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  In much the same way I used Scrivener's Setting Sketch template for my various locations, the Character Sketch template is useful for my cast of characters. And until their 'real' names start to emerge, I'm also using dummy names for my characters. For each location, I've nominally assigned a hostess. I know the Safari Supper system relies on couples and filling tables of six or eight. But for now, I'm assuming one...

So I need a plot, but first, it seems, I need characters. I've read up on the 'theory' of characterisation, and it would appear that there should be two main characters: my protagonist playing the leading role, confronted by conflict, courtesy of my antagonist. Usually, the protagonist is the goodie, and the antagonist is the baddie - but not always. I am reliably informed that the protagonist and the antagonist both need...

I'm not known for my patience - and I wanted to learn Scrivener fast. Googling 'Scrivener training'  led me to precisely what I needed: LearnScrivenerFast. If you check out the link, you'll learn all about Joe (Joseph Michael - that's him smiling in the image) and the wonderful materials he has developed. His course is not cheap, but then it's a quality product. I also discovered Udemy at #3 on the Google hit list....

Tutorial: Learning how to use a sophisticated piece of software like Scrivener takes time and energy and, if you are like me, both can be in short supply! It's not just knowing what every item on every menu does, it's also appreciating how this magnificent software, with all its buttons and bells, might help a writer - like you and me - to achieve what we need to do: write that novel. So, where...

  Using Scrivener: Three plus points #1: Everything is in one place. (Read Here) #2: I feel like I am in control. (Read Here) #3: I have a choice. Because there are so many aspects to a novel, so many dimensions to visualize, so many jigsaw pieces to fit together, the whole task can seem insurmountable - during writing and, even more so later, when editing. With Scrivener, I feel the project, this beast (which...

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...

Using Scrivener: Three plus points Whenever I'm asked to comment on anything - be it a piece of writing, the weather, whatever - I always try to come up with plus points first, preferably three of them. It's an attitude of mind. My glass is always at least half full! Using Scrivener, there are so many plus points, the difficulty is in choosing just three! #1: Everything is in one place. I love NANO....

For years, I've had the Scrivener software on my computer, but not found time to use it until now. Why not? On first sight, this sophisticated package looked so complicated, even IT-savvy me was put off. Writer friends were raving about how brilliant Scrivener was, how it transformed their writing, but I wasn't listening. Why now? Fate intervened. A friend sent me a link to a video demo. Tempted to watch, I was amazed by Scrivener's power...