Forum Posts Feed
Scrivener 2.4 now available
< Next Topic | Back to topic list | Previous Topic >
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Mar 1, 2013 at 08:26 PM
For Mac users, the latest release of Scrivener is out. The list of updates is very long, none of which will change your (writing) life, but are, nevertheless impressive in a .X release.
Steve Z.
Posted by jamesofford
Oct 10, 2013 at 02:58 PM
A colleague of mine, who is also working in the lab and writes papers for publications in journals like Journal of Neuroscience, recommended Scrivener as a replacement for Microsoft Word. Having read lots of laudatory comments about the program here, I decided to take the plunge. I now have Scrivener on my Mac.
A question: what’s the best way to learn the ins and outs and intricacies of this program? I note that there are several books up on Amazon, any of them worthwhile? How about forums? I also assume that I can just start using it like any other word processor, but that seems to kind of miss the point. If I am just using it as a replacement for Word, without exploring some of the interesting and novel aspects of the program, then it seems like I am missing things that might be important.
So, what’s the best way for a newbie to get started?
Jim
Posted by Franz Grieser
Oct 10, 2013 at 03:31 PM
Hi Jim.
The best way to start is the tutorial that comes with Scrivener.
Franz
Posted by Hugh
Oct 10, 2013 at 05:01 PM
The Scrivener forums at Literature & Latte also comprise a very useful resource if you’re puzzled about how to do something. There are how-to videos on the L&L website, too. And finally the software comes with a comprehensive manual; it’s too long and detailed to be read cover-to-cover, but suitable for reference when you have specific questions.
Posted by Hugh
Oct 10, 2013 at 05:19 PM
And any of the books are also pretty helpful. I’ve read or skimmed most of them, and I haven’t found a weak one yet.
Incidentally, Scrivener isn’t really a word processor, in the traditional sense of ‘software which lays out pages’. It will lay out simple pages, but the truth is that Scrivener is about filling the gap between the ideas in your head and long-form drafting on the page. Scrivener is about getting ideas, their expression and their order right (and incidentally, secure), especially in the drafting of long-form items such as theses, academic reports and, of course, novels. It regards precise formatting and layout as stages that can come later (rightly in my view), using Scrivener or a more precisely suited piece of software.