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Last updated on Jan 03, 2023

Scrivener 3 Review: Don't try it before you've read this!

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Martin Cavannagh

Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.

Scrivener 3 by Literature and Latte is a word processor for Windows and Mac. Offering a variety of organizational features, formatting options, and goal tracking, Scrivener has been expressly designed to help fiction and nonfiction authors, screenwriters, journalists, academics, and more.

The MacOS and Windows versions cost $59.99 each and do not require a monthly subscription. In this review, the team at Reedsy has analyzed Scrivener 3 from an author's perspective. Here's what we found:

Which writing app is right for you?

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So let's take a closer look at some of Scrivener's features.

Access your entire project from The Binder

At the center of a Scrivener project is the Binder. Touted as an innovative means of keeping all your notes, research, and manuscript files in one place, the Binder is really just a sidebar full of files. While it is incredibly useful to have everything within easy reach, Scrivener didn’t exactly invent the idea — sidebars have been used in everything from email to file browsers to, yes, writing apps, for decades now.

Still, Scrivener’s Binder does the job very well. And since there are so many different types of files associated with a Scrivener project, there needs to be a means of keeping them organized. Files in the Binder can be grouped in subfolders, and labeled with different colors and icons to allow for easy categorization and organization. It even includes a Trash folder, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally deleting something.

Fun fact: Back in the day, a scrivener (or scribe) was someone who could read and write, and made their living writing or copying material on behalf of others.

Get a big-picture view with the Corkboard

A simple stack of notecards is a classic outlining and editing tool for writers. By writing down what happens in each scene and spreading the notecards out on the floor (or pinning them to a corkboard), authors have long been able to visualize their project as a whole, moving scenes around until they have a plot that flows smoothly.

Scrivener’s Corkboard mode takes that idea and runs with it. Each file in your project gets a “card” that you can customize with colors and labels, and then rearrange easily. Like everything else in Scrivener, this feature is endlessly customizable, so each writer can develop a system that truly serves their workflow.

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Quick navigation with bookmarks

Software that claims to help you do something — like learning to write fiction — needs to walk a fine line between offering a variety of functions while also having an organized and easy-to-navigate interface. To that end, Scrivener utilizes a bookmark system.

It's exactly what it sounds like: you can seamlessly access any project documents that you refer to frequently. But what makes it especially useful is that clicking on a bookmarked document will open it side-by-side with your current document, allowing you to reference or edit it without having to switch back and forth between texts.

Let’s say you’re writing a novel, and somewhere along the way, you decide to change a character. If you have bookmarked character templates or character development documents, you can reference them immediately and note the change there, without skipping a beat in your writing session.

Save your settings with Templates

Because Scrivener has so many customization options, you may feel overwhelmed by configuring all those settings, only to do it again the next time you start a new project.

This is where Templates come into play. Scrivener lets you save all your options as a sort of “preset” that you can easily select for each new project you write. So if you’ve got a specific way you like your Binder set up for a long-standing fantasy series, you can select the template when you start writing book twelve. All the customization you’ve decided on for the first eleven books is ready and waiting for you.

Of course, if this particular writing app wasn’t so complex to set up you wouldn’t need to save a template. But since it is, it’s great not to have to reconfigure everything each time.

Zero in on problem areas with Linguistic Focus mode

Linguistic Focus is a great tool to help you identify and iron out your writing tics. You can specify types of words or dialogue (direct speech, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, or conjunctions), and Scrivener will highlight that language within your story.

Why is this important? Let’s say you want to ensure the way you tag your dialogue isn't too distracting . Maybe you feel you’re repeating the same adjective throughout your writing. Linguistics Focus will allow you to zero in on these things to ensure your writing is as effective as possible.

So what’s the bottom line?

Scrivener works best for professional writers who:

Have lots of notes or research associated with their books
Plan to write a lengthy, in-depth series
Plan to do extensive self-editing, or collaborate with an editor in another program
Enjoy learning how to do new things on their computer

Scrivener may not be a good fit if you:

Aren’t very tech-savvy
Want to jump into writing faster (for that, we recommend Plottr or Reedsy Studio )
Write shorter pieces (essays, short stories, poems, children’s books)
Need to collaborate easily, especially across multiple platforms

Reedsy rating: 4/5

2 responses

08/03/2020 – 00:06

I’m having trouble getting a consistent 2 space indent vs 5 spaces in body of text.

Kevin Brown says:

14/08/2020 – 03:02

Scrivener 3 for Windows has been promised for years. But they stopped even providing updates on a target release date last year. There is no Scrivener 2 for Windows, so Windows users either get a very old product, Scrivener 1, or the excitement of using a beta version of Scrivener 3, with no end date in site.

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Scrivener Review: Worth it or Worthless? [Insider Opinion]

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Table of contents.

Writing a book is a difficult undertaking, no matter how you slice it. You can write when inspiration strikes you and you have a clear mind. If you’re deciding on whether to use writing software, like Scrivener for Windows or Mac iOS, it’s important to conduct a full review on whether it’s worth it. The program definitely has a learning curve, but it’s worth it. The Mac version and Windows version do have differences, but the overall functionality is the same.

Writing is a grand adventure but it comes with many valleys you must traverse before you reach the coveted happy ending. Writer’s block, plot holes, and distractions are just a few of the things that will jump into your path.

A lot of writers have attempted to create a way to alleviate some of the challenges but there are a few writing tools swimming around in this big bad world of writing that stand out from the rest.

Scrivener is a popular choice of an alternate word processor created by Literature & Latte. The default option is usually Microsoft Word . The differences between the two are vast, making Scrivener far superior to the basic linear workings of Word.

Find out exactly what makes this program one of the very best in this comprehensive Scrivener review.

Scrivener Review: The Binder Feature

One of the most impressive features of Scrivener 2 and 3 is the binder feature. This powerful tool compiles everything into an organized flow of documents. Scrivener combines all types of tools for various steps of creating your initial draft from a nascent notion to a final full stop. It is extremely customizable allowing you to insert and utilize whatever you need. It can be as simple or as complex as you want. You can grow your manuscript organically with this tool.

Scrivener Review: The Templates

In addition to the versatile and extremely useful binder, Scrivener comes with a number of templates. These templates are set up based on the type of project you’ve chosen – novels, short stories, screenplays, long writing projects, etc.

The default templates are helpful but basic. Scrivener also allows you to import additional templates, of which there are hundreds.

Most of these templates will be made by regular users, so the quality is not guaranteed. However, the options mean that there is something for everyone.

You’ll be able to find a template for any genre, any style, and any purpose – some simple and some complex.

Another place to find some excellent, effective templates, is Squibler. These templates are straightforward but useful.

These templates have your novel laid out for you already, with notes accompanying each chapter or section. Some are more general while others are geared towards specific genres.

Whichever one you choose to use, however, will walk you through the story, ensuring you don’t miss any of the important details. This can take a lot of pressure off the planning and outlining of any novel.

Set Project Targets with Scrivener

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is physically forcing yourself to write. When the words aren’t flowing, you can’t write a single document, and motivation simply evades you, having a goal to work towards can be a huge step in getting back on track.

Scrivener allows you to set goals for yourself. You can start by setting a manuscript target. You likely won’t know right away exactly how long your book is going to be but this can be helpful in at least setting a vague number to work towards. Anything from 50-75k can be a good place to start if you’re working on a novel .

Next, you can set a “session target.” This is the number of words you want to write in your current session. This number will depend on your available time as well as your comfort level and speed. You can keep the little window visible as you write and a progress bar will track your word count.

It’s a simple concept but setting and committing to a goal can improve your productivity by a significant amount.

Once your targets are set, you can track your progress with a few statistics that are always up to date:

Pages – paperback
Pages – printed

Import Everything to Scrivener

Writing a book requires a lot more than just sitting there doling out your clever dialogue and exciting action scenes. A good story will come from a lot of note-taking, brainstorming, research, and a myriad of other things. These elements are an important part of the process and having them available will be helpful.

Scrivener allows you to import absolutely everything and keep it where you can easily find it. If you have writing projects somewhere else, you can import those files .

Different types of books will require varying amounts of research, but whether you have a lot or a little, it can all be imported. Important web pages that you want to have on hand for reference – these can be saved directly within your project as background material.

Some people are very visual and draw inspiration from beautiful images. Scenes and settings may have been created from certain photos. When you get stuck, it may help to go back to these pictures quickly and remind yourself of the magic they helped create within your story.

Scrivener will import these photos and keep them accessible for you whenever you want to revisit them.

Scrivener Review: The Cork Board

No Scrivener review would be complete without mention of the cork board – easily one of the most versatile and popular features.

The cork board is a fun and useful feature that actually resembles a cork board in its appearance. The idea behind this feature is to imitate the old-fashioned method of storyboarding – where papers and index cards were stuck to a cork board and organized that way.

Scrivener’s cork board allows you to lay out your chapters, from the earlier chapter to the final draft, and scenes in notecard form on a virtual cork board. Here you can get a birds-eye view of your entire story, and rearrange things as you see fit. You can drag and drop to re-order the scenes within a chapter or entire chapters within the book. It works as a great outliner.

The virtual index cards are small enough that many will fit onto a single screen, but they do contain a scrolling feature that allows you to put as much information as you want on the card.

Everything Goes in a Single Project

Have you ever tried to write a book and ended up searching through endless files and folders looking for that one thing? That one bit of research, or those notes from six months ago?

You will never have this headache again with Scrivener working for you – project management has never been easier. Absolutely everything to do with your book goes into a single project. You open that one file and everything is there perfectly organized.

Easily Save the Random Epiphany

With the scattered, hair-brained nature of a writer’s mind, it happens often enough: The unannounced, uncalled-for, random, but totally brilliant epiphany. You want to document your moment of unadulterated genius, but you’re in the zone and don’t want to interrupt your flow.

No problem.

Scrivener’s scratchpad comes to the rescue. This tool brings up a small window with a single click and allows you to take that note. When you’re done, you can save it to wherever you want – even a completely different project.

Scrivener Can Color Code Everything

This feature is simple and may seem self-explanatory, but when you look a little deeper, the color-coding becomes a powerful option. Everything can be color-coded – chapters, scenes, character profiles, notes, whatever you have.

The labels are completely customizable. You can color code for the status of each chapter:

First draft
Editing in progress
Second draft

You can color-code document types:

Character sketch

You could even color code changing points of view to avoid confusion when editing.

The options are as limited as your own imagination. This system of color-coding in Scrivener can be extremely helpful when it comes to organization and quick reference.

A single glance over your binder can tell you exactly what you need to know. You can immediately see which chapters still require editing, which characters are speaking when etc.

Work on Two Documents at Once

For those who like to think about multiple things at once, Scrivener is the ultimate multi-tasking platform. Not only are there things like the scratchpad and note-taking sidebar but you can open and work on two documents simultaneously .

There are endless options here.

You can work on your main story while keeping a character file open. Or, you can work on mapping out your novel’s main setting, while having your research notes right beside it.

Any combination is possible, and you don’t have to constantly go back and forth between two files, or two different screens.

Scrivener’s Distraction-Free Composition Mode

If you are someone who gets distracted easily or if you simply want to go into hyper-focus mode, Scrivener can help.

Going into composition, or “full screen” mode widens the document you are writing in and hides all menu bars, buttons, and tools. It doesn’t leave you hanging though, they are still accessible and you can choose to have a small menu available if you want.

For maximum focus and inspiration, the composition mode is quite customizable. You can change the height and width of the paper (space where you type).

The default background is solid black but you can change the color to anything. If you prefer an image background, you can do that too.

Scrivener Review: The Inspector

I thought it best to include the inspector in this Scrivener review, despite its controversial standing. Some people adore the inspector, while others find it to be a waste of time.

When used correctly, it is extremely helpful. If not desired, it can be easily left out of the way.

