Scrivener Plus Points: #2
Using Scrivener: Three plus points
#1: Everything is in one place. (Read Here)
#2: I feel like I am in control.
Being in control is essential for those of us proud to ‘suffer’ from OCD. I need to see my novel on lots of levels: from the top down, from the bottom up, from each character’s point of view, and from the reader’s perspective too.
The binder panel sits to the left of my screen and, beneath the folders for the manuscript itself, within the Research folder, I can see my cast of players:
Probably too many characters – but I can kill off a few – or merge them – during editing!
Now: the body of the screen. Scrivener is so useful when plotting. The corkboard option gives an overview, of example, of the scenes within one chapter. It’s simple to move scenes around, rather than cut and paste within Word. I can add new scenes too, until the plot points are all present and correctly sequenced – electronically, not using post-its on my office wall.
While I’m working on an individual scene, I’m doubly blessed. Instead of the cork board overview, I choose the text to view but can also refer to notes on a particular character at the same time, using a split screen. Or, the right-hand pane can show the location. Or my timeline, or a web page I’ve saved within my Research folder. So helpful!
I like editing at the best of times. I enjoy the discipline of taming those unruly words which spring from me during moments of creativity. Right now, though, tussling with my normal calm demeanour, there’s a mounting tension. With Scrivener, I am so in charge of the process and yet (almost uncontrollably) excited!
Tomorrow, I’ll reveal my #3 Plus Point.
Meanwhile, if you have yet to download Scrivener … here’s that Mac link again.
And the one for Windows: 
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Patsy
13 September 2015 at 14:58Do you ever write in extra characters so you can kill them off in editing? I’m not saying I’ve ever done such a thing, but I can imagine it might be therapeutic.
Who am I kidding – I do it all the time. One person has died 27 times this year.
rainbowmaker
14 September 2015 at 06:29Hi Patsy!
I’m not guilty of writing in extra characters ‘just to kill them off’.
I’d like to be able to say my starting point is the murderer – with a motive, something that upsets them so much, they are driven to the extreme of murder.
However, to date, once the characters take over – usually by about 7 November in NaNoWriMo, there’s no telling who will end up dead or – as I discovered when drafting Who Dunne It – who will have been responsible.
That’s the fun of it for me.