In Praise of Scrivener

One question that frequently comes up on writers' boards is whether to use writing software. Does it help?


Well, as I've frequently said on this blog, I am something of a writing software junkie.  Or at least I was until I bought the software that cured me. It wasn't easy. It meant changing to a Mac computer, but I've never regretted it.


Now, I should say for starters that no writing software will do the work for you. But a good programme, like a craftsman's tool, makes everything so much easier. When I started novel writing I wrote in Word which seemed to serve my needs adequately during the drafting stage. It was only when a huge revision was needed that I realised its limitations. Don't get me wrong, Word is a brilliant word processor. It just isn't designed for large scale projects and when it comes to moving large chunks of text around it is clunky and slow. Not ideal. That was when I became tempted by Scrivener.


Scrivener is the perfect tool for novelists, although it can be used for any type of writing. You can organise your chapters and scenes right from the planning stage through to final revisions and shuffling things around is dead easy. The Binder, at the left hand side of the screen, shows graphically how your scenes are laid out so you can see everything at a glance. Your scenes are also summarised on index cards so you can move them around that way too. There are templates for character and scene descriptions, customisable full screen mode for writing without distractions, automatic backups and easy import of research files from the internet.  And loads more. Really, this programme has it all. I've never felt the need to use any other programme in the few years I've used it.


So, if you have a few bob to spend and want to make your life a lot easier you could do worse than buy Scrivener. You can even download a free trial first, to see how you like it. More details can be found here.

Writing Software

I've finally forked out some cash for a real - ie. paid for - word processor. Couldn't quite stomach the $150 demanded by Microsoft Word so I've gone for Apple's Pages instead. At £13.99 it seemed like a no-brainer.

I used to be a serial software junkie. Since I got the Mac my wanderlust has abated. I use Scrivener for just about everything but there are times when you need a reliable programme to open downloaded files. I've used the freebies, Open Office and Neo office but always ran into some sorts of problems with them, usually compatibility issues. Hopefully I won't have to contend with those any more.

People often ask about writing software on writers' forums. It amazes me how much negativity they engender, usually among people who have never tried them. And if anyone thinks they will write a book for them they are deluded. But there are some really useful programmes available.

For novels, Ywriter is free and about all you need to organise your chapters and scenes, research and files. I've used it in the past although these days I prefer the flexibility of Scrivener. For plotting there are a number of programmes available, the most expensive of which is Dramatica Pro. I looked at it some time ago but found it too complicated and jargon filled to help me. Others swear by it. A cheaper alternative I've dabbled with is Contour.

But the thing to remember about them all is they are only tools and may not suit everyone. But if you find Writing Software that helps you, then have at it!

Truby's 22 Steps

In my constant quest to figure out what the hell I'm doing at this writing lark I've been reading yet another screenwriting tome. John Truby's Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller is a very interesting book. He takes apart the traditional three act structure and in its place gives you 7 essential steps around which to build your story. Further to that, he details the eponymous 22 steps, not all of which have to be included, but the fact that he mentions them gives you food for thought.

I'm reading this book with mixed feelings. There are lots of Eureka moments where I can see what is wrong with my WIP, but also those sinking feelings when you realise you need to go back to the start and rework the characters and the premise at the most basic level. It's great and I'm loving it. Because if it means a lot of hard work it's probably improving the story as well as teaching me things I didn't already know.

He has an excellent website which promotes his software and add-ons to the book, but if you sign up to his mailing list you get a free Secrets of Genre booklet. You all know how I love my freebies!

I downloaded the Blockbuster demo yesterday for a free 15 day trial, but it looks complicated and the book covers all you really need to know so I don't know whether it's worth the expense.

High Concept

Yikes - time getting away from me again. But I've had my head in about three books and trying to get to grips with Movie Magic Screenwriter which I installed a long time ago and hardly looked at so now I'm trying to figure it out.
This week I've made a start on the Romcom. I'm going to write it in some scenes first as a way of finding the characters. I find that's the way I get them, through their dialogue and interaction with others. The great thing about scenes is you don't have to worry about description and too much detail so it's quick and easy to write.
The Contour outline is done so I know where the story is going, I just have to figure out the individual scenes and finer points of the plot.

I've been tormenting myself with another writing book - The Screenwriting Formula by Rob Tobin which has some fascinating insights on High Concept stories. High Concept has always been de rigeur in Hollywood but only recently in these cash strapped and cautious times has it been echoing down the channels of publishing. So what is it? Basically it means a story that is instantly identifiable as original, broadly appealing to a wide audience, and easily summed up in a sentence or two. Well, the first two are hardly surprising but why the catchy hook? It seems people are getting shorter attention spans these days and so the shorter your pitch the better your chance of selling your script.

