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Posted on 14 October 2019
In Scrivener

All in one place: novel plus research notes Using Scrivener, everything is in one place. One project holds all that you need: Your manuscript Character sketches Setting sketches Research materials In this blog post, I'm focusing on the Research folder and how I use it. The Research folder The Research folder is perfect for storing information I'll need while writing my novel. I start collecting as soon as a new idea for a novel...

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Posted on 30 September 2019
In Scrivener

KISS = Keep It Simple, Sunshine! How do you structure your novel? There are lots of Scrivener templates available, each one offering a ready-made structure for a novel. Google 'Scrivener template' and see what you find. Choosing your novel structure: KM Weiland and Shawn Coyne If you have written lots of novels before and enjoy this approach to novel-writing, maybe the template KM Weiland provides, with a comprehensive 3-act structure, complete with notes...

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Posted on 16 September 2019
In Scrivener

Everything in one place - in the Binder One of the major benefits of using Scrivener to write a novel (or anything else!) is that everything you need is held within the one project file, within the Binder. That's assuming you put it there! Whenever I start a new novel, I set up the basics in the Binder: 100 Scenes, each with a target of 500 words (100 x 500 = 50,000...

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Posted on 2 September 2019
In Scrivener

September - time to start a new novel Starting a new novel happens, for me, about this time every year, in preparation for a writing splurge during NaNoWriMo. This blog post takes you through the initial process. Setting up a new project Reviewing the project metadata Creating character sketches Creating location sketches Identifying the story timeline Subsequent blog posts will show the preparation done ahead of midnight on 31 October, when I start...

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Posted on 19 August 2019
In Scrivener

FREE 14-day Scrivener course While the sun is shining and the kids are on their school holidays, thoughts drift to taking the plunge. The local swimming pool. A dip in the sea. Starting to learn how to use Scrivener? Learn how to use Scrivener in just fourteen days! Starting TODAY, set aside 30-60 mins a day and, by 1 September, you'll be using Scrivener with confidence. And after that ...

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Posted on 5 August 2019
In Scrivener

Playwriting is child's play, using a Scrivener template Scrivener offers a template for plays. It's under the heading Scriptwriting, and provides seven different options. Choose the one that best matches the intended destination for your play. I use Stage Play (UK), and this is what Scrivener provides when I select that project template. Notice the entries in the Binder: Script, Act and Scene. 'Act' and 'Scene' are the basic building blocks of the...

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Posted on 22 July 2019
In Scrivener

Use footnotes for notes to yourself Scrivener's auto numbering during Compile is not confined to chapters, or parts, acts and scenes, or tables and figures, etc. Scrivener supports two notes streams - inline and Inspector linked footnotes - either of which can be used to form endnotes and the numbering of these are also handled during the Compile process. Once they are output via Compile, the note streams only differ in position: Footnotes...

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Posted on 8 July 2019
In Scrivener

Throw away that calculator! In previous posts, we've looked at numbering of chapters and then numbering of parts, acts and scenes. In this post, my focus in on tables - not only how to number them automatically, but also how to cross refer to them in your text. Ready? Placeholders and named auto numbering Placeholders are tags which, during compilation are replaced with actual numbers. Scrivener does the counting for you. The tag starts with...

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Posted on 24 June 2019
In Scrivener

Let Scrivener count for you In a previous post, I introduced autonumbering and explained how the actual numbers don't appear until you compile your manuscript. Last time, we looked at chapter numbering and the various options. I also mentioned that you can automate the numbering for: Parts Figures / images Tables You can even dream up your own name and create a ‘named auto numbering stream’. These tags are put within the text of...

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Posted on 10 June 2019
In Scrivener

You can count on Scrivener One of the most-asked questions when compiling is about chapter numbering. For many, this proves to be a stumbling block. So, today, I'm explaining all - and much else about Scrivener's auto-numbering feature. There are a host of numbering options, and they are activated using 'placeholders'. These are essentially 'tags' which are replaced during the Compile process for actual data. A complete list is available via the...

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