Monday, March 26, 2012

Three Things that Saved My Literary Life

First, let me start with good news (and, conveniently enough, the first thing that has saved my literary life):  You no longer have to endure posts that include me complaining about my laptop!  Because I got a new laptop over the weekend.  No more missing J key!  No more sticking space bar!  It is all beautiful, and shiny, and it makes me stupid happy!  (It was an early birthday gift from my parents!  Thanks Mom and Dad!)

But wait!  It gets even better!  This is the part that I have been eager to share with you...the second thing that has saved my literary life:  I also got some new software that is helping me get all of my handwritten stuff together.  It is Scrivener and it is so good that I have been telling every writer I know about it.  In case you are interested, it is a STEAL at only $40.00, plus I found a coupon code that made it 20% off!  So, for a mere $32.00, I am finally getting organized.

Screenshot of the software that is saving my literary life!
It has the manuscript software (and it can format for novels, screenplays, comics, etc.), it allows you to make notecards and arrange them on a virtual corkboard.  You can move things around with ease.  You can keep track of work count, character count, printed page count, paperback page count, totally project length, daily writing goals...  It is seriously amazing!

One of the things I really wanted to share with this blog was what works and what doesn't (or at least what does and doesn't work for me).  And THIS WORKS!  It has so many features that I haven't even started using all of them yet, but it has functions that seem geared toward a lot of different writing styles and preferences.  If you like to outline--this is for you!  If you like notecards--this is for you! 

You can even take a “snapshot” of a document, which allows you to edit and rewrite and know that you can restore an earlier revision at any time.  (This is fabulous for those "What was I thinking?!" moments.)

You can add tables, bullet points, images and mark up your text with comments and footnotes. 

You can format as you go using the format bar at the top of the page, or you can use any font you want for the writing and let Scrivener reformat your manuscript after you're done.  This allows you to focus on your writing words rather than the presentation. 

Once you have everything typed in, revised, and ready to go, you can compile your finished draft for printing or exporting to your favourite word processor for any final formatting, then export it to web or e-book formats for self-publishing!  Seriously, I am amazed.

And, just for fun, it even has a Random Name Generator.  Seriously!  I don't know about you, but I agonize over character names.  But sometimes, that can be wasted time.  Sometimes it is just not that important...a "throw away" character, if you will.  In comes the Random Name Generator!

Oh, and your RESEARCH!  You can even store and organize all your research for your book. 

I think I could probably go on forever about this, but I would rather get back to using the software, so instead I will just tell you one more thing about it:  There is a free trial available.  No kidding!  Thirty days FREE!  So...no excuses!  You really need to check it out for yourself.

And finally, the third thing that has saved my literary life: my fellow writers.  I have been so incredibly blessed lately with making contact with so many amazing writers.  New projects are presenting themselves, support seems to be coming at me from all sides, and I am amazed by how generous people can really be!

You can expect a normal post soon: one with more complaining/writer angst and less gushing and warm-fuzzies.  (Just in case you were worried I was going all mushy on you!)

16 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new computer, and the amazing software. I've been considering using Scrivener, but I think it's just more than I thought I needed. I'm a "pantser", so all the outlining things just seemed to get in the way.

    I didn't know about the character count/page count/different formats and styles. I think just those features would make it worth my while!

    I can't tell you how many times I have to run a search to remember what color hair I assigned a particular character a hundred pages ago, or how tall they were, or what their main personality traits are, etc., but then that minute fact becomes important again... It's so hard trying to find that sentence or two again without wasting ten minutes searching for it. I've got to try Scrivener now!

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    1. I haven't dabbled too much with the outlining functions yet (like you, not so much my preference), but I am seriously digging the note cards.

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    2. I'm a pantser too but Scrivener is the BOMB! It completely revolutionized my writing and now I can do my "kitchen sink" style of writing and throw in all my research and go back and organize it all (or not). The note cards are great and really help me after I've thrown down a bunch of pages to see an overview of the story. Try the free trial for a short project to see how it works for you. I ended up buying the program after a week. I don't have random Word documents all over the place. I don't have research in multiple folders anymore. Everything is in Scrivener. Also, they have character sheets for things like height, hair color, and other stats for your characters. Or you can make your own.

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  2. I feel like I'm reading the marketing department's notes. Kidding! (Not really. Kidding!)

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    1. You're probably right, because I do tend to get really passionate about things I believe in!

      Don't even get me started talking about some of my favorite books...the way I carry on, you would think I wrote them myself!

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  3. I've usually passed this kind of software by in the past, but I'll take a look at this one.

    Enjoy your new lease of literary life.

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  4. Just got Scrivenger!! Like... just NOW! Thanks so much for the suggestion! It's awesome!

    And congrats on the new computer!

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  5. I also like Scrivener. For some reason those progress bars are oddly effective at motivating me.

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  6. This is great, and thanks for the coupon code! I've been loving the free trial- now it is mine! :)

    I wish I had it for my first book... but I will definitely be using it for my second!

    http://weakandloved.com

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  7. I've been playing around with the trial version for a little while now, and I absolutely LOVE IT! I was planning on purchasing it in the next week or so but now that you mentioned the 20% off coupon, I may just jump on that right away. That IS an absolute steal at $32!

    I'm in the process of importing my fan fiction story into Scrivener. Although I finished it over a month ago, I want in the program for future "whatever" reasons. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this wonderful software.

    BTW, Scrivener's Facebook post brought me here. Good job!

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  8. I too followed the Scrivener FB page that linked to this post. I discovered Scrivener four days ago at the beginning of a self-imposed writing retreat. After watching a few Youtube videos I took the time to download it and go through the tutorial. I have been a writing fiend all week. Clocking 8,000 words a day. Scriviner is just what I was looking for. It fits right in with my "agile writing" methodology. I write non-fiction so I can break my writing tasks down into blocks and tackle them one at a time. The note cards even mimic how agile software programers operate!
    OK, lunch is almost over. Still have 5,000 words to write...

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  9. Downloaded the Scrivener trial a couple of weeks ago, watched some YouTube tutorials and went through the Scrivener tutorial. It's exactly what I've been looking for! I'm grateful for the $40 price tag that puts this kind of software in the hands of regular people who enjoy writing even if they're not getting paid to do it. Ditto what was said earlier - no more random word documents with character sketches, settings, bits of research and other stuff. Now everything is right where I need it.

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  10. It really is an amazing piece of software.

    I've been using it to write my own first novel for about four months now and it really accelerated my writing, and smoothed out my process.

    No matter what your own personal style is, this program is too powerful to pass up looking into at least the free trial. Seriously, anyone who is reluctant, do yourself the favor and just give it an honest shake.

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  11. Terri, after now having this software on your tool belt for almost a year, would you change anything about your initial evaluation? Like it more than last March? Less?

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    1. I still really like Scrivener. It has proven to be simple to use, easy to change/manipulate, and I haven't had any problems with it (knocking on wood). I am also working on a short story collection using it right now, and it is really simply to change the order of the stories in order to get a better "flow" between them. No more cutting and pasting and formatting issues--just a really good product, reasonably priced!

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    2. At $40, it sounds like a bargain. I'll give it try. Thx, Terri!

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