One such tool, Scrivener, has gained enormous popularity, in part, because it allows us Mac-using writers the joy of low-tech notecards with the ease of electronica. But how do you make best use of this fabulous Ferrari and turn it into the work truck you really need? Here are some tips on how to use Scrivener to create a simple workflow and get moving along at lightning speed.
If you’re new to Scrivener, the first thing to do work through the Tutorial. Yes, you can open up the program and doodle your way into using it without instructions but you’ll get going faster and be more effective if you take the time to get familiar with some of Scrivener’s handier features before starting. Once you’ve got those in mind, you’ll be ready to start your first project. (I’m going to skip over some details in what follows, assuming you’ve taken my sage advice. If not, no worries, you can still benefit from what comes next.)
In the Research folder, create a text file for your project journal. I call mine a “metajournal” for reasons deeply buried in my unconscious. You can call your journal whatever you wish. The main thing is to have one. This is where you track, by date, what you’ve done or plan to do. It will save you enormous headaches, especially if your book ever goes into a second edition. Include in your journal instructions and agreements between you and your editor, what’s due and when, page counts (which you are likely to become totally obsessed with as time goes on), reminders and to-do lists. You will thank yourself many times over if you create and use this journal religiously.
Organizing source material is where Scrivener really shines.
- Each chapter gets its own folder. I add articles from literature searches as PDF files and URLs of webpages I wish to reference to the chapter folder as I pull together the topic info. For each item in the folder, I add a synopsis, usually cutting and pasting from the source material itself. In the document notes, I add questions that come to mind as I’ve read the material, my interpretation or reaction, and other thoughts I’ll need to get back to when I do the writing.
- When I begin drafting text, I split the screen so I can see both my source material and my text simultaneously. I make additional annotations to the citation’s document notes to act as footnotes or citations (for Dummies books like mine, no citations are included in the text itself).
- When the text is finished, I simply export the draft chapter to Word, format it according to my publisher’s guidelines and send it to my editor. Remaining revisions are done in Word to preserve the editor’s Track Changes (which are the bane of my existence).
One final note, Scrivener reserves its technological coolness for Mac users. If you’re a PC, don’t despair. There are similar programs available for your OS. Check out this list for links to similar programs for Windows.
