Why I Love Scrivener - Double Vision

I'm been asked multiple times about Scrivener and why it works for me, so I thought I'd put together a few posts. Hopefully, they're helpful!

The first post on The Basics is here.

I don't use the whole range of tools in Scrivener but I've found that MANY of the features really work for my brain. This program has saved my sanity and my stories on many occasions.

In this post, I'll talk about the physical layout of the Scrivener program. This is probably the main reason I love Scrivener.

Like any word document or writing program, there is a blank space for you to write. In the screenshot above you can see the main writing space is in the middle.

On the left is the Binder. It's the organizer for your project. Each of the arrows shows that there are files or folders within. On the right is the Info section. The small blue icon in the very top left either hides or shows this panel. I generally have this hidden to give me more writing space.

For me, one of the biggest reasons for using Scrivener is that I can have 2 writing spaces open and visible at the same time. If you can see it, in the top right corner of the main writing space above is an icon showing 2 rectangles together. With one click I get this.

As you can see, I've also clicked the blue icon to hide the info panel. If you have notes in there, you might want it open. If you want to label the scenes (pov, settings, point in the novel, first draft...) you'll have to have it open. The tool for that is at the bottom of the Info panel.

There are many reasons I might want 2 writing panels open.

When I'm working on the first draft, I often have the Character's Path section open on the right while I type in the left. This keeps me on track with Goals and Flaws. I might also have the Secondary Characters file open to help me remember the name of the coffee shop baker or the pizza delivery guy.

(Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash)

When I'm revising, I can have Version 1 open in the right panel while I work on Version 2 in the left. That way I can see what the changes look like before I make them permanent. For me, Version 2 is often a complete rewrite. Having the Version 1 file open on the right helps me pick and choose what I want to keep and delete.

I also use the second panel to fact check within the MS. I can easily scroll through to find out what I need to know without losing the place where I'm working.

Sometimes I have the previous scene open on the right to make sure the flow works.

Sometimes I'm skimming through the MS on the left and copy/pasting good Pull/Promo Quotes into the file on the right.

Other times I'm using the research page I've saved into the research file so I don't have Gage fishing for walleyes out of season.

Often I have my To Add, Change, Remove file open on the right while I'm revising on the left.

Or my file of overused words...

So the double writing space feature of Scrivener is probably my favourite feature. What about you? Do you think the double writing space feature would help you? Do you have any other ideas for ways to use that second space?

Wendy Davies & Unpacking The Editing Process

Please welcome Wendy Davies to the blog today!
***

Unpacking the Editing Process

A lot of my writing friends groan and moan when it comes to editing, but I love this part of the writing process. For me, editing is my natural habitat so that might explain why I don’t dread it as much as others seem to. So, let’s have a look at what the editing process comprises.

It’s a three-phase process: A structural edit. A copy edit. A final proof read. Sounds scary, but it isn’t.

A structural edit is where an editor – or you with your editor hat on – looks at the overall story and answers questions like: Does the story make sense? Are the actions and reactions laid out in a logical and understandable way? Does each scene move the story forward? Are the main characters changing and coming to terms with their main issue in a logic and clear way? Is the point of view consistent throughout the story? Which bits annoy, or stand out, or need closer attention? Can these areas be rewritten or moved or deleted altogether? 

I’m not going to sugar coat this, this phase can be a lot of work. Even writers who plan their stories need to do a structural edit once they’ve finished writing the story. And it’s especially useful for writers who begin without a clear plan for their story. Believe me, structural edits get easier – and faster – every time you do one. And no, I’m not just saying that because editing comes so easy to me. I find it as difficult, if not even more difficult, as anyone when it comes to editing my own work. 

A copy edit usually means fixing grammatical errors (misplaced commas, missing full stops, wrong or confusing sentence structures) and spelling errors.

The final proof read is what you do right at the end of the process, just before submitting your story to a publisher, to a competition, or uploading it when self-publishing. You should find few or no mistakes, but if you do, you must fix them. It is essential to do a final proof read so you can pick up anything that the other two phases have missed.

Personally, I tend to do both a structural edit and a copy edit at the same time. This is probably because most editing jobs I’ve had don’t have the luxury of time or resources to separate these two into separate activities. The final proof read I get someone else to do. Or I leave the story for weeks or months so that I can view it through fresh eyes. When I do that, mistakes just jump right off the page. 

***

Australian, Wendy Lee Davies began writing romances as a lark after leaving her communications and editing job of many years.

