Take Control of Scrivener 2

by Kirk McElhearn

You'll learn how to handle each aspect of the flexible Scrivener manuscript-generation Add reference materials to your project for easy access - videos, audio files, PDFs, Web resources, and more. And, if you've already written bits of text, you can import those items too, including OPML outline files (such as from OmniOutliner Pro). Beyond importing from the Finder, you can use Mac OS X Services or Scrivener's handy Scratch Pad panel. Or, you can use the Import and Split feature to import a long document into multiple chapters or segments in Use the Outliner, Corkboard, Collections, and Binder to mix and match your content into the perfect final arrangement. For example, you Ignore the concept of a traditional file and break your manuscript into sections based on character, theme, topic, scene, or whatever you like. Organize your manuscript linearly in the Outliner. Use search Collections to search for a character, location, or phrase and see just those texts. Organize ideas by dragging and pinning index cards on the Use Full Screen mode to hide distractions so you can wordsmith in peace; set up Typewriter Scrolling to keep your writing focus at the center of the screen, not the bottom; and view more than one part of your project at once, so you can write in one section while referring to another. Also, use Scrivenings view to write one thread of a story all at once in a single view, even if it is broken up in multiple scenes or chapters in the final Optimize the formatting you see when you work in Scrivener for your eyes and your screen, and understand how this can differ from the formatting in a "compiled" version of your Use revision marking and the useful Snapshot capability to experiment with and compare the effect of different revision strategies, while still being able to roll back to a previous version.Be Work on your project using more than one Mac, or on an Don't worry if the term "compile" is unfamiliar; it enables you to assemble your manuscript into linear order, in a form that can be printed or converted to common file formats. Scrivener supports RTF, Microsoft Word, Final Draft, PDF, and EPUB.Specific questions answered in the ebook What's the difference between a Scrivener folder and a file? How do I change which columns appear in the Outliner? How do I open the Inspector and control what appears in it? What is the relationship between Corkboard index cards and Finder items? How do I monitor character, word, or page count? How do text format presets work? How do I track changes when I revise a draft? How do I change the color of a revision level? What is the difference between an annotation, a comment, and a footnote? How do I export in an ebook format from Scrivener?

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Kirk McElhearn is a writer, podcaster, and photographer, who has written about Apple products and software for more than twenty years. Kirk has written more than two dozen books, including Take Control books about Apple's Media Apps for Mac, Scrivener, and Audio Hijack. A lapsed New Yorker, he lives near Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really really good basic primer into Scrivener and some of its more "hidden" features. It's a complement, not a replacement, to the included Scrivener manual. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone getting started with this feature-rich word processing/thinking/organization app.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is not bad, but it really was not for me! I am a Windows 7 user and this book is toward the Mac version of Scrivener. While a lot of what is presented in the book applies to both the Windows and Mac versions of the software, far too many times you will read through an entire section of the book on some feature of the software or another only to have the author post a terse note at the end of the sections saying the feature just discussed was not available in the Windows version of the program.

I spent $10.00 for the book and really feel like I wasted my money. I went to the Kindle Store on my Amazon Kindle and found 3 Scrivener books that were geared specifically toward the Scrivener for Windows. Too bad that I can't just return the book like I could if I had purchased it through Amazon.

[Eugen Olsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads too much like the manual - and Scrivener's manual (and video tutorials) pretty much cover all this material. Not worth $10.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know when I finished this book. In a sense, I probably haven't "finished" it, since I occasionally refer back to it.

The book was useful for what I needed, although I don't feel like it taught me as much as I wanted to know. Maybe there's no good way to learn what I wanted, without just using the program every day – something I don't really do yet.

[Timothy Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very accessible guide to a well-regarded program. It helped me get up and running very quickly. Remains to be seen whether Scrivener will do what I need it to do, but I'll need to just use it for a couple months to tell for sure.

[Ally Cabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a basic intro to the program, but it has plenty of information about the special features that were designed to make it such a great choice for authors.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. I was hoping for more clever tips for maximizing Scrivener's utility, but this book was an excellent introduction to the program.

[Rick Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good additional read for a great writing project application.