On the left side of your screen is the binder which is keeping you incredibly organized and on the right side of your screen is an optional, secondary sidebar known as the inspector . This is a useful tool that lets you store and reference all kinds of information on any document.

It starts by allowing you to create a synopsis for the section and underneath is an option for some general document notes. There are also sections for references, keywords, snapshots, and a few other things.

You can click through and view all of these within the sidebar itself so you never have to leave the screen you are actually writing in.

If you want to remind yourself of the setting for your chapter, those notes can go here. Or perhaps you have compiled a list of websites that have historically accurate information that you need for your chosen time period. This is a great place to put those so they don’t get lost.

It’s a perfect way to keep small, random bits of information straight. Some writers will find this extra sidebar very handy, while others may have no need for it. If you don’t wish to make use of, you can simply remove it from the screen.

Customize the Scrivener Toolbar

Everyone writes a little differently. Scrivener has seemingly endless features to try and make your writing journey a little easier. Not everyone will use every feature. Once you get a hang of the system and understand how everything works, you can customize the toolbar to your liking.

You can remove tools you aren’t going to use, and put your favorites where you can access them quickly and easily.

Reverse Revisions You Don’t Like

Scrivener understands that writers can sometimes be indecisive. You change an entire chapter, only to decide at the last minute that you actually liked it better before. Scrivener allows you to scrap revisions and restore the previous version.

Scrivener Will Auto Save Your Progress

Scrivener has a lot of complex and innovative tools that are designed to help writers manage their processes. And this is something that makes it one of the best book writing software out there.

If it hasn’t happened to you, it’s happened to someone you know. You spent hours working on a project, only for your computer to crash before you could save and now it is all gone. This is an all-too-common occurrence but not with Scrivener.

Scrivener AutoSaves all your progress, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Scrivener Gets You Ready to Publish

If you are interested in publishing your book as an e-book, Scrivener can help. Whether you are going to edit everything yourself or hire someone, get that done first.

Once the final draft is ready to go, Scrivener will allow you to compile the book in a way you like. Depending on the market you want to target, there will be three export options:

A universal formatting option
Formatting for Amazon Kindle
Formatting for Apple iBooks

After filling out a few more options and preferences, you’ll be ready to export. You can preview the file before sending it off to make sure it all looks good. Once you are satisfied, you can then begin the process of submitting the eBook for self publishing.

Is Scrivener Worth it?

If you are a writer then all these amazing features should have started looking pretty attractive to you at this point. But it is not available for free – Scrivener costs $45 to download.

This is why we put together a full Scrivener review – you shouldn’t be spending your money without knowing exactly what you’re getting for it.

The $45 may sound a little steep to some, but it is important to remember that this is a one-time fee. Once you have made the purchase, you have the software for life. Others charge this price for only one year of use.

If you’re looking for something more modern, a substitute tool for Scrivener is Squibler . It will be a great addition to your Nanowrimo 2019 efforts as well as its purpose lines up with Nanowrimo’s vision. Squibler wants to help you finish your book in 30 days.

The process is simple and effective. It allows you to store your notes and ideas in a safe and organized place. You are able to filter your files by tags for easy locating when you need them.

Squibler also has a great outlining tool to start writing a book. Chapters and scenes can be written in whatever order you wish, but easily dragged and dropped into a different place later if something needs to change.

Once your book is edited and completed, it allows you to export easily as a PDF, plain text, or Kindle e-book. It also helps you format for print publishing if that is what you choose, all while maintaining perfect image resolution.

With that said, the consensus of this Scrivener review is that it’s definitely worth it if you want a more old-fashioned editor to work in with a lot of functionality. It is a single, one-time fee for a lifetime of organized and productive writing success.

Here are some commonly asked questions about the Scrivener:

What are the disadvantages of Scrivener?

Scrivener has a few disadvantages, such as a steep learning curve for new users, limited collaboration features, and occasional synchronization issues across devices. Additionally, its project notes feature, while useful, can become cluttered and overwhelming in large projects.

Is Scrivener worth it?

Yes, Scrivener is worth it for writers who need robust organizational tools, a distraction-free environment and features like dark mode for comfortable writing sessions. Its versatility and project management capabilities make it a valuable investment despite its learning curve.

What is better than Scrivener?

For some writers, Squibler might be better than Scrivener due to its user-friendly interface, seamless collaboration features, and cloud-based accessibility. However, Scrivener’s advanced organizational tools and customization options may still make it preferable for others.

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The Tool That Helped Me (Finally) Finish Writing My First Novel

Like many freelance writers, I’ve been “working on a novel” more or less since college, though “the novel” that I’m “working on” has shifted considerably from a ‘70s-era bildungsroman to an art heist thriller to an influencer’s literary-ish saga. About a year ago, with a 272-page draft and zero clue how to tie up the ending, I decided to scrap it and start over. Again.

But roughly a week after abandoning the manuscript, I realized I didn’t actually want a new project. I just wanted a new system. Have you ever tried to cross-reference hundreds of un-outlined, un-labeled pages in Microsoft Word, a few 6000-word iOS Notes, chicken-scrawl in a Moleskine , and a Google Chrome bookmarks folder?

I needed to figure out a way to compartmentalize the sections of my manuscript, while also streamlining my research. Then I remembered the word processing software Scrivener , a perennial conversation topic in writers’ communities like Study Hall , the media worker listserv. Optimistically skipping the free trial, I paid the $50 licensing fee.

Scrivener has some famous fans: Taffy Brodesser-Akner used it while working on Fleishman is in Trouble , and Ta-Nehisi Coates came across it while looking for software to help him transition to comic-book writing. Earlier this year, Jia Tolentino tweeted an offer to buy Scrivener for writers of color or trans writers, and Daniel Jose Older shared a saga in which he accidentally deleted 500 words and went through the Scrivener Dropbox backup to find it.

Scrivener is not just for writing novels; there are several project formats to choose from, like article, cookbook, and epic poem. And while there’s no one way to use the software, it can be overwhelming. A few months ago, middle-grade author Debbie Reed Fischer tweeted , “I just started the Scrivener instructional videos and I’m not gettin’ it, folks. Please tell me I’m smart enough to figure out Scrivener.” Other authors echoed her concern in the replies. Last year, writer April Davila made it her mission to blog about a Scrivener hack every week for an entire year. By week 42, she wrote , “I can officially say: it broke me. I’m done. I can’t do any more.”

Because I’d heard about how overwhelming it could be, I skipped the tutorials altogether and developed my own system. The beauty of Scrivener lies in its three-column layout. Chapter navigation lives on the left in “the Binder,” each actual document (“the Editor”) lives in the center, and an “Inspector” tool lives on the right, holding bookmarks, image files, metadata, commentary, and footnotes. Thanks to the Binder and the Inspector, it’s possible to refer to notes, an outline, or character sketches while working directly in the text.

The Binder is essentially a collection of Word documents that each have their own “Inspector” note section on the right. By working with 20 documents that are 4,500 words each, the writing process feels more manageable. You can tell yourself, I’m tightening chapter 14 today, and it feels like a small victory when you finish. Each week, I go through my iOS Notes and sort them into the correct chapter Inspectors, so I don’t lose any ideas.

Over the summer, some friends and I started a weekly Zoom writing workshop. When one complained about her unwieldy Word doc, I recommended Scrivener. “It feels less like writing into the abyss,” she texted after downloading the trial. “Like, oh, I can work on just this specific thing and not worry about the rest of it. Do you get distracted that you can’t tell page length or anything?”

Actually, I love that Scrivener doesn’t show a page count (though there’s probably a way to change that). Instead, there’s a chapter word count at the bottom of each section, a manuscript word count on top, and a session word count so you can track how much you write every day. With these metrics, you can ballpark how long your chapters will be without trying to reach a certain number of pages, which keeps the process focused on the words themselves, and not the concept of producing a physical book.

Scrivener will not make you a better writer, but it will help you organize your thoughts and focus on the work itself, which could very well be the difference between four years of development hell and a finished manuscript in six months. Then it’s time to start revising. Again.

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Scrivener Review: Can It Help You Write a Book?

Scrivener: can it help you write a book.

Ease of use

Scrivener Review: Is It Worth It?

Scrivener is a powerful tool to help writers, authors and content creators tackle and complete their books and other long-form writing projects. Compared to other writing apps, it’s affordable too.

Powerful organizational tools
Excels at long-form writing
Works across Windows, Mac and iOS
Steep learning curve
Compile mode has quirks
No Android version

Is Scrivener the tool you need to complete that book or another tool that won’t help? Read this Scrivener review to find out!

For any writer who has tackled a book or play, the writing process can be long and tedious. Organizing materials and compiling them into understandable prose takes time and dedication. Scrivener is a tool that many use to help with this process.

I bought Scrivener back in 2013. Over the years, I’ve used this writing software to write a college thesis, a collection of short stories, several books and a collection of blog posts.

This writing software provides a place to organize thoughts and materials, write and edit, all on one platform. Before purchasing this software, use this Scrivener review to learn more about this tool, its pros and cons, and how you can use it to write your book .

Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more.

What is Scrivener?

The templates, the corkboard, the scratchpad, project targets, importing tools, you can organize and rearrange writing, comparing drafts side-by-side saves hours, the trial version is generous, it keeps everything in one place, scrivener is affordable, it supports color coding, difficult to learn, potential sync issues, compiling is tricky, scrivener review: the final word.

Scrivener is an app that writers can use to organize and manage large writing projects. It’s available on Mac, Windows and iOS.

It’s like a word processor on steroids. It has customer tools for planning and organizing materials, outlines and drafts for long-form writing projects. You won’t find these tools in Microsoft Word or another word processor.

Scrivener provides a place for outlining, a cork board to pin ideas in a storyboard form, the ability to track keywords and theme, tools to combine different elements into one single text, and places to take and organize notes.

The writing tool works best for book writers and screenwriters who tackle long-form writing, such as novels, academic work, journalistic pieces and non-fiction books. Scrivener works on both iOS and Windows. You might also be interested in our explainer on how long it takes to write a book .

Features of Scrivener

To understand how Scrivener can help with long-form writing, let’s cover some key features.

Writers can easily customize the binder to help organize their documents and assist with brainstorming, just as they would with a paper binder. Whether you need a simple organization system or a complex one, you can set it up this way.

Scrivener offers writers many templates for formatting various types of writing. Grab the template for a short story, play, novel or something else to help guide the start of your writing.

The app’s users also make templates that get added to the database. This means a constantly growing library of templates to choose from. This can sometimes be overwhelming, and not all templates are of high quality, but you will easily be able to find something to fit your project if you dig.

I created a template that helps writers use Scrivener for blogging . I also created several templates for my nonfiction books.

The corkboard is perhaps one of the more powerful tools in this piece of writing software. Set up to look like an actual corkboard, this feature allows you to lay out scenes, chapters and note cards in a linear fashion.

Simply drag and drop virtual index cards into the corkboard to manipulate their location and see how everything flows together.

The scrolling feature on the index cards means they can hold quite a bit of information without sacrificing the drag-and-drop feature. If you like working with a storyboard but don’t want to set up a physical storyboard to manipulate, the corkboard lets you do it all within the writing software.

Most writers will have random thoughts that they need to jot down while writing. If you don’t write down the thought, you either focus on it entirely or you lose the thought altogether.

Scrivener’s scratchpad functionality gives you a tool you can access with one click to jot down that note and file it for later. You can use this scratch-pad independently to a Scrivener project and keep it open throughout your day, adding ideas and research as you find them.

Writing a book or other long-form writing piece is challenging, and you need to stay on top of the process. Scrivener helps with project targets. You can use the program to set goals for yourself, such as a manuscript’s target word count.

You can also set session targets, which are targets for the number of words to write in each writing session. Other targets you can measure include the number of characters and the number of pages. Having a goal to reach through these targets can help you stay on track when you get distracted.

