Katie Bartlett, Author

Scrivener.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

If you know what I’m talking about, read no further.  If you think, perhaps, I’m being melodramatic, think again.  Scrivener is the author’s new BFF.  Although, for some of you, it’s not that new.  It’s new to me mostly because I’m about 9-18 months behind the times.  But at least I’m catching on…

I was introduced to Scrivener at the VCFA conference last March.  Both Holly Black and Coe Booth, authors extraordinaire, used Scrivener.  When asked how they went about writing, or mapping out their books, or organizing characters or plot or settings, their answers never wavered.  Scrivener.  They enthusiastically opened up their laptops and shared current projects on Scrivener.  They gave us mini-tutorials on how it operates.  We all walked away with Scrivener scrawled in the margins of our notebooks.

What is Scrivener?  How to describe?  It’s a writing program that lets you collect notes, internet research, various drafts, scenes, chapters, etc. into one location.  You can hop from place to place without getting lost.  Work on chapters out-of-order.  Break apart scenes in a chapter.  Move sections from place to place.  Keep your favorite websites a click away.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never create your book in a word document again.  If you’re not sure, you can try it for free for thirty days of writing time.  They have online tutorials and videos to explain how to use it.  I lasted about a week and then I bought it outright.  It does help if you have a friend to show you some of the tricks, but you should be able to learn it on your own.  Go on, give it a try.  You won’t be disappointed.  Scrivener!