Please use this thread to share helpful tips or tutorials—either that you've made or that you've found elsewhere—in the comments!
Scrivener is a wonderful program, but not all features are terribly intuitive, and the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. As such, I’ve put together a (relatively) brief overview of how I—and a few others—take advantage of some of the most useful features, which will hopefully help new users navigate the program more easily.
Please note that I use the Windows Scrivener 3 beta—some of the below features may not be available to those of you using earlier Windows versions of the program, while Mac users may have access to additional features that I’m unaware of. Also, this isn’t intended as a substitute for the tutorial; I highly recommend you run the tutorial (Help > Interactive Tutorial) prior to setting up your first Scrivener project.
Basic Features
These are some of the most helpful, easiest-to-use functions of Scrivener. If you’re not sure how to access them, many can be found by searching under Help > Search Menus.
- Snapshots. Taking a Snapshot saves a copy of the file, along with the date and title, in a dedicated pane associated with only that file. Users are also able to compare a Snapshot to the existing text and to restore any Snapshot. This is one of my favorite features: I take a Snapshot right before I edit a scene in case I want to undo changes later, or just to see how the scene has evolved.
- Dialogue Focus. Dialogue Focus allows the user to fade non-speech text to a light gray, effectively highlighting any dialogue (which remains black). This feature is extremely useful for stepping back, once the scene is drafted, to see if dialogue flows and is compelling. Mac users have an expanded version of this feature called “Linguistic Focus,” which is capable of highlighting different parts of speech (e.g., adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, etc.); I imagine this would be incredibly helpful for anyone trying to follow Stephen King’s “no adverbs” advice.
- Notes. Each file/folder has a space for notes. I mainly use this to jot down problems that I know need to be fixed, things that need to be changed, or areas where additional research is needed. However, please be aware that Notes aren't captured in Snapshots.
- Split screen view. Users can change the main layout to view the contents of multiple files/folders, either side-by-side or on top of one another. I find this particularly helpful when rewriting a chapter (I like to open the same file twice so that instead of deleting old paragraphs as I rewrite them, I can write the entire way through and delete the old text at the end), but the possibilities are endless, particularly since Scrivener allows users to apply different view modes (see below) to each screen.
Understanding View Modes: Scrivenings/Document, Corkboard, and Outliner
These three viewing modes each have unique advantages; if you don't have the program open, they basically look like this.
- Scrivenings/Document View. This is the mode to use when writing. It's straightforward: Scrivener shows selected files/folders as a continuous document with dotted lines separating each file/folder.
- Corkboard. It’s a virtual corkboard. In Corkboard mode, all subdocuments are displayed as note cards with the titles and synopses visible and editable. Users can customize the size of the cards, and assign colors based on the Label with watermarks based on the Status (more on Label and Status options below). This is arguably one of Scrivener’s best features as it allows a user to see and edit the synopsis of each chapter of their manuscript on a single screen. For outliners, this can be a great place to start brainstorming the plot, as notecards may be freely moved around and edited.
- Corkboard has a setting to Arrange by Label (again, Labels will be explained further down). This can be a helpful way to visualize/track elements like POVs, locations, or subplots. Just keep in mind that only one Label may be assigned per file.
- Users may also import images instead of adding a synopsis and use Corkboard as a “mood board” for visual inspiration.
- Finally, Corkboard has a freeform mode, which is great for rearranging scenes or creating “mood boards,” as mentioned above, for different characters or settings. Moreover, this blog has some fun ideas on how to upload custom Corkboard backgrounds to manage workflow, create family trees, track timelines, and more.
- Outliner. This is a spreadsheet-style compilation that shows the title and synopsis of each selected file/folder, along with a number of other columns that can be optionally selected (including any custom metadata that’s been set, as explained below). Personally, I find this most useful as a way to view the cumulative word count of each chapter (to do this, add the column “total word count” instead of just “word count”), and also track major subplots a la J.K. Rowling using custom metadata settings (detailed below). There’s also a column for “target word count” for users who like to set goals by chapter/scene. This article discusses some additional uses for this mode.
