Skip to main content

First Steps in the Scrivener Waltz

1-2-3, 1-2-OMG!


I finally did it. I purchased Scrivener. Now I have to hold onto my self-worth as I try to wrap my brain around the interface. I keep telling myself, so many experts can't be wrong, right? Surely, when I've mastered this program, I'll come out on top. On top meaning I will have a tool that will give me more functionality, save me more time, and overall, make me a more organized and efficient writer.

Currently, I'm doing pretty good with a combination of MS Word and Excel, so this baby better be awesome to convince me to convert for long term. 

So I start to learn it like I learn all things - jumping in with both feet. Click, click, click, click.... cli...


That didn't work.


So basically, I've purchased the Scrivener software that experts are saying is functionally amazing, but its user interface is so non-intuitive, I can't figure it out, and I used be an Internet Business Consultant. Surely my skills aren't that rusty.


A few searches and I discover most of the experts claiming Scrivener works great, have paid for this course  LearnScrivenerFast, which seems to consist of concise engaging lessons. Problem solved right?


Wrong! I paid $50 for Scrivener, and this awesome course is another $300. So, basically,  I just purchased a license to a software product that people have had to create courses on, so users can figure out how to use it. That doesn't sit right with me.


Second reason not to part with my Canadian loonies has something to do with the Yukon Gold Rush. In the late 1890s, about 100,000 hopeful prospectors hiked into the Canadian Yukon hoping to find gold. Now I ask, was it more fruitful to be a miner during the gold rush or did selling pickaxes to all the men with gold fever turn a better profit? You got it. Owning the mercantile was the way to make the most money and to come out a winner.


So, I'm trying to limit my spending. Each dollar I spend learning how to be a better writer is going to  come out of my profits when I am a better writer. Basically, I'm climbing the Yukon trail without the pickaxe!


Still trust me?


So, after an entire four hours spent struggling with the Scrivener interface (1990's interface I might add), I wouldn't personally suggest purchasing it. But if you did, like me, here is what I feel are the very first steps to take.


Step 1: Start with an established Novel Outline Template

Generally, step 1 should refer you to the 340 page PDF document Scrivener offers, however, I think the beginning of this sentence already explains why you shouldn't start there, if you're in a hurry.


The Book Ninja offers non-fiction templates for $10, and many sites offer free templates. Too many. So this might take some time.
  1. Start with Google.
  2. Search for the keywords "Free Scrivener Novel Outline Fiction OR Non-Fiction".
  3. Then start weeding through the results.
I found Caroline Norrington's Fiction outline to be quite detailed. 


Once you have downloaded the zip file, you will need to follow these instructions.
  1. Your computer should unzip the file if you click the folder.
  2. Save the files in a computer folder you name "Scrivener templates"
  3. Open your Scrivener program and select "file" and then "open"
  4. Find your .scrivtemplate file where you saved it

Step 2: Open the Inspector

Opening the inspector in Scrivener was like putting an addition on the house.
  1. Click the "view" tab in the top row of navigation in Scrivener.
  2. Select "layout" from the drop down menu.
  3. Click the box beside "inspector" to open it in the right of your screen.  
  4. A shortcut option is to click the little blue circle in the top right of the Scrivener screen.
Interface Rant: There are too many ways to accomplish actions in this software.



The inspector will show you:
  • Synopsis
  • Notes (notes attached to binder items (chapters) or general notes attached to the entire manuscript, or images you drag and drop there).
  • References (links to document or global/project references)
  • Keywords (keywords associated with your selected document)
  • Meta-data (label and status, modified and created date).
  • Snapshots (like file versions in case you want to revert to an earlier draft)
  • Footnotes
  • Comments

Step 3: Click Everything

Move your mouse around Scrivener before you get your manuscript in there, and just start clicking and following the dropdown boxes and see what it does.


Yes, you'll find a multitude of buttons that add items to your binder. The good news is, you'll learn to highlight and drag those items to your trash bin. I did this many times.


Now that you've established you haven't learned anything, but you have reduced your fear of clicking buttons, you are now ready to import your manuscript.

Step 4: Importing MS Word into Scrivener

Hells Bells! It took me about two more hours to find a semi-acceptable way to import my established MS Word manuscript into Scrivener using the "import and split" feature.


What I was hoping for is that Scrivener would recognize Heading 1 and Heading 2 and Heading 3 commands of my MS Word doc and then separate accordingly into chapter folders in the binder. No such luck, so far. If anyone knows of another way to accomplish this, please let me know.


  1. Type a key symbol of your choice into your manuscript to indicate where Scrivener should split your text into sections upon import. I used this key # - see image to the right.
  2. Save your MS.
Watch the rest in the visual below, and then return to the following steps for clarification
  1. In Scrivener, click "file" and then select "import" and then select "import and split" (see visual example below).
  2. A pop-up will ask for more details. Select your MS file, then type in the key you used to identify the splits (#).
  3. Once you've imported, you will see the splits in the binder section of Scrivener. In my example above, I have chapters and sub-titles.
  4. My next step is to place my curser in front of each sub-title in Scrivener and click CNTRL + K This will split off another section for me. You can't see me clicking the button combination, but you will see me placing my cursor in front of "How has technology changed Writing" etc.
  5. Last step is to convert the binder items into chapter folders or sections.







If you did this step differently, how did you do it?

Is there an easier way? I'd love to hear it.

With your help, maybe you'll save me from wasting another day I'll never get back on the Scrivener Waltz.

 Yikes!


