Basically you can set targets around:

Word count for the chapter… or the book
Editing status
Word-count of a writing session

As you do your research for your piece, you need a place to keep it organized. As you brainstorm ideas and take notes, you need a place to keep them. Scrivener has importing tools to assist with this.

You can easily import a large Word document and break it up into chapters (or files and folders) inside of your Scrivener project.

Images, documents in other sources, web pages as references and other types of resources are all easily imported into Scrivener and cataloged in your binder and corkboard. Having these tools readily accessible may keep you on track when the creative juices stall. You can also use the writing app to compare them side by side as you write.

Pros of Scrivener

When someone is writing a longer piece, such as a book, keeping ideas and thoughts organized is problematic. Before the advent of computers, writers had notebooks and binders that helped. They would use a cork board to organize ideas in a timeline as they wrote.

Scrivener puts all of those tools into one app. Here are some of the pros it offers.

Scrivener gives writers the ability to organize and rearrange pieces of their writing. If you use the app to write a book with chapters, you can rearrange those chapters as the flow of your story unfolds, without cumbersome copy/paste actions.

For novelists, this is helpful because parts of the story often unfold as the writer delves into characters and their development. This leads you to your final draft more quickly. It also helps nonfiction writers plan and edit a book .

Basically, inside of Scrivener, I can also break up individual parts of the book and move them around much faster than copying text blocks in Word.

I can also visualize my book as a series of index cards and drag and drop them from one act to the next.

Scrivener enables writers to open up two parts of their manuscript and compare them side-by-side, as part of a single project. This is a real time-saver if you’re reviewing edits and updating a draft. It’s also helpful if you want to compare one chapter to another.

In a normal Word processor, you’d have to scroll up and down between both sections or open two separate files.

Scrivener takes some time to learn, and the app’s developers know this. They give new users 30 non-consecutive days of use to try out the program. This is very generous and gives you the chance to determine if the program will be helpful.

Expect to spend a day or two wondering how it works and reading their tutorials.

When writing a book, you often have many files and folders to organize and catalog your research, drafts, outlines and other information. With Scrivener, you put all of that in one place, organized and ready for you when it’s time to write. That includes:

First, second and later drafts
To-do lists for your book
Notes on individual chapters or the book as a whole

Scrivener 3 costs just $45 to use for life.

The iPad iOS version costs an additional $19.

You can also buy a Windows and MacOS bundle at a discount.

Scrivener charges no annual or service fees. This is a one-time cost for a powerful organizational tool, and many writers feel it is worth the investment. Any serious writer won’t find this an issue, but if you’re really strapped for cash, start with Google Docs.

Having everything in one place can get overwhelming. Keep things organized visually with Scrivener’s color-coding capability. This gives you a visual reminder of the information you have and you stored it, so you can easily grab what you need as your write.

You can set custom colors and a status based on:

The stage of each chapter i.e. first draft, second draft
The word-count of each chapter

Cons of Scrivener

With all of these features and benefits, are there any drawbacks to Scrivener? As with all tools, it has several.

With all of the tools and features packed into Scrivener, it can be cumbersome to learn. Once you know how to use it to meet your needs, you may find it impossible to live without, but the learning curve is steep. The writing app ‘s support team posts tutorials and videos to help, but using this software requires spending a few hours, at first.

I’ve used Scrivener for years and I still occasionally consult the help documentation. I also regularly come across new tools and features that I’d either forgotten about or don’t use.

Scrivener works well when it works, but like all software, it can have bugs. When everything in regards to your project is in one digital space, a crash could cause the loss of months of work.

Thankfully, Scrivener AutoSaves progress, so having your computer crash will not lead to lost work, but problems within the app itself can.

The biggest potential sync bug occurs when using the Scrivener app for iOS alongside the desktop app. Although Scrivener syncs a project to Dropbox, it’s still possible to overwrite certain sections of your work if you forget to manually sync both files.

I still not sure why iCloud syncing isn’t possible, especially considering its competitor Ulysses includes this feature. Scrivener also doesn’t offer an Android version yet.

If you use Scrivener to write a book, at some point you’ll have to complete all of your work into a format for an editor or for self-publishing.

Scrivener has dramatically improved the compiling features simplifying extracting your work before sending it to an editor or self-publishing on Amazon.

The compile tool is powerful and aimed at everyone from screenwriters to authors. It supports:

Proof copies
Script or screenplay
Custom templates… and many more

You can even change the look and feel of fonts and headings in your exports, add metadata and so on. The downside of so many compile and formatting options is they take time to learn. I recently spent an hour trying to compile my book into an agreeable format for my editor.

I mostly use the compiling mode to extract my work for a proofreader. Then, I upload it to Vellum to format it correctly. Interestingly, Scrivener now supports compiling a manuscript directly for Vellum. The latter pairs well with Scrivener if you’re an author. To find out why, read our Vellum review .

After writing multiple books with Scrivener, I find it helps me arrange my ideas and write faster . I like how it helps me set project and chapter targets.

I can also revise my work and handle feedback from beta readers and my editor, all in one place. I also don’t have to worry about losing early drafts. These days, I exclusively use it for long-form writing.

However, I prefer writing short-form articles in dedicated writing apps that support Markdown. And I use self-publishing software like Vellum for book formatting. I also only got to this point after spending multiple hours using Scrivener.

Overall, Scrivener is a powerful tool to help writers tackle and complete their book or other long-form writing. Though it can be challenging to learn at first, once mastered, the software gives you the tools you need to organize, write and compile a piece.

At a price point less than $50, Scrivener is a worthy addition to your writing toolbox. So grab your computer, download the iOS/MAC or Windows version of Scrivener, and start writing!

I recommend Scrivener for any long-form writing project. For a short-form writing project, it’s easy and faster to use an app like IA Writer, Byword, Markor, or even Google Docs.

Want to learn more? Check out our guide: How to Write a Book

Scrivener 3: A Review

by Laura Hedgecock | Apr 15, 2021 | Writing Advice | 6 comments

As a beta user of Scrivener 3 by Literature and Latte for the last two years, I was excited to see Literature and Latte announce its release.

Before we go into the improvements Scrivener 3 brings to Windows users (the Mac version has been out for a while), let’s step back.

What’s Scrivener?

In my 2019 post: Review: Using Scrivener for Family History and Memoir Writing , I introduced Scrivener and described its version 1 thusly:

Scrivener is a writing software that helps writers organize research, notes, and drafts, or, as Scrivener puts it, “See the forest or the trees.” It can even help with storyboarding.

Literature and Latte, the architects of Scrivener 3, claim “It’s for writing. And writing. And writing.”

I’d suggest a friendly amendment: “It’s for writing. And organizing your thoughts. And keeping your research handy.”

In their review of Scrivener 3, PC Magazine writes (rightly, in my opinion), “Scrivener is the best writing app for long-form writers because they built it with their needs in mind.”

Make no mistake. Scrivener 3 is no small writing app. Literature and Latte, the company “founded by writers for writers,” has produced a robust software. Anything that powerful is complex. I have used it for years, but it took a while before I was aware of all its features. That said, even using only 40% of its capabilities, I loved it.

What’s New in Scrivener 3

For a full explanation of Scrivener 3’s features and improvements over version 1, read Literature and Latte’s blog post, Introducing Scrivener 3 for Windows . They highlight Scrivener 3’s improvements in the following graphic:

I’ll spotlight the changes that have stood out to me.

Redesign of Compile Feature

The more flexible and friendlier compile feature is a big deal. Writers can select which parts of their manuscripts they want to export and can choose the format. This includes epub3, an open standard digital book format.

I haven’t used the export to Kindle, but reviewers seem to agree that it’s improved. Judging from my Detroit Working Writers buddies, if there is one thing that writers and authors all seem to struggle with, it’s exporting their work into Kindle’s format.

Scrivener 3’s Writing Tools

There’s no doubt that the enhanced outlining is a big benefit. Along with it comes more color coding and labeling. This is fabulous not only for planning, but for revising.

Writers who use dialogue will appreciate Scrivener 3’s linguistic focus function. (Edit – Writing Tools). It fades out the non-dialogue text, so you can focus on your characters’ conversations.

It also offers a “Tidying Up” function to convert all the double-spaces at the ends of sentences to a single space. That’s helpful to those of us who have double tapped the space bar for decades.

Writing Statistics

Scrivener 3’s writing stats is like having a year-round NaNoWriMo. You can set goals and measure your progress towards them.

Nathan Dylan Goodwin , the most productive author I know, does exactly that as he writes his best-selling genealogical crime mysteries. Nathan explains:

I set a project target, which helps me determine an approximate number of words to write per day. I do like to try to beat the target but that isn’t always possible obviously! It’s fun to share the milestones with readers. This itself is motivating—I can look back and see how long the last ten thousand words took me to write. [1]

There are also options for those of us that aren’t great at goal setting, as Scrivener’s blog article, Let Me Count The Ways , describes. You can do anything from looking at your daily writing stats to auditing the word frequency in a chapter or manuscript. You can also tell Scrivener to ignore common words like and, the, said, asked as it calculates word frequency.

What Else I love about Scrivener 3

Custom icons.

It’s a software, not a subscription.

I love that they have kept with the software download model instead of a cloud-based subscription.

Scrivener’s beta program

Literature and Latte made it easy to join the beta program. I only had to write and explain how much I loved Scrivener’s version 1 and how impatient I was for the update. That meant I was able to get on board two years early.

The beta forum was very responsive to bugs and issues. Though it took a long time to release Scrivener 3, they didn’t do it until they had it bug free.

What I don’t love

I still find Scrivener formatting clunky. Maybe I’m just stuck in my ways, but my preferred workflow is to compose individual scenes in MS Word and copy and paste them into the Scrivener binder. This way I can use my MS-Office add-ins such as ProWritingAid to proofread and edit.

In particular, ProWritingAid’s checks on echoes and close repeats far outshines Scrivener’s word frequency app. (If you’re not familiar with ProWritingAid, see Editing Software Comparison: Grammarly vs ProWritingAid vs Ginger vs Hemmingway .)

Should you Purchase Scrivener 3?

Yes, even if there were no free trial or 49% reduced price for Scrivener 1 users, $49 is a very reasonable price for such a useful program.

But, if you’re new to the software, certainly take advantage of the trial first. If you’re like me, a Scrivener 1 user with no idea what my license number was, they have a handy lost license recovery link: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/lost-licence-recovery

Scrivener 3 a Review graphic with laptop with Scrivener on it pinnable

1] Via Facebook Private Message, April 15, 2021

I quite like it – have been using the Beta and then Release Candidate for almost a year now. Interestingly enough, however, I find the new Compile MORE confusing than the old one – it doesn’t seem as flexible to me. I can’t seem to compile something that works really well for me. Perhaps I’m just doing it incorrectly.

Overall, though, it’s great – my entire blog is stored there and I love being able to find what I need quickly. I do compose each blog post in Scrivener, then compile each one to rtf to copy and paste into WordPress, generally because I’ll have lots of endnotes and those don’t paste well directly from Scrivener.

That’s interesting to know. I haven’t been using it much. I’ve thought about using it to organize my blog research as well.

I have a problem with the new compiler. Many styles got lost (e.g. in the as is function) and it is much more cumbersome than in Scrivener 1.

There is an active user and test group. I would recommend joining the forum and seeing if someone can trouble shot your issue.

I was looking for replacement for Microsoft Word for my long form writing projects and quickly realized that Scrivener 3 is NOT it. I HATE Word but I would prefer to write a book in Word than use this abortion of an excuse for software called Scrivener 3. All I see are “glowing” reviews on blog and YouTube sites for Scrivener….they had to shell out a ton of cash to get these I’m sure as there is no other explanation for all of the awful non-features and missing word processing functions that Scrivener forces its users to work around and yet these never get mentioned in reviews ANYwhere.