Wendy enjoys cycling, especially cycle touring which she did a lot of in her younger, some say more foolish, years. Now that she’s older and wiser, Wendy is wearing out the bike paths around her home town, making good use of her amazing pedal-assist electric bike. She's also traversed most of the incredible rail trails available in Victoria, and one in New Zealand as well.

If she's not writing or riding her bike, Wendy can be found enjoying a coffee in some cafe. Or taking landscape photographs. Sometimes she makes cookies or muffins. She’s even been known, on occasion, to annoy her writing friends with long, detailed editorial comments on their latest writing endeavour. But don't worry. They get her back, tenfold, when it comes to critiquing her latest romance-in-progress.

You can catch up on her latest news via her website (www.wendyleedavies.com ). She loves hearing from readers, so don’t be shy about dropping her a line.

Wendy Davies on the web:

Website     Facebook     Twitter  

 Blog      Instagram 

Good Enough for Love

Renovating a country hotel challenges everything Amber knows…

When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, all she wants is to do it up, sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn from the hotel is her only chance to secure her future, even if living in the country never featured in her plans.

Local sheep farmer, Zach Wentworth always does the right thing, but he won’t risk his heart being broken. All he wants is to improve his farm and keep his hometown of Willow’s Bend alive. So, when he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.

Sure, Amber’s tempted by the handsome sheep farmer. But she knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does. Because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love. Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure the town's future. But doing the right thing just might mean risking his heart once again.

With everyone eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their wounded hearts and taking a chance on love.

Buy on:

Amazon Kindle           Amazon UK          Amazon Aust

***

Thanks, Wendy! I am slowly and painfully learning to enjoy the editing process. My natural habitat is in the first draft - those are SO MUCH FUN!!! But, editing is definitely growing on me!

How about you? Is your natural habitat the first draft, the structural edit, copy edit, or the proof read?

IWSG & Perseverance

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

And we’re revving up IWSG Day to make it more fun and interactive! Every month, we'll announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

April 4 question - When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

Great question!

Life is full of ups, downs, and more bumps in the road than springtime roads here in Canada where potholes proliferate more often than bunnies.

Because of this, there are times when my life is overwhelming and that is what bogs down my writing. But, writing is part of what gives me solace and hope, so I will always write.

To dig myself out of the dumpy days, I tend to switch projects. Because of my Tigger brain, I generally have a minimum of 3 projects on the go. One fiction first draft, one (or three) in various stages of revision, and one non-fiction project. Switching to a different project or even to a different part of the process always gives me that required boost.

How about you? How do you keep going?

Simmering Time

I've just finished up revising a draft of a story that I think has the potential I want. It's not there yet, but it's SO much closer than it was.

It was fun going through this draft with notes from some crit buddies with specific goals in mind.

It was also fun coming across some lines/sections that made me smile. It's great when you come across something you'd forgotten about and you're able to think -- hey, that's pretty good stuff you've got there!

Now, I'll let this simmer for a bit while I do the same for another story.

How about you? Do you need that simmering time, or are you able to look at a story right away after you've done one round of revising/editing?

Editing Tips

Thanks to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, I met a new Twitter Buddy the other day ... Nicole Singer.

That day, Alex posted several of Nicole's links. Some of them were round ups of helpful links, and there was one about editing tips entitled My Favourite Editing Exercises. I'm always looking for Editing tips so I clicked over.

Great tips! The one I put to use immediately was Nicole's suggestion to write
Goal:
Conflict:
Stakes:
at the top of each chapter to let you see at a glance what the chapter is all about.

I never print anything out, so I wondered how to do this effectively. I use Scrivener and I realized I've never used the small Synopsis box in the top right hand corner of the screen for much. The box is there for every single scene, so in each one I plunked in the above with a small alteration...

Goal:
Conflict:
     Heroine:
     Hero:
Stakes:

I used this as I was doing a revising round of my latest story and it really helped me eliminate some extraneous stuff that was bogging down the story. With Scrivener, that synopsis screen is always visible, even as you're scrolling through the screen, so I wasn't able to ignore it!

I'm thinking for the next story I write, I'll use it as a plan for the scene before I write. Who knows? It might even turn me into a plotter! (Don't hold your breath!)

Thanks again, Nicole for the tips, and Alex for the intro!!

How about you? Do you do anything similar with your chapters? What's one of your favourite editing tips?

The Wrong Story

Summers are generally a time when I can really dig in and savour my writing time. I usually have full hours at a time that I can devote to my craft and my stories. This summer, however, has been extraordinarily full with far too many things to count. Which I though explained why my writing was going so slowly.

Apparently not.

