The Unofficial Scrivener Workbook

by M.J. Carlson

Scrivener is novel writing and organizing software designed specifically for the non-linear way writers really work. The Scrivener Workbook is designed to work in conjunction with The Scrivener Manual and The Interactive Tutorial that came with your version of Scrivener. Written by veteran Scrivener user and author M.J. Carlson, you'll learn how to set up a new project, import and organize your research, track scene elements, create custom layouts, and more with this user-friendly Scrivener workbook. The workbook is organized into twenty-six step-by-step exercises and illustrated with over fifty illustrations to aid the learning process. - Quickly learn your way around the Scrivener workspace and its basic functions and features - Create custom project templates tailored to your needs and style, and store them for use in future projects - Import, structure, and organize your research - Keep your writing, research, character sketches, synopses, outlines, drafts and images in one dedicated project file - View multiple scenes, storyboard with index cards, or review your manuscript in outline form - Move and edit text separately or as a whole and keep notes ready-to-hand with Quick Reference panels - Export your work into most popular formats without affecting your original manuscript

Genres: Writing

78 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2016

About the author

M.J. Carlson is an American science fiction author. Four of his short stories: Paradox Effect, A Simple Breach Of Etiquette, Promises in a Reflecting Pool (Of Love and Sacrifice), and St. George, the Princess, and the Dragon received honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future contest in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016, respectively. One of his early novels, The Alien Who Fell and a short story, Wish Upon a Falling Star were finalists in the 2010 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award competition. CHANGED, INDIGO MAN, ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION: Nicole Piricelli, book 1, and DISINHIBITION: Nicole Piricelli, book 2 are currently available. Two more, THE ALIEN WHO FELL and THE MISSING TRICK LIST: Nicole Piricelli, book 3 are scheduled to be released in September. SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTERS: Nicole Piricelli, book 4 is scheduled to be released before the end of 2025 and OFFICER NEEDS ASSISTANCE: Nicole Piricelli, book 5 is scheduled to be released in early 2026. M.J. spends entirely too much time fiddling around with computers in Brevard County, Florida, where he lives with Sparkle, his Wise Reader and muse — right down the road from where Major Anthony Nelson used to live with that nice girl, Genie.

"I try to explore issues of basic humanity on a backdrop of changing social forces in my writing. For instance, what does it mean to be human? Free? When does safety and security become tyranny and oppression? What is privacy, and can true intimacy exist without privacy? While at the same time, I try to soften the gravity of those questions with small twists of everyday humor."

Reviews

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve got Scrivener - I wrote this review on it - and I am one of the rare people, it seems, who actually read the help file. It’s huge, for the record. Even so, I have often said that Scrivener is a very deep pool and sometimes I feel like I am just paddling in the shallow end, but each time I head out into deeper water I find something useful. Often super useful.

If you’re reading this, you either bought Scrivener (three cheers and a tiger for you) or you’re considering it (go on, dude download it. There’s a 30-day trial). What have you got to lose, but an inefficient way of doing things? Yeah, it’s scary at first, especially the first time you open it up, but so was sex, and it turned out okay, for the most part.(Kindle Locations 79-82).

Actually, the trial is 30 USES not 30 days. So open it once a week and it’ll last you 30 weeks.
I also am not a big fan of Word. It gets clunkier and clunkier the bigger your document gets. One of my Word docs messed up Smashwords formatting and I had to copy it all into notepad and strip out ALL the formatting. Grits teeth. It was torture. *glares at Word*
I have imported Scrivener templates from writer sites and occasionally I’ll work out something with one of those that helps me - like keywords or meta-data. Wait… it can do that? Is THAT what that box is for?

I’ve been using it almost every day for six years in two versions, and I still regularly learn new things it’ll do.(Kindle Locations 91-92).

Phew… so it’s not just me.
But there were a few times, reading this, when I said ‘ooh good idea’. And he guides you through how to set up your own template so that all your document preferences are saved in a file you can use to write with ever after.
Long may Scrivener reign.
4 stars
This was part of the 2017 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools StoryBundle.