Well, this will be my last post for over a week as I'm off to (hopefully) sunny Loch Ness on Saturday. I'll try and get a picture of the monster for next time...

Plotting (Again)

So I'm now plotting my new Romcom. Don't want to say too much about that at this stage except to say I'm working from two paradigms (yeah - how Hollywood is that?) so it's not as simple as usual. I'm taking my time about it because I really want to get a feel for this story before I write a word. Tone is very important in comedy, you can't just sling in few one liners and hope something will stick. The little kid inside me is impatient to get it written. Some of the scenes are already starting to play in my head so I'm feeling the stirrings of giddy excitement but it's best to keep a lid on it until everything's planned.

I saw this very good blog post today, singing the praises of a Mac programme called Scrivener which you may remember me going on about before. It also touches on the benefits of plotting before starting a project. Scrivener certainly helps with the process and it's the best programme I've found for storing your research and indexing and rearranging material.

The great thing about this stage - in some ways I love it better than writing - is nothing is set in stone. You can brainstorm to your heart's content. Of course that has to end eventually or you'd never write it, and that's a pitfall to watch out for. But at the plotting stage the Author is King of the Universe - anything can happen. Imagine the power! And it doesn't matter because I can change my mind in the cold light of day or once I've sobered up. I won't have written 1200 words of a scene that goes nowhere so nothing is wasted.

But I have to be clear about the shape of the story from start to finish. Clear and satisfied. There should be no niggly little doubts. These must be sorted before I start writing, because the problem could be deeper than just a nip and tuck - I may need to change something fundamental that alters the entire course of the story. Better to know that at the outset. So I'm prepared for this process to take a while. I mean months. What's the hurry? I'd rather get it right now than condemn myself to endless rewrites later.

At it again

I managed to get through January without buying any new software for my shiny new Mac (son gave me the money to buy Scrivener as a Chrissie present so it doesn't count). And instead of forking out for Microsoft Office (around £120) or Apple iWorks (around £50) I've been using NeoOffice, a free word processor similar to OpenOffice only better suited to Macs. Might have known I was doing too well for it to last.

I've now installed another programme that looks useful but isn't alas free. Contour is really a screenwriting tool for plotting your movie script within a three act structure, but it's just as useful for any kind of story including novels. So far I have downloaded the month's free trial version and filled in Act 1 of current WIP. It's simple to use and not laden with jargon (which these types of programmes often are), intuitive to navigate and so far I've found it extremely helpful in working out the finer points of the plot. Embedded in the box-filling programme are pointers to what should be happening when, which archetypes are needed to meet the requirements of the traditional hero's journey, and there are lots of examples in the form of several well-known movies to illustrate the points.

So I'll stick with it and see how I get on with the Second Act. It's traditionally the toughest part (well it is for me, anyway!). But if it proves as helpful there as it has been already I may be breaking my spending embargo on this one. It costs $50 (around £32 + VAT) but if it saves a lot of faffing about it will be worth it.

How was it for you?

Well, that's it for another year. Did Santa bring you something nice? Or was it the usual cheap aftershave and socks?
I'm quietly chuffed because I got the new iMac I've been promising myself for years. And so far I'm very impressed - nice solid piece of kit with lots of bells and whistles. I hadn't expected the whole itunes thing,especially the radio channels of which there are hundreds with all sorts of music which saves me the wasted half hour trying to decide which cd to put on when I write. Very nice. The only game is chess, which I haven't played in years and never was much good at anyway. But it's no bad thing to have fewer distractions.
And I'm finally getting to use Scrivener. So far I haven't done much on it but it's early days. Last night I figured out how to import some images of my characters. I"ll keep you posted about my progress.

Write It Now

As this is Nano month, the title of this post seems particularly appropriate. I'm not doing it this year, but on all my writers' haunts I can see the symptoms of Nano fever:
1 Panicked questions about plot problems.
2 Panicked anxiety about word count.
3 Panicked anxiety about family/work commitments being neglected.
4 Desperate cries for encouragement.

