I write a lot about Scrivener and how much I love it, so I’m always shocked to learn that writer friends are still working in Word. Whenever it comes up, I find myself explaining why they really should make the switch. I’m telling you, it’s the best $45 you’ll ever spend on your writing. (And if you enter the code APRILDAVILA at checkout you’ll save 20% at www.getscrivener.com)
Here are 5 reasons why.
1. It’s super easy to upload your current project.
I made the transition to Scrivener about two years ago, after about six years working on my current novel. (Yes, that’s a long time. Shut up.) I was concerned at first that switching was just a distraction, that I was wasting time or that making the transfer would mess up my draft somehow, but I’m so glad I did. It only took a couple hours to get entirely up and running and I’ve never looked back. You can check out this video for a quick look at what the process is like.
2. Organizing projects in Scrivener is super easy.
In Scrivener, every project is set up with a “binder” in a column on the left. You can create folders in that binder, and you can have multiple files in each folder. This gives you a lot of flexibility to organize however you want to. What’s more, Scrivener allows you to store all your research within the project: urls, photos, backstory. You keep it all in the file so you don’t have to go searching for things when you need them.
3. Scrivener is faster.
When you open a project in Scrivener, it’s all there and ready for you. No more staring at that little page count at the bottom waiting for the file to finish loading so that you can scroll down to where you were working when you closed it. I always found that particularly annoying in Word when I wanted to open my project and make just one quick edit.
4. You don’t have to learn a whole new skill.
Really, the work of actually writing isn’t any different. Scrivener uses all the same keyboard shortcuts and the same basic commands as Word, so if you’re working in Word, you won’t have any trouble adjusting.
5. But you can do a lot more with Scrivener if you want to.
The cool thing is, as you continue to work in Scrivener, you can pick up little tricks and tools that make writing easier. There are so many. I’ve written about a couple including how to easily track your word count, manage different drafts, use color coding to organize your story, and use the binder like a pro. Also, there are so many tutorials on YouTube (both official and unofficial) that you can really become a Scrivener master if you want to.
So that’s the 5.
In the name of full disclosure, I am a Scrivener affiliate, so if you do use my name for a discount, you’re supporting me as well (win win). But regardless of my affiliation, I would recommend (and have recommended) Scrivener to anyone without reservation.
Check it out, and let me know what you think. Also, if you have a favorite Scrivener trick, please share. I love finding new ways to make my writing go more smoothly.
I am well trained in Word but I’ll never use it after discovering Scrivener. It’s the best 🙂
Agreed. I know I say it all the time, but it totally is the best.
You’re asking me to learn something new…….who are you???????????
I’m telling you, it’s totally worth the hour or so you will spend getting used to the new program. I will never write another project in Word.
I stumbled on this article today. I had never heard of Scrivener and like the concept of organizing media and research in files within each project. How does it work for submissions if a different format is requested? (I’m new at all of this!) Thanks!
Hi Kristi,
Scrivener has many different options for output, including formats for self publishing. In truth, I’ve only ever used the industry standard output options, but if an agent requested something funky, I don’t think it would be hard to adjust, given all the settings you can adjust if you want to. Also – Scrivener has pretty awesome customer service, so if you got stuck, you could probably reach out to them. Cheers!
this is a great article. I love Scrivener, but need to know more about how to import projects into it – to have scene / chapter breaks, etc.
If you go to YouTube and search “Scrivener import” there are some really good videos with all the details on how to move from Word to Scrivener, including how to easily add scene and chapter breaks. When I made the switch, I had a complete manuscript in word and I think it took me about an hour to completely transfer and get familiar with Scrivener. It was time well spent.
Great article! I can’t imagine writing without Scrivener, and I’ve not used MS Word for anything in years. One of the things I really like is being able to take snapshots of individual documents and compare versions of a single chapter; makes thingns a whole lot easier when you’re trying to get the wording right.
On another note, six years? A long time? It took Tolkien more than ten years to write The Lord of the Rings! 🙂
I didn’t know that. Of course, didn’t he actually invent a new language or something, for the songs? And yes, Scrivener is the best. I’m always surprised when writers tell me they still use word.
He didn’t invent just one. He invented a whole family of languages. The two most developed languages in that family were Quenya (the language of the Ñoldor and the Vanyar) and Sindarin (the language of the Sindar), if I’m not mistaken.
Of course, that was before Scrivener so he had to do it all by hand. He couldn’t even afford to use a typewriter most of the time!