I have used this software for a couple months now and I absolutely hate it and for good reason. You cannot format text like you can in a free word processor like Open Office or in paid software like Word. They like to say you can but I’m here to tell you that you can’t. Forget formatting lists in this garbageware. Scrivener 3 will format it as it sees fit and you will like it and just for fun, Scrivener will format it completely different under the exact same settings the next time you want a list. The format font is courier or Times and good luck trying to change that. Oh, you can change it alright, but it won’t matter as every new line you type will be in the Scriver 3 font – not the one that that rest of the document OR in the defaults settings which you changed originally. No, Scrivener 3 will type in the font it chooses – either Courier or Times and you will like it. Fake reviews and YouTube videos tell you to set up your styles in the “styles” pallet but good luck getting Scrivener to actually set the style consistently in the style you saved in the palette. Ultimately, you will be fighting formatting constantly.

There are no functions for increasing or decreasing indent unless you want to go back to using the tab key constantly and if you do this in a list? Fugitaboutit. Scrivener 3 will remove the line from your list altogether as it assumes you didn’t there anyway. It is awful software. Try to set the margins on Scrivener like you would on ANY free or paid word processing software. Go ahead, I’ll wait…can’t figure it out? That’s because you can’t do it. Scrivener 3 will set your margins as it sees fit and you will like it. Yes, the YouTube ladies will tell you that you can but good luck getting Scrivener to consistently set them and leave them. You’ll be fighting page setup constantly with this software. How about leading on the text or “line spacing” as many word processors call it? Can’t do that either. The whole document defaults to this weird 1.5 line spacing which is nearly impossible to change and keep changed. You’ll be fighting line spacing for your entire document.

This is an absolute travesty of an experience, I’ve never hated software this much since I was forced to switch to Apple Final Cut Pro X from version 7 in 2014. Scrivener is trying to be smart about all the ridiculous carnival features it thinks you would actually use and in reality, none of its developers have ever tried to write a long form project using their own software…that is obvious. I could go on and on about the failure to process inserts like tables and pics and how these are a nightmare to format in your work or how you can’t just add page breaks in a given paperback format or how you have to “complie” and can’t just print/export but that would be another two paragraphs. Suffice it to say, Scrivener 3 sucks and I highly recommend you avoid it at all costs. Currently there are still no decent alternatives to Word and maybe thats the idea behind this awful idea?

Thanks for your honest opinion and for reading. Laura

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Molly Christian Tyler

Scrivener Review: Format, Outline, and Write Like a Pro

There are almost as many tools of the writing trade as there are writers. Journals, typewriters, loose sheets of paper, index cards, outlines, story boards, Microsoft Word, smart phones, desktops, coffee shop napkins, Google Docs, laptops, Pinterest boards – you get the idea.

Despite this great variety in personal preference, I believe Scrivener is an ideal writing tool for most wordsmiths. Whether you’re crafting the next Great American Novel, a feature-length film, or your doctoral thesis, it has features to simplify and streamline your work.

I’ve been using Scrivener since 2012. With it, I’ve written drafts of novels, memoirs, short stories, and grueling academic papers. In this Scrivener review, I’ll point out some of my favorite features and show you how this stellar app can take your writing to the next level. Time to dive in!

This post contains affiliate links. I receive compensation if you use one of them to make a purchase.

Introducing Scrivener: Your New Favorite Writing App

For those of you unfamiliar with the platform, Scrivener is an app designed to help writers tackle their projects from start to finish. While you can use it for the actual act of writing, it’s much more than just a word processor.

For starters, it provides several templates for a wide range of literary feats, including novels, short stories, scripts, and academic papers:

The project format options available in Scrivener.

After you choose your project’s format, you’ll gain access to an arsenal of tools to help you research, plan, and organize your writing. The Binder enables you to add chapters and scene, then rearrange them by dragging and dropping their respective icons:

There are also two different ways to outline or plan your project out. Using Corkboard, you can create, order, and view notecards on the various sections of your piece:

There’s also a more traditional Outliner that lists each chapter and scene in your project. You can include key information here, such as what stage this portion of the text is at (first, revised, or final draft) and your target word count. There’s even a handy progress bar to show you how close you are to your goal:

One of my personal favorite features of Scrivener, however, is the ability to import various kinds of research right into the app. I’ve used this to keep track of sources for academic papers, as well as to note important information about my settings and characters in fictional pieces.

All you have to do is go to File > Import . You can then select files you’ve saved to your computer (such as PDFs, Word documents, or images) or web pages you want to reference again later:

These resources will show up under Research in your binder for easy access down the line:

Viewing an imported webpage in Scrivener.

These features just scratch the surface of what this app is able to do, as I hope the rest of my Scrivener review will prove.

I’ve been a dedicated Scrivener user for years. I’m confident you’ll love it as much as I do! Click the buttons below to find out more about this wonder app, or purchase Scrivener right away.

Scrivener Review: Two Possible Use Cases

This app has so many handy features that if I were to walk you through each one in depth, this post would be unreasonably long. Instead, I felt this Scrivener Review would be more practical if I show you how the app can help you with the two different types of long form writing projects I’ve used it for in the past: novels and academic papers.

For each use case, I’ll point out the unique formatting elements Scrivener provides. I’ll also highlight the tools that may be most beneficial when you’re working on each kind of project.

This appears to be the most popular use for Scrivener. It’s no wonder why. Novels are without a doubt long, and require a lot of planning, organization, and revision to succeed. No Scrivener review would be complete without showcasing how this app can help you achieve your fiction writing goals.

When you select the Novel or Novel with Parts format in Scrivener, you’ll have the option of structuring your project as an ebook, a paperback, or a manuscript (like you would send to an editor or agent ). Each of these options includes what’s called “front matter”.

This is some basic information such as your novel’s title, you name, and in the case of the Manuscript format, your contact information. You can see each option’s front matter by clicking on the Front Matter section in the Binder:

The Novel Manuscript format front matter in Scrivener.

You can also see examples of what your final product might look like in the Sample Output folder under Research :

The Novel Paperback sample output in Scrivener.

Finally, there are two other Binder sections that are unique to the Novel format. In the Characters and Places sections, you can incorporate Scrivener’s character and setting sketches:

The Character and Place sections in the Scrivener Binder.

These are planning tools that can help you develop these key elements of your narrative. Keeping them handy while you’re writing makes it east to consult your notes when working out details of your setting or trying to determine how a character might behave in a certain situation.

Planning and Organization

In addition to creating profiles for your characters and setting(s), there are several other ways in which Scrivener can help you plan and organize your novel. We’ve already briefly discussed the binder and it’s drag-and-drop functionality for rearranging chapters and scenes.

However, another handy feature is the ability to color code these elements. This is especially useful if you’re working on a project that includes multiple points of view, parallel timelines, or other even more complex structures:

Color coded sections in the Scrivener Binder.

Then you have the Outliner and the Corkboard to work with, too. Anything you add to one will also be visible in the other. If you change your mind about which tool you want to use, switching doesn’t require you to do much in the way of transferring your synopses from one to the other.

Additionally, you’ll be able to see the details you add to the Outliner and Corkboard in the Synopsis section of the Inspector (the area to the right of the main editor) when you’re writing:

A synopsis in the main composition area in Scrivener.

This means no more shuffling through notes or trying to find the right page in your notebook when trying to remember what needs to happen in a specific scene. It’s all there on hand for easy reference.

Speaking of easy reference, another handy feature for novel writing is the dual-screen composing option:

The Dual Composition feature in Scrivener.

This enables you to view two scenes, a scene and your outline, and various other possible combinations simultaneously. That way, you can consult the larger plan for your novel while working on smaller portion.

Alternatively, if you just need time to get words on the page without distraction, you can use Scrivener’s Composition Mode:

As great as Scrivener is, there’s a lot going on in this app. Blocking out the Binder, Inspector, and toolbar can help you focus on what matters most – your novel.

2. Academic Papers

Especially once you start getting past the ten-page mark, academic papers are no joke. They require tons of research and careful organization to explain your argument clearly and persuasively.

I haven’t read many other Scrivener reviews about users doing this, but I’ve utilized Scrivener to compose many an essay. The app includes formats for Chicago, APA, and MLA styles, so you’ll be covered no matter which you need.

Formatting and Citing Sources

Managing sources and citations can be one of the most difficult (and boring) parts of writing a paper. When you select one of Scrivener’s academic paper formats, the app will provide a sample Works Cited page:

You can also add notes in the main composition area. Footnotes will be incorporated on the relevant page, and collected as endnotes for you:

Of course, no matter what tool you’re using (looking at you, EasyBib), it’s always best to check your formatting. Every style guide is periodically updated, and automatic citation generators may not be up-to-date. Plagiarism is nothing to mess around with! Purdue Owl is an excellent resource, and can help you make sure your sources are properly listed.

Another handy feature is that Scrivener can format block quotes for you:

I realize you can set up Microsoft Word to do pretty much the same thing, but it’s still nice to know this is available to you in Scrivener.

Organization

Especially if your paper is on the long side, having a way to organize and rearrange sections is extremely useful. This can make working on a lengthy paper feel more manageable and less intimidating by breaking it down into bite-sized chunks.

The Outliner, Corkboard, and color coding features I’ve already mentioned are all available in the various academic paper formats. Plus, just organizing your sections into documents and folders in the Binder can help you visualize your paper’s trajectory:

When I was a student, I was big fan out outlining my papers in Scrivener. It’s easy to move things around and to add new sections when you need to.

I’ve already sung the praises of Scrivener’s Research importing feature, but it needs to be mentioned again here. If you’ve ever had to write a paper, you’ve probably suffered through keeping 12 tabs open in your internet browser so you have have all your sources handy.

With Scrivener, those days are gone. You can just import all your webpages right into your project. Plus, PDFs from books you’ve scanned or journal articles you’ve downloaded can easily be added, too.

In my opinion, this feature is absolutely invaluable when you’re writing an academic paper. You can even use the dual composition option so you can easily reference your material or retype quotes without having to switch back and forth between tabs:

Using Scrivener's Dual Composition feature for an MLA paper.

This is a huge time (and headache) saver. Additionally, you can use the Notes and Ideas sections to save snippets that you want to use later:

When you have a half-formed thought on how you might improve your argument but don’t know where it’s going yet, this is a great place to store it. Then you can come back to it later and work on how to expand upon it.

Writing involves a lot of hard work – more than most people think! One of the best things you can do to help your next project stay on track is to invest in a tool that will keep all your materials in one place from start to finish.

Since 2012, I’ve used Scrivener to write everything from high school English papers, to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) projects, to my graduate thesis. In all that time, I’ve yet to find a fault. It’s my absolute favorite writing tool, and I wouldn’t recommend it otherwise!

Have questions about Scrivener? Let me know in the comments section, and make sure to subscribe to my email list for more tips!

Molly Tyler

Molly received her B.A. in English in 2016, and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing in 2019. She now works full time as a digital content marketer.

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The New Scrivener 3.0 – Should You Upgrade?

Did you know Literature and Latte released version 3 of their acclaimed writing software Scrivener?

Scrivener is famous for its rich functionality, but also its steep learning curve. If you’ve taken the time to learn an existing version of Scrivener, or are a newcomer looking to try it out yourself, making the move to version 3 might seem overwhelming or unappealing.

So why exactly should you consider making the change?

Today, I’d like to share with you some of the reasons why many authors are making the upgrade to Scrivener 3, as well as the key facts related to upgrading and whether you should.

Scrivener 3: Key Facts for Interested Writers

Here’s what you need to know about Scrivener 3.0 in a nutshell:

Scrivener 3 is currently available for MacOS, with a Windows version in development.
Scrivener 3 costs $45 for new customers.
If you purchased an older version of Scrivener at a date later than August 20th 2017, Scrivener 3 is available as a free upgrade.
If you purchased an older version of Scrivener prior to August 20th 2017, Scrivener is available for $25.
Scrivener 3 is fully compatible with its iOS version.