Today, I decided to put aside the rewrite I've been struggling with and work on a different story that's been marinating for a while - a NaNo draft from last year. A story that is set in the same world as the Struggling Story. One that should happen after Struggling Story.

Apparently not.

I pulled up the story, and, as per my usual method lately, thought through the story without actually looking at more than scene titles, then wrote the first chapter out.

The first 3k flew out of my fingers. Not slowly, not grudgingly, not painfully.

So, instead of my crazy life killing my creativity, I've realized I've simply been working on the wrong story.

Struggling Story will go back in the stew pot and simmer for a while longer while my subconscious works away with it, and I'll focus on this draft that feels right.

How about you? Ever realize you're working on the wrong story?

First Verbs

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about verbs and their power in the querying process.

Verbs are equally powerful in our stories. We did exactly 2 creative writing activities when I was in school. Both of these Grade 6 assignments without any teaching about what worked and didn't work in fiction. (Yes, that means I did exactly 0 creative writing in school from kindergarten until my final year of university.)

We did diagram far too many sentences, so I least I knew my parts of speech. And I knew what nouns and verbs were. I also knew that all the sentences we diagrammed were chock full of adverbs and adjectives (the better to diagram with, my dear). Therefore, my 2 assignments were equally full of adverbs and adjectives.

Which meant weak verbs.

Sigh.

Anyway, over at From the Write Angle, I've included the first few verbs of the query I used several years ago (haven't queried since, still working on improving the craft!).

Thought I'd try the same here, using the story I'm currently revising. First few verbs:

plated
made
bumped
headed
graced
reached
quailed
fled

(Past tense verbs sound odd when strung together!)
Putting the list together makes me think I need another round of revising/editing here. While the verbs aren't bad, they don't give a great sense of the story. Hmmm, off to do some thinking!

What about you? Willing to share your first couple of verbs?

Learning to Love Revising

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about what I've learned about rewriting. I'm nowhere near Expert level at this, but I've learned a lot in the last few years!

I MUCH prefer that initial draft - in fact, I could probably write 1st drafts forever and be happy.

But, I've learned to enjoy revising as well. I didn't think it would ever happen, but it has.

I like rereading that draft and finding sections I love, and sections that need to be eliminated post-haste!

I've learned to like weaving in details - although I'm still working at learning to weave in more description. Anyone else find that really, really hard???

I love the slash and burn rounds of editing. Trimming the story and finding those redundant phrases fills me with giddy pleasure. Weird, but true.

Adding/Deleting plot lines isn't something I'm adept at yet, but I'm working on it. Still gives me nightmares though!

How about you? What's your favourite (or least favourite!) part of the revising process?
(Hope to see you over at From the Write Angle!)

Spring & Revising

Spring has truly reached us here in Northern Ontario!!!

Once the tulips start popping, it feels as if we've turned or back on the snow.

Cross your fingers!!!

I'm deep in the midst of revising one story while another simmers.

Once I've done another round on the simmering one, it'll be off to the beta readers

& I'll head back to this one.

How about you? Drafting, revising or marketing?

Where are you at this beautiful spring day?

First and Last Lines

A year or so ago, I read some advice on writing out the first and last line of every chapter in a list (if this was on your blog, please give yourself a shout out in the comments for me!).

I don't remember all the reasons, but as I'm reading through my NaNo novel, I'm keeping track of these lines in a file within my Scrivener folder and I'm finding some interesting things.

• only a few of my first lines really stink
• some of them are even pretty good
• my last lines are often very short - 1-3 words
• my characters are pretty sarcastic
• putting the 1st and last lines together gives a great summary of the chapter's emotion
• reading the list through gives a great sense of the story - and of the pace (which I always need help with). Much more helpful for editing than I expected

Doing this has helped me see I've grown as a writer too. I'm coming into scenes later and exiting earlier - trusting in the reader more. (Thanks to my fabulous CPs once again!!!)

Have you ever tried this? Any great first or last lines to share?

Keep Calm & Scrivener On!

So, I'm reading through my NaNo draft and finding lots to like...and more than a few things that just don't work. Pretty normal for a 1st draft, I'd say.

I've now realized I've got to switch the order of 2 of the Major Events. This will entail millions (or so it seems) of ripple effect changes throughout the entire story. More or less a complete rewrite while keeping the essence of the story.

Slightly terrifying! Exciting too.

If you've used Scrivener, you know that you can make notes on each file (scenes for me) and notes for the entire document. I use that one to keep track of the Big Idea Changes I need to make -- things like making one character more evasive, make the other crankier, keep the sexual tension up, add description etc.