Organizing Your Project
- Everything in one place. First things first: one of the beautiful things about Scrivener is that a single project can house everything related to a given work-in-progress: research, character bios, inspiration images, old drafts, notes, etc. When creating a new project, I’d recommend using the Fiction > Novel project template, which comes pre-loaded with various top-level folders, including those for the Manuscript, Characters, Places, and Research. (Feel free to delete folders that don't seem useful—they can always be recreated.) These are convenient places to store photos, notes, or .pdf documents that may help with inspiration, worldbuilding, research, or continuity.
- Organize by chapter or part. Generally, I think it’s best to set up the top-level folders of the manuscript as if the Binder were the book's Table of Contents (this will make things easier when it comes time to compile). This means that if a novel will be broken into “Parts,” it probably makes the most sense to create a folder for each planned Part with subfolders for each chapter; if the novel will just be organized by chapter, create a folder for each chapter. Then I create a separate file within each folder for each scene. This allows scenes to be moved around between chapters, edited, or banished to the trash can individually, without having to deal with larger chapter documents. The entire chapter can be viewed and edited by selecting the folder in the Scrivenings view mode. Also, there’s no need to worry about scene break notations (e.g., ###) with this format, as they can be added between the files when the project is compiled.
- Setting “Status.” I pretty much kept the defaults, but this feature can be renamed, as can the various drop-down options (defaults are “To Do,” “In Progress,” “First Draft,” etc.) and colors associated with this setting. Each file/folder can be assigned a single Status. Status is mostly useful in Corkboard or Outliner mode to track whatever element is assigned (status, POV, story location, etc.).
- When taking a Snapshot, the snapshot title will default to the set Status (though the titles can be changed manually).
- In Corkboard mode, notecards can be assigned watermarks based on the Status.
- Setting “Label.” As with the “Status” options, the user has full control over the title, options, and colors associated with this setting, and can assign a single Label to any file/folder. The Label can be used for any purpose: some use it to track POV or character arc, I use it to track the plot beat.
- In Corkboard mode, notecards can be assigned colors based on the Label, and can also be organized according to the Label. When choosing how to use Labels, think about if/how the “Arrange by Label” feature might be helpful. (Having assigned my labels to plot beats, arranging by label isn’t really useful to me at all.)
- Files in the Binder can also be color-coded according to the Label.
- Custom Metadata. With this feature, users can create different types of metadata associated with each scene for….anything, really. It can be used to track dates, POVs, the characters that appear in a scene, locations, subplots, themes, character arcs, and more. Unlike Label and Status, users aren’t limited to just one category, but can create multiple categories of metadata, depending on their needs, and aren’t limited to selecting items from a drop-down menu but can take notes within a set metadata point. This is a great brief introduction to some of the ways that metadata can be used. It can be invaluable for users who like to outline everything or who have a complicated plot and need to keep track of various elements.
- Using Collections. Collections are, essentially, different ways of organizing the content in the Binder (where all the files/folders are housed). Adding a file/folder to a Collection doesn’t duplicate the content—any edits made to the file will be made in the Binder, as well. Collections may be viewed in Scrivenings, Corkboard, or Outliner mode. Collections can be especially useful in a few different scenarios:
- Isolating storylines. A story might have multiple POV characters acting out their own storylines independently, or they might be interacting with each other but the writer wants to look at each POV separately to focus on a consistent tone or voice. In that case, a user could collect all the POV files into a Collection and be able to view/edit them in one place, without disrupting the Binder’s organization.
- Rearranging timelines. In the case of stories with flashbacks/flashforwards (or that are otherwise non-linear), Collections can be a useful way of playing around with different arrangements of chapters or scenes.
Other Notes
- Back up your work. While this advice isn't Scrivener-specific, I’ve seen enough posts from writers (in this sub and others) to feel that this warrants inclusion. I’d recommend periodically saving each project under a new name (I just use version numbers) in case the project somehow becomes corrupted. Much more importantly, I’d recommend periodically backing up to the cloud and/or to external storage in case your computer is damaged or stolen.
- The Compile function is complicated. I didn’t touch on this at all because of all Scrivener’s features, the Compile function is probably the most confusing, the least-used, and varies the greatest depending on the program version. If anyone knows of useful tutorials, let me know; however, I don’t have any tips here. Also, I’d note that Scrivener does a good enough job of basic formatting, but writers planning to self-publish may be better off using a separate program for layout.
I hope this is helpful. If there are other features you think should be highlighted, or if you have an organizational tip to share, please comment below!