Also, be sure to look for updated scrivener coupons , regardless of whether you are looking to upgrade or just check out Scrivener for the first time.

So, now that you know the “what’s” of switching to Scrivener 3, let’s consider the “why’s.”

Scrivener 3 Is More Intuitive With a Cleaner User Interface

Scrivener 3 has moved towards a more intuitive and aesthetically-pleasing experience without sacrificing complexity, which you can see in action here . They have achieved this by:

Simplifying the process of using features such as “Compile,” without sacrificing any of their power.
Replacing Project Notes, References, and Favorites with a single “Bookmarks” mode.
Refreshing the visual feel of Scrivener to be more modern.

Scrivener 3 Has Better Writing Stats to Assist Your Planning and Productivity

I’ve long felt one of the best reasons to switch to a pro writing software such as Scrivener is the ability to plan and track word counts, along with other quantifiable features which greatly assist productivity and output .

Scrivener 3 can help with this by:

Allowing you to set word counts for an entire project, or particular writing session, and monitoring your progress towards them.
Assigning statuses and keywords to different aspects of your project, allowing you to keep a track of your efforts.
Viewing your Writing History to gain greater insight into your productivity patterns.

Scrivener 3 Has a Brand New “Linguistic Focus Mode” for True Language Lovers

One of the new modes authors are loving is the “Linguistic Focus Mode” which can be seen in the below image.

This new mode allows you to:

Highlight specific categories of words, such as verbs, adjectives, or direct speech. This can help you notice your own repetition and other blind spots.
Craft more believable dialogue. By having everything but direct speech fade into the background, you are forced to confront any cliched or repetitive conversation.

Prior to Linguistic Focus, you would have to use a separate tool to carry out this type of analysis, thereby losing flow and focus.

Want to Learn More About Scrivener?

Thanks to the widespread use of Scrivener, there are a couple of resources authors should check out if they are looking to learn more about Scrivener:

Scrivener’s Blog — Although they don’t keep it up-to-date as much as I’d like, it does have great information.

Scrivener’s Forum — A great place to look for help, recommendations, and any known bugs you might run into.

Scrivenerville — A website devoted to teaching authors about Scrivener features and ways to use Scrivener best for your writing needs. It’s sort of what I’d wish Scrivener’s blog would do.

Scrivener: To 3 or Not to 3?

In addition to the above benefits offered by version 3 in particular, I love Scrivener in general because it allows me to:

Research, write, edit, and export in a single-software environment, no matter whether I’m switching between Mac, Windows, or iOS.
Participate in a community of writers developing and sharing scrivener resources/
Use the same software favored by bestselling writers I respect such as Michael Hyatt .
Enjoy a no-pressure, 30-day trial of the software, where a day is only deducted when the software is used.

I personally love the fact that this new version will help me to be more organized when setting up to outline my books using different Scrivener functionalities. This will help me to be a more effective and efficient writer.

So give it a go, and you might just find that when it comes to Scrivener, version 3 really is the magic number.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! Do you use Scrivener for writing your stories? Why or why not? Tell me in the comments!

Dave Chesson is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com and the software, KDP Rocket , where he spends most of his time working on book marketing strategies. If you’d like to learn more about Scrivener, be sure to check out his review and get a 20% off discount .

I haven’t tried Scrivner, partly because I assumed it cost much more than $45, partly because of the learning curve, and partly because I have Word Now that I have been corrected about the price, I’ll have to look into it.

No – and use one of those Coupon codes, and get 20% off of 45. Learning curve can be steep depending on how many features you want to use. There are so many cool things you can do with Character develop and continuity checks.

I’m known as a Scrivener evangelist round these parts. I say this with absolute sincerity: If Scrivener cost as much as a car, I would still buy it. I need this program in my creative life. Maybe it’s because I have ADD? I am so much less overwhelmed than when I’m trying to deal with an unwieldy word document. The clarity of working on one discrete chunk at a time is so helpful. And with the binder always in full view, I never get lost. (you can hide it. I just keep mine open.) When I get crits, I just jot the feedback down in the notes section for that individual scene. So easy to refer to when I go back for revisions.

The learning curve is steep. The first version I bought 5 years ago had a 500 page instruction manual. This is a really complex piece of software, and I probably only use 40% of its countless features. But you can learn it slowly, expanding features only as you need to. Once you grasp the basics of the editor you can hit the ground running and worry about the rest later. (protip: Make folders for every chapter, and put the scenes in each folder as text documents. This will make compiling easier. I learned the hard way.)

$45 is a joke given what this program has done for my writing life. I simply cannot imagine using anything else. The split screen function alone is worth the money. I use that feature every day. I use Snapshot all the time to preserve draft versions. There are so many customization options. I made my editor purple. I’m loving the new compile function of Scrivener 3 – so much more easy to grasp. (Compile is my most challenging feature, but wonderful. I love being able to give beta readers Kindle formatted versions of my novel.) And the interface of v3 is much cleaner.

I will say, having used both, I prefer Mac to Windows. It feels more intuitive. Given that it’s absolutely risk free to try for 30 days, I don’t see why anyone would decline to at least check it out. I respect that it’s not for everyone, but for me it’s life changing. I don’t think I would have finished my novel without it. #scrivener4ever

I’d second everything you said. Amen to that! I discovered Scrivener when I was working for Apple and they gave me a free copy (way back when they were unheard of). I used it to write my Thesis. Fell in love with it immediately.

I just used another feature I should mention, as I’d forgotten how awesome it is. I sent someone my manuscript in a word document. They returned it to me in MS word, with their comments and suggested edits. I easily imported the Word doc, with comments, into Scrivener (you can drag and drop it right in) and am now using my split screen editor (one with the original document, one with the marked up Word doc) to edit my original document. I wish I could share a screen shot to capture the beauty of this… here, try this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9urijlclojmkls/Screenshot%202018-04-13%2019.02.48.png?dl=0

Left to right, for those new to Scrivener: The binder (every document in the novel, nicely structured), Editing Pane 1 (my friend’s edits), Editing Pane 2 (the original document), and the inspector (which shows my friend’s comments imported from Word, at the moment.)

You can compare any two documents in this way (and with Scrivener 3, you can even open a 3rd research pane, which I learned in the tutorial.) I mainly use the split screen editor to keep a ”scraps for Chapter X” file always on hand concurrent with my working draft, in case I want to delete something and add it back in later (happens all the time.) And, if you save a ”Snapshot” of the original draft, as I did, and decide you don’t like your changes, you can convert back to the original document at any time.

This is the kind of stuff I take for granted now.

My oldest Scrivener project dates back to 2011, and I upgraded to 3.0 pretty quickly after it came out. I found some of the changes nonsensical (to me, as the user) but all in all, I wouldn’t go back. I have to throw in a plug for the Literature and Latte Support Staff. They are uniformly helpful and pleasant, and worth the price of admission themselves, when something strange happens. I’m loath to suggest the 30 day trial is sufficient to get fr up on the learning curve, but it’s a good introduction, if you’re serious about trying it. Cliche alert: It stands head and shoulders (and chest and belly, too, over Word or LibreOffice, as a way to handle writing projects, through to an uploadable epub or Kindle file, or a pdf for Createspace. No matter your decision, best wishes in your writing!

Nice – I first used it in 2009 for my thesis and I completely agree with you about the 30 day free trial. But for $45 (minus 20% if you use a coupon) it pays for itself pretty quickly.

In the past, I’ve entered test pieces, taken from several published novels (not ‘self’, or ‘vanity’ published), into free trials of a few of these tools. Without fail, they fell down badly (the tools, not the pieces).

Suggested substitute words would usually dumb down the piece, or change the intended meanings or nuances, often considerably so. Likewise, the removal of adjectives and even adverbs.

Correctly spelled words (like ’emphasise’, ‘café’, and ‘naïve, for example) were often flagged up as incorrect, despite the tool being set to ‘British English’. Also, that very American, but poor, writing habit of leaving out those words and punctuations which help written English to flow was often evident in the suggested revisions.

The pieces, once ‘edited’, read like sterile instruction sheets, or like writing intended for the very young or educationally challenged reader. That’s fine, if that’s the intention, but not if the writing is aimed at those who read for the pleasure of language. The whole beauty of the pieces was being taken away, leaving them sterile and bearing little resemblance to literature worth reading for anything other than cold information.

These tools might be fine for dealing with press releases, company reports, instruction manuals, and other corporate writing from those for whom the writing comes secondary to their knowledge and expertise in their own fields, but for fiction or other creative writing, where the writing itself is the ‘job’ and not an ancillary to something else (like marketing, or operational matters within a company) they seem to emasculate the creativity that gives good writing its character.

I’ll trust myself to get things (almost) right, then trust my editor to make any other suggestions. Between us we’ll muddle through… He’s got my ninth book at present for editing (and I’ve recently edited one of his… It’s a useful working arrangement). Occasionally our publisher has some input too… but usually only very minor, and more to do with layouts or ‘blurbs’.

No tool online can replace a good editor. As mine says “don’t fear the red pen.” She’s pretty ruthless…haha.

I agree that the British English dictionary is not accurate and I’d have hoped that a major update like this appears to be would have fixed that!

You make some good points about editing programs, but I think you’re missing the point of Scrivener. Yes, it has some light editing features, but where it shines is in the organization of your project.

Scrivener at its heart is a database which allows you to easily move chapters, scenes and more at will. It will allow you to create sections for characters, themes, backstory, or whatever you need to write your project.

When I first started writing my novel in Word, I had backstory in parenthesis, at the end of the document, anywhere, just to keep it from getting lost. But in Scrivener, you can keep all of these things available to you, and split your screen so you can create or review a scene while looking at the character sketch, for instance.

So before you critique Scrivener, please give it a go. You’ll find it’s easy to export your files to a more thorough editing program. By the way, I’m getting pretty fond of Pro Writing Aid. If you end up using Scrivener, you’ll find the two programs work beautifully together.

I started using Scrivener last fall and I love it! 🙂 I have recently upgraded to version 3 without any problems, and I am still happy with it. I guess I am using only a fraction of this powerful tool, but it suits my needs and my way of writing and organising. I have experienced a few glitches in version 2, but so far nothing bad has happened in version 3 (knock on wood!). A tool I definitely recommend!

Haha…me too, only a fraction 🙂 And yes, knock on wood.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Dave! I’m definitely upgrading as soon as the Windows version comes out.

Haha…yeah, I just wished they’d tell us exactly when that will be. But someone who has worked in the software world, we both know how those ‘dates’ go. 🙂

I’ve always wanted to work things out by hand and as a result, Scrivener has never been on my shopping list. But with those features, it may be time to rethink my writing tools.

I love the corkboard aspect to planning, but I always start by using an artist’s canvas notebook to map my works first – I just personally love it, and it always puts me in the mind frame that this is art. Then Scrivener is my technical muse 🙂

I’m a Windows user, so I’m also waiting on Scrivener 3. One clarification — you could always set a Project and a Session word count in Scrivener, so that’s not a feature exclusive to 3. I used the Session counter during NaNo, where I’d set the counter for the ~1600 words you have to write in a day, and check the little progress bar. In the Windows version you can find both counters in Project –> Project Targets. The other features you describe sound interesting.

I adore Scrivener. Before I discovered it I was a diehard Corel WordPerfect user. Scrivener’s output to epub is very clean; it makes the tweaks and styling go very quickly in Sigil, an epub editing software. I tested Word –> Jutoh –> epub for a project at work once. *Shudder*. It took way too long to clean up the code.

The Linguistic Focus — do you know if they’ve added a “project-specific dictionary” feature, so you could add words to the dictionary that are exclusive to one project but not others? That is, if you’re making up words for your fantasy or sci-fi, or deliberately using an archaic spelling for your historical fiction, a project-specific dictionary would accept “chuse” for “choose” in your Regency-era mystery, but will flag “chuse” in your Regency-in-Space story.