I also keep a couple of folders that aren't part of the ms. Inside my Outlines folder, I have my rather pathetic attempts to plot. One is a (far too brief) synopsis, another has a chart outlining proposed chapters, another has a bullet list for main ideas of each chapter, and so on. Because I might actually be the world's worst plotter, there are far too many files and I'm about to add at least one more with my newest ideas for rearranging the plot lines. Hoping to find a method that really works for me soon,

Another folder is my To Do Folder with Things to Add, Big Ideas, & Fix This!

Depending on my mood and need, I can keep one of these files open alongside my current chapter. Or I can keep my current chapter in one window and the new version in the other. GREAT way to use the good bits and eliminate the garbage.

Then, I can easily slip the scenes around the MS with a few drags of the mouse. For me, it makes the rewriting process a lot less daunting and the mountain I've got to climb doesn't seem as steep.

Are you a Scrivener fan? Any tips to share? How do you feel about those major rewrites? Any magic wands to turn me into a Plotter Extraordinaire?

Wrapping it Up

I'm finishing up my NaNo draft - 64k and counting. I've left myself tons of notes along the way about things to add, things to polish, and things to change.

The last few chapters are waiting for me and I have to plow my way through. While I have an idea what's going to happen (the main characters will live and get their HEA), it's the getting there that's tough. 

Endings aren't easy for me. Tying all those plot lines together isn't my strength - probably because I don't plot in advance. One of my MCs is currently in major trouble and the other is oblivious, but closing in.

The next few scenes need to be full of action and emotion. I think I'm good with the emotional part of it all, but the action sequences are more difficult. By focusing on the emotion of the characters going through the actions, my writing is getting stronger, but it's not there yet. I'll probably end up rewriting these chapters a dozen times. *sigh*

How about you, are you good at wrapping it all up at the end of your stories, or is it a challenge for you, too?

Note to Self

It's a bit early, but I've managed to squeak across that 50k NaNoWriMo finish line! The draft's not done yet, probably still another 20k to go. Hoping to have most of that wrapped up before the chaos of Christmas prep begins so I can let it simmer a bit over the holidays.

When I'm drafting, I don't fine tune as I go. Instead I leave myself notes on how to fix things later.

• this is all telling
• cliche alert!
• this stinks, but the core of the scene is good
• this isn't the right word
• do a find search for probably & maybe
• check to see how many days have passed
• what colour is his hair??
• add in some scene setting
• does the doctor have a last name?
• good place to add description
• blech - fix this

Do you leave yourself notes as you go? Or do you have to stop and fix it at the time?

Climbing out of the Quagmire

The last few months have been really rough here. A close family member lost her fierce battle with cancer and we're all reeling with the emotions (obviously). My go-to response to fear and sadness and tragedy is cooking/baking and I've stocked up everyone's freezers & fridges with enough soup, lasagnas, meatballs, chili, muffins, and cookies to last them through the next few weeks.

My creativity has been pretty much shot since we heard the news back in January, but I want to give myself a boost, so I've signed my foolish self up for NaNo again. I really don't need another first draft kicking around - I have 3 stories ready for those final revising rounds as well as 3 more first drafts with lots of potential and lots of needs. But, my heart is sore and weary and I'm hoping this might help me rebound.

As usual, I have no plan, no plot, no outline. Heck, I don't even have character names yet. But I think this one will involve some hi-jinks in the snow. Or not. I guess I'll find out soon! One thing I do know is there will be a HEA (happy every after) because that's exactly what I need right now.

So, if you're on the NaNo trail, join me (I'm jemifraser over there) and let's pound out some words together!

And if you're so inclined, pop on over to From the Write Angle, where we're talking NaNo as well.

Fleshing it Out

I'm over at From The Write Angle today talking about some tips for fleshing out an overly lean manuscript.

This is a new area for me as I used to be an over-writer but once I trimmed this draft, I was 15k short of my goal! The story is stronger, but not where it needs to be. Not yet.

Hope you'll pop on over and join the discussion - I need all the help I can get!

Holy Word Count!

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about how to make your writing leaner. I know from experience how daunting that can be, but that experience has made me a much stronger writer today.

Probably 6 years ago or so, I decided to write a novel. I knew nothing. NOTHING. Absolutely nothing.

But I had read a whole slew (or six slews) of novels, so I wasn't in the least bit daunted.

The story ended up at over 170 000 words.

Yup, you read that right.

Then I stumbled upon Agent Query Connect and started to learn what writing a novel was all about. I learned a lot. Backstory, dialogue tags, strong verbs instead of verb/adverb combinations, echoes, tension, conflict, character arcs...

