Writing Tools

[przed]

I first gave Scrivener a try about ten years ago. There was a sale, and people had said good things about it, so I thought what the heck. But then I found it had far more features than I really had a good use for, and I was comfortable using Word, so I kinda bounced off it.

Cut to now.

I'm putting the finishing touches on the Stucky story that I've been struggling with for just about two years now. It's 38K words, has two timelines, and I needed to break it into manageable chapters for posting. I set up a spreadsheet with page numbers and scene descriptions to try and work out where the chapters breaks should fall. It was a major pain in the ass that was giving me a headache. Also not giving me joy is Word constantly trying to upgrade me to their subscription version. No thank you, Microsoft.

I idly think maybe this would be easier in Scrivener. And notice Scrivener has a deal if you've got an old license, which I do. So, what the heck, I take the plunge.

And WOW! I don't just like Scrivener now. I love it! Having the ability to see your scenes in card format made it so much easier to see how to structure it all. And the research folder is going to come in handy for the next big thing I want to work on (Stucky in the Pacific theatre, which is going to need a metric crapton of research material.)

Consider this my endorsement for Scrivener. It's not super cheap ($67 CAD) but it's 40% off if you have an old license, They have a 30 day trial if you want to give it a spin.

And stayed tuned for 38K of Stucky set both in 1938 Brooklyn and 2018 Wakanda, coming as soon as I get the beta back on the final two chapters.

Comments

[kore]

YAY long chewy dual-timeline Stucky story, that sounds awesome!

I had Scrivener from the beginning but never used it because it seemed smarter than me, lol. But really, I just couldn't get the hang of it, especially the compiling, and it actually seemed easier to use paper cards and pens. I know there are people who swear by it for organizing, and if I can get a discount, I might try upgrading, but it still feels really alien to my process.

[przed]

This Stucky story has been kicking my ass for so long, I can’t believe it’s nearly done!

I know exactly what you mean about actual cards seeming easier than Scrivener. That’s definitely how I felt the last time I tried it.

This time I spent a whole evening going through the tutorial and watching demos, and it all fell into place. I think it definitely falls into the this is a thing that will work for you if you are the kind of person for whom this works, though.I just seem to have changed it the sort of writer it works for.

[sineala]

I can help with the compiling -- at least for AO3 -- if you ever want to give it a try again. *points downthread slightly*

[kore]

Ooh thanks! (I caved and re-upped -- with my discount, it was about $25)