Tip for anyone writing words with foreign symbols: Scrivener will let you customize the autocorrect feature, as you can in WordPerfect (and Word) to automatically insert the symbol in words you know you’ll use frequently. Example, I have a character named Zoe with two dots over the E. I just type Zoe without the dots and Scrivener autocorrects to put the diaeresis marks over the e, with no intervention required from me. In Windows you can do this from the Tools –> Options–>Corrections menu.

I have Scrivener but don’t really use it. The learning curve turned me off, but primarily it’s because I used Chromebook to write away from home a lot and there’s no compatibility or a cloud-saving option. I use Google docs instead, which works out great for me.

$25 feels like a steep upgrade cost, but if I used it regularly I might not think so.

I recall seeing that the current version has plug-ins for One-Drive and Google Docs (to Katie’s concern).

One reason I haven’t pulled the trigger on Scrivener, is that I write in Google Docs because it is easy to share the file directly for editing/beta reading. I have a feeling I’d loose that ease of feedback management because the app would likely stuff its proprietary format files into the cloud, rather than work with google doc format for the actual content.

Sounds like I need to wait for windows version anyway..

It does? That would be great news.

I got Scrivener late last year (2017) and am stilling learnin’-curvin’ it, have watched a multitude of YouTubes trying to master even the basics. (Is it just me, or do most YouTubers on the subject speak waaaay too fast? Or maybe I’m just suffering hardening of the eardrums) Maybe I better get the upgrade for Windows as soon as it comes out so I only have to learn ONE version and not have to re-learn (?)

I absolutely do use it, K.M.! It helps me to organize my writing and import a few chapters at a time for contests, submissions, etc. I upgraded to 3 a few months ago.

Interesting. I’ve been using Scrivener for a little while and love it. I’ve got a few days left on my free trial, but I think I’ll buy now and keep using Scriv 2. Especially if it’s uncertain how long it will take for the Windows version.

Scrivener 3 looks awesome! I have a PC and I’m hoping it comes out for that system soon — I bought it in November without knowing about 3, and I don’t want to pay $25 to upgrade.

I’m a writing software aficionado. I test them all, always looking for the better mousetrap. I was one of the first testers of word processors back when the standard writing tool was the typewriter (yes, I am older than dirt), and I upgraded every program I tried every time it improved. For the longest time, I was a WordPerfect guru, until even the legal profession let the far less functional MS Word into my workplace. Eventually I became a Word user/designer, but to this day I find it far less controllable than WordPerfect. If I’d had my druthers I would have stayed with WP, but MS inundated the market with a full suite of programs to compliment Word and the die was cast. Microsoft took over the world and they still dominate the marketplace. Their control over the information world has even forced changes in English usage and formatting standards. They have finally caught up to the level of control that WP had some years ago, though I still resent the fact that programmers have virtually forced changes to the English language because they couldn’t be bothered to write code that could function with some grammatical rules.

I eventually bought Scrivener for use on my Windows PC despite the fact that I tend to write on my iPad Pro strictly for comfort. When they FINALLY released a version for iOS, I snapped it up because I had been waiting for it so long. Although I love the concept of Scrivener, in practice, it hasn’t worked out so well for me. First off, I have NOT found it remotely intuitive in either version I use. The templates I have collected for my writing just haven’t done what I had hoped for in terms of being a useful tool meant to keep me organized. I tend to store my writing in cloud storage anyway, so moving my work between my devices should not be that much of a chore, and yet it has been. It could simply be that one version just doesn’t covert for use in another or it could be operator error. The infamous long learning curve just doesn’t work for me when I already have a reasonable method for researching, writing, editing and organizing my work. But the one thing I like about Word and WordPerfect is that whatever you type looks like what it would on the printed page. It makes it simple to use and easy to see while I work. At my age being able to see what I’m typing is important.

And oddly enough, I have gotten used to having autocorrect nudge my spelling back into standardized form (long nails do cause problems with the keyboard). I especially like the fact that I can create specialized dictionaries for my writing (sci-fi). That is definitely something I could really use in Scrivener and it frustrates me that Scrivener has not addressed this issue in their program. I’m hoping that Scrivener gets to the point where this is a part of their program, but until they do, my use of Scrivener will be limited.

As always, thanks for your insight, Dave. I see only positives in upgrading to 3. Sounds like it’s well worth the $25 to me!

I was convinced of Scrivener when I took Joseph Michael’s course at http://www.learnscrivener.com and learned at my own pace. I will not leave Scrivener for anything. Will wait for 3.0.

I love Scrivener and am sorry I waited so long to buy it because of the cost (it’s very low for what it is. I was just poor.) Now, I can’t imagine writing novels without it. I bought the upgrade today but I haven’t been able to find anything that tells me what happens to all my current projects if I switch to the new one. Do they go away? That’s rather a terrifying prospect.

You should just be able to open them in the new version. Just make sure you’ve backed them up someplace in case of accidents.

I use the windows version and there’s no ‘update from older version’ link in the windows side. Anyone know of it? I don’t wanna buy the new program all over again. =/

I don’t think the Windows 3.0 version is out yet.

I’ve used Scrivener for quite a few years and love it for writing, although I’ve had trouble compiling what I want. My question is, is downloading the new Scrivener 3 going to mess up / change my current projects?

I believe this shouldn’t be a problem. But since I’m a PC user, I haven’t been able to upgrade yet. Maybe Dave will see this and chime in.

I love how I can use Scrivener to organize my research needed for my novel. I can let each piece of research to directly follow a particular scene. Otherwise, I have to organize my research in Evernote and write my novel in Scrivener, which easily causes confusions because of the back and forth.

I upgraded Scrivener 2 to 3 mainly because 3 offers the new dark theme consistent with my mac theme. I can’t type against white background nowadays lol…

Do we know if there is a Scrivener 4 coming out soon? I have 2 and am thinking of upgrading to 3, but am hesitant just in case a version 4 is just around the corner. Any advice?

I doubt it. Scrivener 3 still hasn’t released for Windows. A new version is usually a long process. It took years to release 3 for Mac.

Thanks very much. All systems go then…

Okay. Done. . I’ve upgraded. My previous experience with Scrivener is fraught with frustration. I used it by a recommendation from from Grad Advisor. I spent the next 3 years grappling with both my thesis subject and figuring out this handsomely named writing app. . Yet someone on here said the learning curve is worth the effort. I’m banking on that. My WIP has a longer time curve than my grad work. . We’ll see how it goes starting when I transfer my texts. . Wish me luck…

I purchased Scrivener several years ago, maybe in 2014, but didn’t get into it for a long time due to the learning curve. I finally decided to just sweat out the schooling, and I’ve been using the beta for 3.0 on Windows for over a year. I’ve noticed that the new beta releases seem to be coming more and more quickly, with the last one having only a two week life span until the next update. That signifies to me that final release may be very soon because up until then releases had been at least a month apart.

I’ve had a wonderful time learning and using Scrivener, and I’m always learning something new. I’m working on my first novel and it’s coming along faster and faster, mainly thanks to the organizational aspects of Scrivener.

As one of the early posters here mentioned about their own situation, I have some ADD challenges, and Scrivener has been wonderful for that. It really helps me to focus and avoid analysis paralysis.

I’ve been using Scrivener for over five years and continue to love it though I’ve resisted moving on to 3 until now which is what brought me to his article. Thanks for the helpful info and encouragement. I also recommend it to my coaching clients who are for the most part just starting out, moving from ‘one day/someday I want to write’ to having today be the day. I wished I’d known such a powerful piece of writing software had been around when I started writing over thirty years ago, but then again, personal computers were just coming into their own at that point. I’ll refer you to this blog article on how my buying one of the first 1,000 Macintoshes led me to finally trying my hand at writing: https://wbradfordswift.com/my-salute-to-steve-jobs/

[…] https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/the-new-scrivener-3-0-should-you-upgrade/ “Today, I’d like to share with you some of the reasons why many authors are making the upgrade to Scrivener 3, as well as the key facts related to upgrading and whether you should.” Anyone switching to this? […]

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Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Everything you need to craft your first draft.

Get your thoughts onto the page and explore the connections between them.

Join the conversation. Ask a question or just get to know your fellow users.

What we’re working on, interviews with users, and general prolixity.

Typewriter. Ring-binder. Scrapbook. Scrivener combines all the tools you need to craft your first draft, from nascent notion to final full stop.

Scrivener takes tools familiar to writers everywhere and integrates them in new and exciting ways.

Start a new chapter: Scrivener 3 is now available for macOS and Windows.

No matter what you write, Scrivener brings together all of your notes, research and writing so that it's always at hand.

For writing. And writing. And writing.

Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won't tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.

Available for

Grow your manuscript your way.

Tailor-made for long writing projects, Scrivener banishes page fright by allowing you to compose your text in any order, in sections as large or small as you like. Got a great idea but don't know where it fits? Write when inspiration strikes and find its place later. Grow your manuscript organically, idea by idea.

MORE FEATURES

Image: The ultimate creative writing tool

See the forest or the trees

Whether you plan or plunge, Scrivener works your way: hammer out every last detail before typing a word, or carve out a draft and restructure later. Or mix your methods and do a bit of both. In Scrivener, everything you write is integrated into an easy-to-use project outline. So working with an overview of your manuscript is only ever a click away, and turning Chapter Four into Chapter One is as simple as drag and drop.

Research within reach

Need to refer to research? In Scrivener, your background material is always at hand, and you can open it right next to your work. Write a description based on a photograph. Transcribe an interview. Take notes about a PDF file or web page. Or check for consistency by referencing an earlier chapter alongside the one in progress.

Getting it out there

Once you're ready to share your work with the world, compile everything into a single document for printing, self-publishing, or exporting to popular formats such as Word, PDF, Final Draft or plain text. You can even share using different formatting, so that you can write in your favorite font and still satisfy those submission guidelines.

Who uses Scrivener?

Autobiographers
Biographers
Children's Authors
Journalists
Screenwriters
Translators

I genuinely think this is the biggest software advance for writers since the word processor. Michael Marshall Smith , NYT best-selling author.

Scrivener gives you the freedom to make a mess, the confidence to know you’ll clean it up, and the semantic relationships to tie it all together in whatever way makes the most sense to you. Merlin Mann , indie writer, speaker, and broadcaster.

If there was a list of the top five greatest apps of all time in the Mac App Store, it would start with Scrivener and then there would be four other things. Andy Ihnatko , technology columnist.

As a writer's application, Scrivener is damn near perfect; it means outlines, treatments and then first drafts can be put together in the same application. Neil Cross , author and screenwriter.

Scrivener is worth every penny: quite simply, it’s the best writers tool there is. Zoe Margolis , best-selling author.

Scrivener is the biggest leap forward in writing software since the venerable days of WordPerfect, and believe me, I’ve tried them all. Antony Johnston , comics writer and novelist.

Scrivener has so many useful features, there’s almost too many to list. Mike Sussman , Writer-Producer.

I'd thought it was yet another hobby app at first but this is genuinely for working writers with real deadlines and monster workloads. Karen Traviss , #1 NYT best-selling author.

Scrivener 1.2.4 Requires iOS 12+ Release Notes

Scrivener 3.3.6 Requires macOS 10.13+ Release Notes

Scrivener 3.1.5.1 Requires 64-bit Windows 10+ Minimum display resolution 1024x768px Release Notes

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Scrivener Review

| Candace Osmond

| Writing Tools

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Writing a book is not a linear process. It’s impossible to keep character profiles, general themes, and other files in one document. You need comprehensive writing software to streamline your workflow.

Scrivener is designed to help writers produce long-form copies like books. It’s available on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices.

Keep reading to learn what Scrivener is and what I think about each feature. This Scrivener review will also cover its pricing, who it’s for, and whether or not it’s better than Word.