So I revised. And revised again a couple of (dozen) times.

Eventually, the story was down to 81 000. Less than half. And it was SO much better!

But I wouldn't trade the experience of writing that story in all its over-padded glory for anything. It will always have a safe place in my hard drive. I learned more from writing that story ... and revising that story ... than I could have from a dozen classes.

How about you? Any fond memories of your first serious attempt at writing?

Typos

While I'm no Speed Demon Typist, I type fairly quickly. Probably 60 to 80 words a minute when I'm on a roll. When I'm drafting I look at the screen and of course see all my typos. My fingers automatically hit backspace and fix the typos before I type on. I've tried to force myself to leave them and fix them later, but I can't do it. They fester and I end up wasting more time looking for them because not all of them are identified by Scrivener.

• one that I make Every. Single. Time is "int he" instead of "in the". It would make my life a lot easier if int wasn't a word!
• I also have to backspace and fix the "dl" instead of "ld" on "could/couldn't" and "would/wouldn't" pretty much every time
• teh instead of the (According to this list the is the #1 misspelled word using a QWERTY keyboard)
• when I type "and" the "d" is often attached to the next word instead of itself
• I also switch up there, three, theer with alarming regularity.

I bet Scrivener can auto-fix some of these for me - I just have to figure out how! :)

How about you? What typos drive you mad? Do you stop & fix too?

Say it Again?

I'm over at Revising & Editing today talking about Redundancies. I hope you'll pop over to join the discussion!

This is something I have a problem with in First Draft Writing. I had great difficulty recognizing this as a problem when I first started writing a few years ago. I felt more like I was reinforcing the idea rather than irritating the reader. Thankfully I'm finding it easier to spot in my drafts these days.

How about you? What's something you've gotten better at?

Checklist

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about what my students think makes a great book. If you check it out, you'll see it ends up looking like a checklist for writers.

So, I started thinking about checklists. I'm not a list person - but everyone else in my family is. Every last one of them. They do think I'm a bit of a nut.

Do you use lists or checklists in your writing?

As part of my ongoing attempt to plot/outline/organize my writing, I've created a chart to make sure my scenes on track. My chart headings are: chapter & scene #, pov character, setting/main event, internal conflict & external conflict.

I don't know if it's helping me write at all, but it does give me more confidence after the fact that I'm still on track - and it's helping me tweak the scenes with that focus in mind. At least I think it is... :)

Are you a list person? Wht kinds of checklists do you use?

Ouch! It's an Outline!

Sort of...

Have I mentioned lately how much you all rock? Because you do - seriously! When I called out for help on outlining and plotting, you gave me great ideas - and badly needed sympathy and empathy.

I spent days looking into the different options and thinking about what might work. Here's what I tried (at least the parts I remember...).

• from my Scrivener chapter notes I made an outline with a bullet for each scene
• from this I made a shorter outline using one bullet per chapter
• I brainstormed a bunch of 'what if's
• then I made an excel story bible to help me out
• a 7 point story outline came next (kinda bombed at this though)
• I made another excel sheet using the short outline and adding columns for internal and external conflict for each scene
• I scribbled on all the printed out pages with the changes I could think of (this might have been the hardest part - I mean how are you supposed to know what happens until you write it???). Confession - didn't manage to finish *sigh*
• a webby thing that should match my brain but didn't
• I opened a new Scrivener document and surrounded myself with my papers, notes and spreadsheets

And nearly cried. Okay, not really, but I have to say looking at all those papers nearly sent my go-with-the-flow, pantsty, intuitive soul into a panic.

I believe I stared at the papers and the open documents for several days...

Following an outline is really, really hard!! My creativity and ideas totally dried up. *sigh*

So, I read through all your comments again, looking for the enthusiasm you all shared. That helped!

I reviewed my notes then packed them all away, closed all the documents except the new Scrivener file and the short outline with the conflict bits.

And guess what? It took me most of the last week, but I have the first 2 chapters rewritten. I can't believe how slowly I'm going - I feel like I'm wading through thigh high mud, but I'm making progress. I like the female MC much better this time and the conflict is improved (I know it's early - let me hang on to the delusions for now!). Now that I'm aware of the coincidence issue, I hope to avoid it with the thoughts zipping around in my head and some occasional checking in with my outlines.

So for now, I'll keep trying to work with this quasi-outline idea - even though I can feel my right brain pushing to escape! If nothing else, it's a learning experience and I do like to learn new stuff!

Have you ever tried writing in total opposition to your natural style? How'd that work out for you?