and content, about to use in anger now so this has really helped.
Thank you. But when you're done with the writing, you must tell me what you've been working on. I don't want to interrupt the flow now.
@William Gallagher currently working on book four in a thriller book series. I handwrote the first draft so now typing up for 2nd draft and Scrivener is certainly making it easy to have content and research and notes all in one place.
@@simonpert2485 Handwriting? Handwriting? HANDWRITING?
@@WilliamGallagher I know that old thing with a pen and a pad of paper, was a good process, when I type I am always ahead of myself with handwriting I slowed down and my word choice was better, not sure I would do it the same way for the next book though, lol
@@simonpert2485 Plainly you can read your own handwriting. I'm not bitterly jealous, no. No. Not at all. Nope.
Amazing master class!
Thank you, that's very good of you to say.
Thank you for the excellent video. It was very helpful.
I’m delighted, thank you.
Why do I keep on hearing about “saving” so much scrivener documents? That’s so scary. Why to use an app that seems not reliable.
If you use Scrivener the way it recommends, it's extremely good. There is just this issue of what happens when you open a Scrivener document on one machine without closing it on another. The app actually does its best to cope even with that, but it is an issue of syncing rather than of Scrivener per se.
If using one device Scrivener autosaves as you go. It's only when wanting to use multiple devices there might be any issue.
Thank you! Very appreciated!
Thanks for this, it s very good of you to say.
I own "Affinity Publisher" which is not really purposed for book writing, but is usable to do so. I can see features that I like in Scrivener; anybody here has both the programs and give me an opinion?
I adore Affinity Publisher, but I'll never write a word in it. Not true: if I have to fix a mistake in the text or add a sentence in, possibly as much as a paragraph, then fine. But for actual writing, it simply isn't built for it. I do obviously like and recommend Scrivener, but really anything you can write text in that you can then import into Publisher is good.
I need to buy more biscuits! :)
I fully suspect and endorse this decision. In every way bar financial.
I like the name creating feature. I tend to create my own names based on real people which I have crossed in my life. Having a disclaimer is sufficient to clear any problem that could arise with people bearing the same name. As I found, a lot of the names used world wide are not unique.
Someone once asked if they could include me in their novel: name, personality, physical description, all of it. I said yes immediately because I knew she'd never finish.
thank you!
So pleased it was useful.
Well done, I enjoyed that. I personally use Scrivener and Final Draft / Fade In for the Script and it works for me. It has taken me years of use with scrivener to really give it the respect it deserves and demands. Perhaps that's just me, but looking back the competition has never hung around long enough to be a threat to Scriveners crown, it remains king of its domain for me. How about a "Three Biscuit" review of "Aeon Timeline"?
Thanks. You're not the first to mention Aeon Timeline: at the moment I don't know it remotely well enough, but it's on the list.
Ive just tested Aeon timeline 3 for several weeks and it really is not ready. The mind map option seems to be standalone and simply does nothing.....so you are left with basically a spreadsheet view and a narrative. The only thing it does well is synch with Scrivener and Ulysses. Im using mind node ( thanks William for pointing me int that direction) and ulysses.
@@robertlee7605 Sad to hear that about Aeon, I was kind of hoping they had improved a bit on the 2 version.
Great. Thx
My pleasure.
Hey, reached the end of your Scrivener vids... was hoping that you might point me toward some other writers talking about how to use Scrivener. There are plenty of "Scrivener For Beginners" vids. I am far more interested in the deep secrets that only advanced users know and have discovered.
PS. Please don't point me towards yet more happy-talk blonde fantasy-fiction-writing-teen-girls-fiction, or new-tech-Christian-ministers… I can't take it!
Googles "Happy Talk Blond Fantasy Fiction Writing Teen Girls Fiction"... Have you checked out Scrivener's own website? They have a forum on there which I imagine must get really deep into it.
fyi, There are also Windows users of Scrivener
Well, yes.
@@WilliamGallagher
Although I have had Scrivener for a while I am just beginning to learn all the features. I have now Scrivener for Windows version 3.
So, although your presentation here is very good, there are slight differences now between the versions and that it is not on a Mac.
I have seen many horror movies, but the moment you deleted that entire chapter from your project was the scariest thing I've witnessed.
I can report that the book survived. My nerves, not so much.
The need for Dropbox is where Scrivener fails.I've read their excuses about why they don't use iCloud and it's still a deal-breaker. I'm not signing up for yet another cloud service just to use one app.
Now, I don’t see it as an excuse, I see it as a reason. If the Scrivener firm made money out of Dropbox, that would be different. But they don’t and for what we would use it for - a couple of books at a time - then the free Dropbox is fine. My one hesitation now is that Dropbox has tightened the limit on how many of your devices can use it when you are on the free version.
Yeah, that's the problem. You take too much time. Scrivener could have been good but they don't know how to guide while doing the job. Too bad. Move on.
It is a strange, strange thing but I truly had not noticed how long it has been since a major update to Scrivener. I just use it and like it. But now it’s been pointed out to me, I remember it being some years before the previous version too. Maybe we’re due.