What is Scrivener?

Scrivener is a writing software developed by Literature & Latte to help you produce long-form writing and other documents. This powerful tool is known for being an alternative and competitor of Microsoft Word because of its unique features.

Writers, get your creative juices flowing with this writing tool. Scrivener has options for formatting, organizational functionalities, and tracking your goals. Whether you’re a novelist, screenwriter, or journalist, this book-writing software is easy to navigate.

Now, it can also be used for academic writing or SEO content creation. Many either don’t know this or don’t bother, but I find it great for both sides of my writing world.

The tool’s color code, option for multitasking, and the corkboard solves many writers’ problems with other word processors. Scrivener is the only writing tool that lets you organize ideas, videos, and other media. It’s also available in multiple versions for convenience.

Features of Scrivener

Scrivener is the ultimate word processor and productivity tool for writers. And these features will prove it.

The Binder Feature

The binder is my favorite feature of Scrivener, which previous versions didn’t have. This functionality is available on Scrivener 2 and 3, organizing every topic and subtopic of your document. As an aspiring author, I use the binder to divide my draft into chapters.

I do not have names for each chapter yet. So, I just saved them as “Chapter 1,” “Chapter 2,” and so on. Each chapter has its subtopics or scenes, which I will combine once the entire storyline is finalized.

Scrivener’s binder is a convenient tool for every writer who needs an organized workflow or structure for their work. It makes the writing process speedier by helping you find any part of the project in a jiffy.

Your flow of documents looks neater regardless of what your writing project is. Whether you’re an author like me making character sketches, or a freelance writer making blog posts, this tool is for you.

Despite being on a steep learning curve during the first few uses, I think it’s worth the effort to master Scrivener.

The Corkboard

While the binder is perfect for the finalized structure of your book, the corkboard outliner is best for brainstorming the parts. It’s one of the key features of Scrivener 3 that help you make notes before writing.

If you work on long-form writing projects, it’s easy to overlook the essential elements. To ensure it’s complete and coherent, you should brainstorm and create an outline.

I used the corkboard to move around any virtual index card before deciding on the chapters of my book. It helped me determine what chapter will introduce the conflict of my story and where the resolution will be shown.

Now that I use the binder more often, I only use the corkboard for random notes of my tasks before every writing session. This organizational tool helps me get a big-picture view of my material.

Other basic writing tools do not allow you to spread notecards and visualize the whole book. You won’t move the scenes around and imagine a smooth-flowing plot.

Set Project Targets with Scrivener

The target setting feature is what Scrivener is known for out of its boatload of features. The writing tool helps fellow writers set calendar days for writing a portion of their book. To keep you motivated, you can set a draft or chapter target for every writing session.

Customize your chapter word count and the ideal word count for the whole manuscript. I set my goal to 50,000 words for every novel. Then, I try to write at least 1,500 words for my daily writing sessions.

Keep the project target window visible to track your progress as you go about your session. Feel free to reset or edit the settings depending on your speed and comfort level.

Imagine writing a whole chapter in one sitting only to find out you forgot to save it. The autosave feature is common among different word processors and book-writing tools to avoid this conundrum.

Access Templates

The sticky notes, multiple formats, and binder features might be overwhelming at first. But Scrivener can help you finish an entire project even if you’re still learning the app.

A subscription to this tool gives you access to several writing templates. Whether you’re producing academic writing or a blog post, Scrivener sets up the logical flow of your binder. Book writers can quickly choose a template that fits their story and then customize it.

Go on Composition Mode

Scrivener’s Composition Mode also makes the app easier to use for beginners. If you’re having difficulty mastering the Binders, Templates, Project Targets, and Inspector Tool, go on Composition Mode.

It’s also known as a “distraction-free” option for writing, where you type everything on full screen. You won’t see the complicated menu, project targets, collections, and other options in the background. There are even settings for the background fade and paper width.

It looks like your typical Notes application where it removes any on-screen button. But it gives you the flexibility to open research materials even on Composition Mode. There’s no need to exit this mode to fact-check or see your word count.

Work on Two Documents at Once

Book writers know that the whole material isn’t created and finished in just one file. The reality is that a single chapter may be composed of a collection of folders for character development sheets, changes in setting, words to use, and more elements.

Aside from the digital note cards, a common feature of the book writing software is its multiple documents. Open a file from your bookmarks folder or other location, then work on the two documents at once.

It can even load two documents in a variety of formats! Bloggers use this feature to examine how to connect a collection of blog posts. It will help you solve which ones lack internal links and which ones feel out of place from the topics.

For academic or non-fiction writers, opening an additional research material will help you write more meaningfully. You’ll add more supporting details to your arguments and create a stronger piece of content.

For fellow novelists with several characters, being able to open two documents at once means having reference material for each person. Scrivener is the ideal app for writers who rely on character sheets for story consistency.

Scrivener Lets You Personalize Your Toolbar

Every writing journey is different. Fortunately, Scrivener lets you customize the toolbar according to your preference. Some available toolbar actions include “Typewriter Scrolling,” “Rulers,” “Project Replace,” “Project Statistics,” and “Open in External Editor.”

Add any action you want to access quickly. The most crucial toolbar actions for me include the Script mode, Text Statistics, and Project Targets. You can also add buttons for moving items up, down, left, and right.

Scrivener Can Color Code Everything

Ask best-selling novelists what computer tool they use for writing, and they will instantly say, Scrivener. The award-winning writing software is the only one that allows you to designate colors for any project.

The current version, which supports the Binder feature, enables users to color-code scenes, character profiles, and chapters. You can also set color labels for images, research, setting, character file, or additional notes.

Long-form writers like me customize the color combinations according to the progress of each part. For example, blue can mean that it’s still in the idea stage, while pink means it’s already finished.

Professional writers divide their work status into five phases:

Idea stage.
First draft.
Editing in progress.
Second draft.

Bookmark Essential Portions

The bookmark is not the most popular component of Scrivener. But it played a critical role in enjoying my distraction-free writing. I can quickly access any project or document I want with it.

The book-writing software lets you click on any bookmarked document while working on the actual document. It’s a fantastic tool for writers like me who consult separate files for different characters.

Scrivener is rightfully the best book writing tool I’ve tried because of the bookmark feature. The popular writing app feature allowed me to quickly recall the quirks, personalities, and other necessary details of the characters I’m writing about.

Aside from tracking your session targets for every single project, the writing app lets you monitor compiled projects. Access your writing history and statistics to see how many words, characters, and sentences you’ve written. Here are other insights it can give:

Paragraphs.
Average paragraph length.
Average sentence length.
Average document length.
Longest document.
Shortest document.
Pages (paperback and printed).
Reading time.
Word frequency.

Inspector Tool

This feature is similar to the binder tool, but it lets you add notes, comments, keywords, and pictures. The Inspector Tool is a sidebar located on the right part of the page.

The Inspector Tool is quite distracting since I don’t need it to add notes on my projects. I usually open a separate document for my character guides, reminders, and other information I don’t want to forget. But it might be helpful to you if your quick notes are not as long as mine.

Restore Older Versions

Scrivener calls these older versions “Snapshots,” which let you open deleted sections of your content. It’s useful for neat freaks who immediately delete unwanted parts of their content without transferring them to another file.

Snapshots let you save the most current version of your writing in one folder before changing or deleting it. Go to “Documents” > “Snapshots” > “Take Snapshots.”

For example, if you plan on creating new character lists, save the old ones before changing them. That way, you can compare your two works and make adjustments when needed.

Plenty of File Export Options

Scrivener’s multiple formats are perfect for independent authors who want to export their manuscripts in different forms. You have the choice to save your project for eBook, paperback, or hardcover.

The file types you can use for saving include:

Plain text.
Microsoft Word.
OpenOffice documents.
Final Draft file.
Script Studio.

I usually upload my work on Google Drive right away. Thankfully, Scrivener has options for uploading to multiple platforms:

Google Docs or Drive.
Final Draft.

Multiple Integrations

Scrivener is one of the few alternative writing tools that work with almost all devices. Enjoy the advanced and basic features of the tool on your mobile devices or personal computers.

You can get the app on iOS and Android devices. You can also download Scrivener on Windows and Mac. The best part? Zero limits on the number of devices you can use for each subscription.

User and Video Guides

Many people think that Scrivener’s complicated interface is a dealbreaker. While some tools only require a few trials before you can master them, Scrivener requires tutorials.

A user guide is essential for newbies to navigate the program quickly. These manuals come in written and video formats.

I don’t recommend the written user guide on Scrivener because of the confusing instructions.

The page lets you edit the text displayed. There are even instructions for the actual instructions.

Try the video guides instead. You need to access them on Vimeo, but the guidelines are more understandable. If you’re too lazy to watch the whole video, browse the screenshots instead.

Is Scrivener Worth the Money?

Scrivener 3 offers more than your money’s worth compared to other writing apps I have tried. The book-writing software costs $49.65 for the standard subscription fee for macOS and $41.65 for the Educational license for macOS.

The Windows application costs $49, while the Mac + Windows bundle is a one-time payment of $80. Scrivener for iOS costs $19.99.

The lack of a monthly or annual subscription is not a problem since the long-term license is still very affordable. At less than $50, I became less prone to procrastination because of Scrivener’s productivity tools. My work has also been so organized and clear recently.

Is Scrivener Better than Word?

Scrivener is, no doubt, better than Word when it comes to features. The major drawback with Word is the use of a single document, which doesn’t compliment every writer’s non-linear workflow.

I like brainstorming every chapter, even before starting the first one. But having to scroll down and look for Chapter 6 to make notes is difficult when I’m still on Chapter 1.

With Scrivener, I create a separate document for these story ideas, which I will refer to later. Or I use the Binder feature to jot down notes.

Scrivener is also better than Word because of the rapid publication. Directly export to ePub and Kindle without using other programs.

One aspect where Word wins is its formatting. Scrivener gives you plenty of formatting options, but they don’t always look the same when printed. For example, if you Papyrus while typing, the printed version could go back to Times.

Is Scrivener Good for Novel Writing?

Scrivener is the most excellent book writing software. Most writing apps may be more popular or easier to use, but they are not designed for long-form content writing. As your book becomes longer, your writing requirements also multiply.

For novelists, the Binder Feature is Scrivener’s unique selling point. Separate every chapter or scene into notebooks or folders for easy navigation. Drag and drop them anywhere you think it fits best.

The Corkboard Mode is perfect for the initial book-writing process. Brainstorm each idea into digital note cards and drag them around to imagine the scenes.

How Do I Upgrade to Scrivener 3?

If you’re still using the earlier versions of Scrivener, it’s time to upgrade to enjoy the advanced features. Make chapter management easier with Scrivener 3 through its redesigned user interface, style system, and support for a new ebook format.

Upgrade through the Literature and Latte site and choose “Upgrade from an older version.” on the trial window. Enter your email address and license code, and click on “Check for Discount.”

Scrivener will check if you are eligible for a discount on the upgrade. After a few minutes, it will let you know the discounted price. Click “Buy now” and follow the checkout prompts.

Who Should Use Scrivener?

It’s one of the better writing apps for novelists and academic writers. Some might think it’s not worth it if you write short types of content like social media posts and blog posts. However, the tool is perfect for working on several projects at once.

I mostly use Scrivener for the books and blog posts I’m writing. It helps me multitask and get quicker with the help of the Project Targets.

Here are some types of writers who will enjoy Scrivener:

Researchers.
Academic writers.
Screenwriters.
Scriptwriters.
Writers who need to convert their pieces into several formats.
Slow writers who want to be more productive.
Messy writers.

Scrivener Final Verdict

Scrivener will not necessarily make you a better writer with correct grammar, sentence structure, and fluency. But it will help you become more organized and productive through the Binders, Inspector, and Statistics features.

