In this article, I'll demonstrate how I use the Comics format that comes built into Scrivener. Then, come back here if you want to know how I use it to write comics. I know they're normally dull as dishwater, but Scrivener's is essential). But if that description intrigues you, you might as well stop reading now and just go buy a copy so you can go through the tutorial and have your mind blown. That's still kind of long-winded, and even that doesn't really do it justice you need to see how these elements work and come together to fully understand it. You can view, rearrange, and edit any combination of multiple documents, in any order, and export any selection of them as a single continuous document - and changing which documents you include is entirely non-destructive. In Scrivener, every text document is simultaneously also an index card, notepad, and folder for other documents, with completely separate text fields for each state. Here's the realisation that made the bell ring for me: Writers are a superstitious cowardly lot, and we loathe learning new computer applications to do something that, let's be honest, we could accomplish equally well with pen and paper - especially when that application is as unconventional as Scrivener.īut it's all worth it. This is often swiftly followed by an email complaining that it's all very confusing and they'll stick to Microsoft Word, thanks. Some of them even listen to me, and download it.

I enthuse about Scrivener to all of my friends.

This is not an ad, payola, or a shill for kickbacks. Scrivener literally changed my working life, for the paltry sum of $45. I've been using it since early 2007, and now I can't imagine working in anything else. But to reach that stage you have to understand what it can do, and try it out for yourself. When you do, a bell rings and suddenly it all seems perfectly clear. Scrivener can be a tricky beast to get your head around. However, the fundamental principles presented here, on how to organise a project with Scrivener, remain fully applicable and I continue to use them to this day. Later versions of the app have rendered some specific details outdated, in particular parts of the user interface, preferences, and the Compile settings (which were completely redesigned to be much simpler). This article was originally written in 2010 for Scrivener v2.

Scrivener by Ana Maria Trigo