I’ve been trying Scrivener, a program for writers, and I love it. It’s software for writers, particularly for novelists working on long projects, but with additions for poets, screenwriters, etc.
Here’s their blurb: “Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft.”
What it offers that Word doesn’t is a way to organize all the research debris – text, photos, links – whatever – related to the project, and access it as needed while working on the project. I’m hoping, if I learn to use it well, to replace some of the incoherent piles stacked around the office.
Yes, I know that’s the wrong use of incoherent – but it’s oddly accurate. When the piles get deep enough, they can’t talk to me any more, and I lose whatever gems they might be hiding.
Scrivener has reams of other functions, which I’ll discover slowly. It was created by a novelist for his own use, and then adapted for other writers – screenwriters, poets. I suspect it would be useful for university research projects, too.
I’m gradually converting my stories, and slowly learning the program. And enjoying it immensely.
There’s a video introduction I found really useful, and a chance to try it for 30 days for free. Not for one month, but for 30 days of use. Only the days you use it count. I’m still in my trial phase, but I’ll be buying.
Maureen
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