Comments

  1. I like your all post. You have done really good work. Thank you for the information you provide, it helped me a lot. I hope to have many more entries or so from you.
    Very interesting blog.
    /">Scrivener crack

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am very impressed with your post because this post is very beneficial for me and provide a new knowledge to me
    Proshow Producer Crack
    DaVinci Resolve Studio Crack
    MacBooster Crack
    Scrivener Crack
    ByteFence Crack

    ReplyDelete
  3. I guess I am the only one who came here to share my very own experience. Guess what!? I am using my laptop for almost the past 2 years, but I had no idea of solving some basic issues. I do not know how to Download Cracked Pro Softwares But thankfully, I recently visited a website named cracksoftwarefreedownload.com
    All Pro Cracked Softwares Download
    Scrivener Crack

    ReplyDelete
  4. After looking through a few blog articles on your website,we sincerely appreciate the way you blogged.We’ve added it to our list of bookmarked web pages and will be checking back in the nearfuture. Please also visit my website and tell us what you think.Great work with hard work you have done I appreciate your work thanks for sharing it.

    JBridge Crack
    Windows Movie Maker Crack
    Dolby Access Crack
    NinjaGram Crack
    Scrivener Crack
    Wondershare Filmora Crack
    Restoro Crack
    Windows 11 Crack

    ReplyDelete
  5. I guess I am the only one who comes here to share my very own experience guess what? I am using my laptop for almost the post 2 years.

    Scrivener Crack

    ReplyDelete
  6. After reading some blog posts on your site,
    Thanks for writing this blog.
    We've added a list of bookmarks and will be back soon.
    Also, visit my website and let us know what you think.
    Thank you for your work, thank you for sharing it.
    Crackurl Full Version Softwares Free Download
    Scrivener Crack

    ReplyDelete
  7. “Thank you so much for sharing all this wonderful info with the how-to's!!!! It is so appreciated!!!” “You always have good humor in your posts/blogs. So much fun and easy to read!


    Scrivener Crack

    EarthView Crack

    ProgDVB Professional Crack

    Dropbox Crack

    ReplyDelete
  8. This site have particular software articles which emits an impression of being a significant and significant for you individual, able software installation.This is the spot you can get helps for any software installation, usage and cracked.
    able2extract-professional-crack
    scrivener-crack
    digidna-imazing-crack
    window-12-pro-crack
    windows-11-activator-final-crack
    windows-xp-black-edition-crack-2
    vce-exam-simulator-pro-crack

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm really impressed with your writing skills, as smart as the structure of your


    Latest Software Free Download



    weblog. Is this a paid topic



    Mediacoder crack



    do you change it yourself? However, stopping by with great quality writing, it's hard to see any good blog today.



    Push video wallpaper -crack





    Iobit start menu -crack





    Pinnacle pro -crack



    scrivener pro crack

    ReplyDelete

  10. Just admiring your work and wondering how you managed this blog so well. It’s so remarkable that I can't afford to not go through this valuable information whenever I surf the internet! android emulators
    serato-dj-pro-crack-2
    scrivener-crack

    ReplyDelete





  11. such as the royalty free music provided by Royalty Free Music.com to fulfill their production music and background needs at a fraction of the cost of other types of music
    scrivener-crack
    iobit-uninstaller-pro-crack
    rhinoceros-crack
    internet-download-manager-crack
    pgware-superram-crack
    reimage-pc-repair-crack
    idm-crack
    disk-drill-pro-crack

    ReplyDelete
  12. First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download Now

    >>>>> Download Full

    First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download LINK

    >>>>> Download Now

    First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download Full

    >>>>> Download LINK N6

    ReplyDelete
  13. First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download Now

    >>>>> Download Full

    First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download LINK

    >>>>> Download Now

    First Steps In The Scrivener Waltz >>>>> Download Full

    >>>>> Download LINK cU

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like your all post. You have done really good work. Thank you for the information you provide, it helped me a lot. I hope to have many more entries or so from you.
    Very interesting blog.
    howcrack.org
    Scrivener Crack

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dominate search engine rankings and drive organic traffic with our expert SEO services.
    Firetrust MailWasher Pro Crack

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Use MS OneNote to Organize Writing Research and Novel Outlines for Writers

Let’s Get Organized  Writers take a gazillion notes.   I don’t have to tell you this, because you know all about it. You also know how difficult it is to organize notes, search through paper notes, and sometimes even find all the notes you've written.  In this day and age, going digital is the best way to keep track of your notes. If organized properly, digital notes are sortable, searchable, editable, accessible from anywhere, and light as a feather to carry around. In this blog, I'm going to show you how to be note-efficient. ____________________________________________________ The following is an excerpt from "Technology #WritingTips for Writers". First 100 subscribers at http://www.cherylcowtan.com get a free copy at book launch. _____________________________________________________ The first step in getting note-efficient is finding the right software. For writers, finding a software that will meet all of our needs is like trying to pick

When Others Steal Your Work - The Margaret Keane story "Big Eyes"

"If you want me out of your life, you'll have to paint me 100 more waifs--100 more Keanes". How does it happen? How can someone take over your art, your heart's-work, and pass it off as their own and you just let it happen? If you've ever wondered how people get themselves stuck in situations that don't serve them, and often harm them, you need to watch the movie "Big Eyes" on Netflix. The film is based on the true story of Margaret Keane, artist of the "big eyes" waif portraits. For 10 years, her husband claimed he was the artist who created her work, and though he couldn't paint, he was a genius salesman and was able to make quite a bit of money and gain a lot of fame through his sales skills. Walter never painted a thing. His wife produced all the paintings for him to sell, often working herself to sleep in a small studio in their house. Even Margaret's daughter was lied to. The film succeeds, for me, in the way it s