Writing Software: Scrivener

Just to confirm for you Vertigo, there is no floating window option in the windows version of Scriv at this current time. Most features that they introduce for the Mac DO make their way over, given time, especially if people ask for them. I'd imagine the reason for not allowing more on the screen at once by default was to keep the view simplified and uncluttered. With the binder, 2 editor windows and the inspector, there's not a massive amount of free space even on a 1920x1080 resolution :)
 
Yeah, the thing is Dozmonic I have two 1920x1080 monitors side by side so I have a bit more room. And if you've ever seen Terry Pratchetts' workstation, he has six monitors. This stikes me as an eminently sensible set up for a writer, yet using a tool like this, without such floating windows, would throw away that benefit. I shall have to take the time to query them before my trial runs out.
 
Even without multiple monitors, I find it invaluable to use Spaces on my Mac to have multiple virtual desktops - I usually have a browser open for research at the same time as Scrivener - so I can see how having extra floating windows would be useful.

Vertigo, I would ask the Windows folks on the Scrivener forum - AFAIK it's a separate development team, since Keith is a Mac developer.
 
I fired an email up to them reporting the smart quote bug and got a couple of very nice ones back from Ioa. It seem they've been having problems with smart quotes and asked for the files with the problem which I duly sent. So hopefully they will be of some use to them!

She also said that floating windows for Windows (!!) would be coming but couldn't say quite when. So until I embark on a major opus with 50 main characters and hundred's of locations I should be able to live with it as it is! :)

They may well have another sale when my tiral period ends. :eek:
 
Hehe, I don't think so. I'm a software developer myself so I appreciate it when a customer helps me track a bug and like to be able to reciprocate.
 
I'm tempted to try this but as I'm in the last months of polishing my WIP. I don't know if it's a risk. Or whether it will take my mind off what I'm supposed to be doing.

My system, a combination of an abacus, 2 blackboards and a dynosaurus seems to work quite well for me:)

Probably cos I'm as thick sludge if the truth was knowm:eek:
 
I don't think I would try it with a large work nearing completion, as you might come across unforseen formatting problems when importing the existing work. Though it does imports copies, so no harm would come to your originals. But as you say you could easily get bogged down in organising it when you should be polishing it!

One nice thing is that you get a 30 day trial that is based on 30 days of actual use rather than 30 calendar days. So there's no big hurry to try every aspect of it as soon as you install it. I'm still on the trial though how long it will last depends on how much time I find for writing; currently not very much!

You're clearly smarter than me though, Gary; I've never figured out how to use an abacus.
 
I'd finish your work first. Starting to use Scriv means taking time out of writing to learn how to use Scriv :)
 
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Cheers Vertigo.
And Dozmonic too.

Am a poet and didnt know it.:):eek:
 
There was a young man from Newcastle.
Who, every Friday liked a new tipple.
He was serious about his story.
Even though, it was a bit gory.
But sometime he did talk some twaddle.

**I've been possessed by Paranoid Marvin**
 
I'm not going to read 6 pages of comments, but I shall post this anyway - I JUST BOUGHT SCRIVENER! I'd been debating it for months, and I tried the free trial...

However, one thing I don't like is that you can't have "Page Layout" to see an A4 page in the Windows edition. And that's what I liked about Scrivener when I saw the advertising videos on the site. There's also tons of missing features that are only available for the Mac, and while the Mac version is up to 2,0, the Windows' one is still 1.0. And the long-promised update was over a year away last November, apparently.

Anyway, the software looks useful for worldbuilding. You can keep all your research sound files, pictures, PDFs, etc. in the one place - and view them side-by-side with your novel. And you can split your chapters into separate files (or view them as one file). And you can view a word count of each scene... :)

It should be VERY handy - if I can live with not having page layout. I'll just full screen it for now, and resize it to A4-ish-type dimensions.
 
Leisha the other way to get A4'ish dimensions is to have two documents on view with a vertical split. I have made this my default view anyway. So I have one document I am typing into and another reference'y one in the right hand 'pane'. As I say with my screen size this makes each document roughly A4'ish size.

To be honest I try not to get too hung up on layout. It seems a little redundant these days with increasing ebook sales and eReaders that typically lay out 'pages' dynamically, so the 'page' will appear different depending on the size of device, orientation, chosen font size, etc..
 
Leisha said:
It should be VERY handy - if I can live with not having page layout. I'll just full screen it for now, and resize it to A4-ish-type dimensions.
Click to expand...

Scrivener tries very hard not to be a word-processor - you're meant to use it to focus on writing the words, and worry about format and layout later, after you've compiled and exported your draft.
 
I don't want to get hung up, but there's something cosy about seeing your work "on a page". I've always preferred the page layout in Word.

And yes! I was thinking that last night, that perhaps a better way (for me) is to split the pane. Sometimes It'd be handy to have research beside the page I'm working on, as you say, but I can see the appeal of having a different area of the same work up, too, for quick referencing and such (I do that in Word a lot anyway, because I've got a large screen and I hate when Word gives me a two-page layout).

The other option is to view Scrivener in a window rather than fullscreen. That way I can resize my page however big I want.

Thanks, Vertigo. :)

Edit: Oh! And Anne, too. I just prefer seeing how many pages I'm writing. I'm a stickler. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
F Writing software platform research Writing Resources 2
Lumens Word processors / writing software Writing Discussion 55
prokopton Favourite writing software/tool? Writing Discussion 27
S Good Writing software? Writing Discussion 5
hlywkar Writing software. Writing Resources 65

Similar threads


Back
Top