Welcome back to the Tool Blog post series, Hack & Yack! We explore how we can employ edtech tools for composing, editing, networking, and other writing-related activities in our research and classrooms! Today, we’re featuring the go-to APP for writing, Scrivener!
What does this tool do?
Scrivener is an app for writers to create and manage various writing projects, for example, dissertations, journals, manuscripts, novels, and so on. What the app officially describes on its website is that it provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.
Who is this tool for?
Scrivener is for writers of all kinds. Students and academics could use it to manage their writing projects.
How accessible is this tool?
I was first introduced to the app by a scholar who was working on a book project about a year ago. I’ve heard about this app from at least three people. After trying it for a while, I feel this is a user-friendly app for writing. Below are the main reasons I’d like to use and keep using this app for writing my manuscripts:
- Constructing integrated framework – Cork-Board View
In the early stages of writing, the Cork-Board view is useful for creating an outline. You can write a synopsis for small pieces (chapters or sections within a chapter), pin them on the Cork-Board, and move them around to change the order. What’s more, the synopsis will also appear in the right information bar of your writing page. This allows you to maintain focus and consistently align your writing with this profile as you progress. You don’t have to follow the linear-logical writing approach. To write a manuscript, you can either write it like you would a Word document or break up the article into sections to write separately and combine them together at the end. Here is the instruction for How to Use Scrivener’s Freeform Corkboard.
- Breaking up the whole into parts – Folders and Texts
You can break down a long paper into small documents and present them in the left column. Each Text can be a chapter, a section, or a paragraph. During the writing process, you can drag each document in the left column to reorganize it. My personal suggestion is to set all chapters as Folders and sections within chapters as Texts to facilitate quick identification and organization in the future. Here is the instruction for how to Use Folders and Texts to Power Up the Scrivener Binder.
- Managing writing progress – Outline View
The Project Target is my favorite function of this APP. You can set up the target words for the paper. After typing the manuscript deadline and the days you plan to write weekly, the system will automatically calculate the words you need to write each day and your current progress to achieve the daily goal and overall paper target. Here is the instruction for how to Track Statistics and Targets in Your Scrivener Projects.
How to start?
You may start by choosing one of the existing templates if you’re a first-time user. Taking the thesis as an example. When you first open it, you can select the default template, or if it’s for thesis Writing, you can select the ‘Non-Fiction writing’ template. This video shows how to set up your Scrivener project using the non-fiction templates and the different non-fiction templates.
Will I need to pay to use it?
To try Scrivener, you may start with a 30-day free trial. After the free trial, you can purchase the “perpetual” license for the particular version of the software. Scrivener 3 is the latest version for now. The standard license for macOS/Windows is $59.99. The educational license for macOS/Windows is $50.99, which is only available to students and academics requiring institutional affiliation. Please check this page for more info about the price and how licensing works.