Well, I'm happy to oblige folks. Been there, done that more than once and I can relate totally to what you're going through. After the event it pales to a rosy memory, rather like a horrendous twenty-four hour labour is quickly forgotten once the healthy baby is delivered. But at the time it's terrifying, thrilling, heart-stopping, even agonising as you struggle to push this screaming infant out into the world. Let me say what many a midwife has whispered in the ear of her charge at these difficult times: It's All Worth It. No pain, no gain. Keep going. Neglect those children, ignore your boss, just keep writing whatever happens. Soon it will be over and you'll have a wonderful story to tell well-wishers at your book signing.

But I digress. The title of this item relates to another piece of software I've purchased. One thing the last six months of rewrites has made me appreciate is the need for razor sharp organisation, so to that end I have invested in Write It Now a novel writing programme. I've been using it this week to revamp my latest WIP (the one I got about half way through before events overtook me in the Spring). So far, so good. It's fairly simple to navigate and lets me flit around which is good at this early stage when ideas keep popping into my head and demand to be written down at once. I'll keep you posted about my progress.

More netsurfing

Well I'm at a loose end again, having completed the latest revision. Conventional wisdom is to plough on with something else in the meantime, if only to get some distance from it, and I really want to but as usual I'm surfing the net instead. It's at these times of hiatus I succumb to the lure of Writers' Software.

Downloaded a freebie this morning: Storybook is a novel writing programme which looks pretty good although I've only tinkered with it so far. The website has tutorials to help get you started, and best of all it doesn't cost a penny so nothing to lose.

Another one I'm wondering about getting is Quick Story which is a plot generating tool. I'm always attracted to the idea of a structure to work to instead of my usual rabbiting on. It does strike me as more efficient in terms of man hours, but would the spontaneity suffer, I wonder? Anyway it's about £30 for that one, so I'll mull it over a bit first.

Talking of structure, I'm also looking for inspiration in Story Structure Architect by Victoria Schmidt. I bought this book a while back and it's very handy for dipping into when planning a new project.

Finally, an early Happy Birthday to my elder son Mike who will be 23 tomorrow.
Yes, 23. I know...imagine how it makes me feel...

Free scriptwriting programme

Am majorly distracted with finishing the script I mentioned last time. I have pasted it into a free programme called Celtx which is really great! It even has a storyboard facility which allows you to download images.

I have heard mention of printing glitches, but haven't got that far yet. I'll keep you posted. If it does work out it'll save me a packet.

Anyway, the script is either going to be a play or a sitcom, not sure which at this stage. It's been ages since I wrote a script, and I forgot how much fun it is. No more descriptive passages, it's all action and dialogue!

Sophocles RIP

Yesterday I looked out some old scripts I wrote a couple of years back and was pleasantly surprised to find they were not as dreadful as I had thought. I wrote them on a programme called Sophocles. At the time I bought it - must be 2004/5 - it was the best one I could find and quite reasonably priced.

Last year I started writing on a laptop and found Sophocles wouldn't work on Vista. I emailed Sophocles who sent me an add-on to solve the problem. It didn't. But at the time I was busy with the novel writing so I didn't pursue it.

Yesterday I decided to give it another try. Imagine my disappointment to find Sophocles no longer exists and I now hear it was bought up last spring, since when the website has vanished without a word.

It's a shame, and means I am now having to consider another screenwriting programme. I've downloaded the Movie Magic Screenwriter Demo. It looks very good, but at that price it damn well should be!

There's a lesson to be learned about buying programmes from small independent companies. Will they last or get bought out/crushed by the giants, taking your support with them? It's a consideration when buying software.

Writing software

Do you use writing software?

Every year at his time I get restless and start looking for new software to help with my writing. Before you say it, I know a mere computer programme cannot write a book, but if every writer had eschewed technology we'd all still be scratching pictures of bison on the walls of caves. And there are some good packages out there.

In the past I've used Ywriter - mainly because it's free - but for a while it was the only programme I could find that helped me to file the info and divide the book into chapters. I ran into problems with it when it mucked up the saving aspect and haven't used it since.

This year I have been distracted by Dramatica Pro. It is expensive, and seems to require a big commitment of time and effort to master it in the early stages. But what I like about the download is it guides you through the story structure with lots of indepth questions about your plot, characters, story arc (yes, there's a lot of jargon too - I said it took a while to learn :()

When seeking advice about it, I was pointed in the direction of Liquid Story Binder. After downloading the demo (one month free use without limitation) I confess it seemed a bit user unfriendly, but then I tracked down the tutorials on the website and now feel like I'm getting the gist of it. At $45 it is a much cheaper investment than Dramatica, and seems to do a lot of the organising and storing I'm looking for.

So I'll probably have a go at loading one of my WIPs into it and see what difference it makes. I'll keep you posted...