Use Scrivener if you’re a novelist, researcher, or any type of long-form writer. Download the writing app on your mobile device now, or install the writing software on Mac and Windows.

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How to Use Zotero and Scrivener for Research-Driven Writing

This month, I’m doing something a little different with my column: I’m sharing the system I use to write it, so that you can use or adapt my system.

How we structure the writing process shapes not only how we articulate our ideas to the world, but also, how we work through those ideas ourselves. The digital environment in which we do that work may feel crucial to those of us who earn a living through our writing, but this environment should matter to anyone who does significant amounts of writing for work or leisure.

I wrote those words two years ago in a column about Scrivener , the writing software I use to write my columns for JSTOR Daily (and other publications). I now use Scrivener in tandem with Zotero, a bibliographic software tool that makes it easier to organize source materials and insert citations, and I’ve developed a workflow that makes it dramatically easier to draft articles based on scholarly research.

So, this month, I’m doing something a little different with my column: I’m sharing the system I use to write these columns, so that other researchers, writers, and students can use or adapt my system. If you do a lot of writing based on research in JSTOR (or other academic materials), I suspect you’ll find that the combination of Zotero, Scrivener, and Zotfile (a plug-in for Zotero) lets you work much more efficiently, and with better results.

Many writers already know Scrivener as a tool for long-form writing, and many academics already use Zotero to track their citations. As the scholars Jason Muldrow and Stephen Yoder explain in Out of Cite! :

Zotero is able to recognize the information necessary for a citation on Web sites ranging from JSTOR to Google Scholar to YouTube, and to store that readily available information in your Zotero library… Within the record you are able to attach an unlimited number of documents (Word, PDF, TXT, etc.) as well as create notes about the reference. If it is an item you found online, you can even archive a copy of the Web page and annotate the Web page directly.

These features make Zotero an ideal partner to Scrivener in writing material based on quoting or citing existing materials. Think of Zotero as the database that helps you get to an outline—or even a first draft.

It’s taken some experimentation to figure out how to use Zotero and Scrivener in a way that accelerates my writing. I’ve shared my system in detail below, which may make it look complicated: Consider following the process step-by-step and you should find it quite easy to repeat (or tweak to your own needs) in the future. You may also find it helpful to look at this sample Scrivener file ( download zip file here ) based on material from Zotero. My sample file includes the material I collected and organized for my recent column, “ The 4 Questions to Ask Before You Unplug, ” and also provides a short summary of the steps below.

Ingredients

My system uses the following pieces of software:

Scrivener (available for Mac, Windows, or iOS) for actually writing your article or book. You can download a trial version here , which will work for 30 days. If you’re new to Scrivener and have trouble finding any of the menu options I reference in the directions below, you can look them up in the downloadable Scrivener manual.
Zotero (free download for Mac, Windows, Linux). This is the software you will use to collect your research materials and generate citations. You may want to pay for an annual subscription that increases the amount of space available for storing your Zotero library in the cloud, but it’s not necessary to making this system work. .
Zotero connector for your web browser (Firefox, Chrome, or Safari), so you can easily save things to your Zotero collection.
Zotfile (a free plugin for Zotero) for extracting article highlights. Follow the instructions on the Zotfile site to get it up and running in your Zotero installation.

Step 1: Collect source material in Zotero

Save to Zotero button shown in browser bar

When I’m starting work on a new article, I begin by creating a new collection in Zotero, named for the topic of my story. Then I open my web browser and start searching in JSTOR for materials related to that topic. I’m a bit of a drunken sailor when it comes to rounding up research materials: I usually just command-click on every result that looks interesting until I have a few dozen tabs open.

Then I click through each tab in turn, taking only a very quick look at each article to decide if it’s something I might want to read. If it is, I click on the Zotero Connector in my browser toolbar to save the article citation (and the article’s PDF) to Zotero. (For reasons that will become clear, I wait until the article is in Zotero before I actually read it—or even properly skim it.) Note that the Zotero Connector button varies a little in how it looks depending on what you’re saving, but it will always be in the same position in your browser toolbar. You’ll know that the article is saving to your new collection (and as a full PDF) when you see the little download notification pop up in your browser.

Step 2: Review and highlight your source material

Once I’ve accumulated a promising collection of materials in Zotero, I start by reading (or skimming) the articles that I expect will be most useful to me. I usually start by sorting my collection by year, so that the articles published most recently are at the top of my window. But sometimes I refine my search keywords in the process of reviewing my initial results, which means that the most relevant results are the ones I save later in my search process. Sorting my Zotero collection based on when the item was added can make it easier to find those items and read them first. (If you don’t see the “date added” column in Zotero, just click the column selector button to see the drop-down menu that lets you choose which columns you want to view.)

location of column selector button in Zotero

When I spot an article I want to read or skim, I double-click to open the full-text PDF. Since I’m on a Mac, that PDF opens in Preview. I use the highlight tool in Preview to highlight any line or section of the article that looks like something I might want to quote or refer to while reading. If you’re reading an article that has a multi-column layout, you may need to select the text you’re highlighting by using the select tool (or option-dragging) to draw a text box around the text you want to highlight.

Once I’ve finished reviewing an article, I close the PDF and then return to the entry for that item in Zotero. Right-click on the item in Zotero (control-click on a Mac) to bring up the contextual menu, and then choose Manage Attachments/Extract Annotations. (This is the option you get by installing Zotfile.) Zotfile will now chug through the highlights in your PDF, and magically extract them for you, so you don’t have to type them out! It’s not perfect—it might misread a few characters here and there—but it works for me most of the time.

Zotero's "extract annotations" submenu, thanks to Zotfile

Continue this process for all the articles you want to read until you have extracted annotations for each article you’ve read and highlighted. As you’re reading, skimming and highlighting, notice any recurring themes or topics that are covered in the materials you’re reviewing. this will help you think about how to categorize your quotations once you get them into Scrivener.

Step 3: Export your annotations

Your next challenge is to get all those juicy quotes into Scrivener, where you can work with them. Select all the extracted annotations at once, and then right-click (Windows) or ctrl-click (Mac) to get the contextual menu. Choose “Generate Report from Items,” and you’ll get a new pop-up window with all your annotations. A hyperlink to the source citation will be included in each quotation. Select all the text in this window, and then copy and paste into a text editor with a solid search-and-replace function. (I use Microsoft Word.)

Take a moment to zip through the document and delete the item titles that appear at the top of each block of quotations: Delete everything from “Parent item” to the date stamp that follows “Extracted annotations.” They’ll be easy to spot, because they will be in bold.

Now, you need to give Scrivener a way of recognizing the break between each individual quotation. The parenthesis that ends each citation isn’t a good bet, because lots of quotations contain parentheses within the text body. So I like to go through the document using search and replace, and replace each closing parenthesis with the combination of parenthesis plus curly bracket, like this: )} But I don’t want to replace parentheses that are inside the body of my text, so I tell search and replace to look for a parenthesis that’s followed by a line break. Then I replace it with a parenthesis, curly bracket, and line break. Your document should like something like this:

Block of text with curly bracket at end of each quotation

Save your document as a Word, Open Doc, or RTF file. Don’t use plain text, or you’ll lose the hyperlinks back to the original citations in Zotero. At long last, it’s time to import your quoted material into Scrivener!

Step 4: Import your quotations

Create a new folder in Scrivener with a name like “Quotations.” Next, from the File menu in Scrivener, choose Import…/Import and Split.

In the file section window, navigate to the text file you just created with all your quotations. Check the option at the bottom of the window for “Split into sections by finding separators in the text.” And for “sections are separated by,” enter a } bracket like the one you used at the end of each quotation.

Now, click the Import button. Scrivener will now import all your quotations, making each one a separate “document” inside your quotations folder. You’ll see something like this in the left-hand sidebar (what Scrivener calls the “binder”):

Step 5: Organize your quotations

By this point in my process, I usually have some idea of how I want to organize my article, or at least, I know the major topics covered by the various materials I’ve collected. If I know what my structure or subsections are going to be, I create folders for each subtopic within a “Top quotes” folder. If I don’t yet know how it’s going to work out, I just put the quotes I like best into “Top quotes” and look for themes as I go. (I often end up creating subfolders as I drag my top quotations into the “Top quotes” folder, because patterns emerge through that process.)

Because I’m usually writing for a general rather than academic audience, I care as much about whether a quote is juicy and fun to read—or exceptionally pithy and articulate—as I do about its content. So my process of looking at quotations is about style as well as substance: I start by looking for the quotations that would make for a great article, and try to weed out the quotations that won’t be particularly engaging. I create a “More quotes” folder for the quotations that don’t make the cut, dividing these into “nope” (quotes I definitely don’t want to use), “meh” (quotations that might ultimately prove useful to making a specific argument, but aren’t particularly special) and “TBD” (quotations I’m not sure about, but don’t want to slow down to decide).

Once I have my folders set up, I zip through the individual quotation documents I just imported into my “Quotations” folder, and drag them into the various subfolders I’ve just created. (Tip: Use the “Scrivenings” group mode and set the scrivenings window to “Lock in place,” so you can see all your quotations and rapidly click through from one to the next.)

If you’re doing a long-form project, with hundreds of imported quotations, all this dragging and dropping into folders may be annoying and cumbersome. In that case, you might find it more practical to use Scrivener labels to assign categories to each quotation: Just define your own set of labels, and then use the drop-down menu to label each quote while viewing it in Outline mode.

If you need to see more of each quotation in order to categorize it, switch back to Scrivenings mode and set the view to “lock in place;” then turn on the Inspector by clicking the blue “I” in the upper right of the Scrivener window. This will give you a right-hand sidebar with details on each of your quotation documents. Navigate through your quotations by clicking in the binder. As you do, that quotation will move to the top of your Scrivenings panel, and you’ll be able to apply your chosen label using the label options in the bottom of the Inspector panel. Once you’ve labelled all your quotes you can return to Outline mode, sort by label, and either drag each group of quotations into its own folder or just work from the sorted Outline view as you get to work on writing.

Scrivener view with quotation folders in left-hand binder and full quotations visible in main window

Step 6: Write your post, article, chapter, or book!

This is the point where the magic of Scrivener and Zotero pays off: By giving you a quote-driven structure for your article or chapter, or at least making it easy for you to find the quotations you need to flesh out the argument you have in mind. I’ve used this workflow both ways, either organizing my quotations into folders based on a prior structure, or letting the structure and argument emerge from the process of organizing my sources and quotations.

In either scenario, I like to treat my structured collection of quotations like an outline. I use Scrivenings mode to view everything in “Top quotes” at once, but all those quotation are separated into subsections based on the various subfolders I set up.

Next, I create a “Story draft” folder in the binder, which I use for drafting my story, and create a new “Draft” document inside the folder. Then I split my Scrivener view so that I can see my “Top quotes” folder and my “Story draft” folders side-by-side, and I set “Story draft” to Scrivenings mode and lock in place, just like I did for the “Top quotes” folder.

Now I start writing in my “Draft” document, dragging each quote I want to use directly from the “Top quotes” folder into the “Story draft” folder. If I want to insert a quotation in between parts of a text I’ve already written, I use the “split at selection” option to slice the Draft document into pieces, inserting the quotation into the gap. This is what my window looks like as I get underway:

Sometimes I actually start by dragging the quotations I want to use from “Top quotes” into “Story draft,” arranging them in the order I want for my story. Then I insert additional blank documents in between the quotations, and write the story around the quotations that are already in place. Scrivenings view makes it all look like a single document.

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When I’m finished writing, I either use Scrivener’s compile function to export the complete draft (with quotations) into a Word document, or (more often) simply copy everything that’s visible in the “Story draft” folder into a new document in Word or Google Docs. Before uploading my text to a site like JSTOR Daily , I copy my text from Scrivener to Word, and then from Word to a site like HTML Tidy , so I can preserve any hyperlinks but get rid of any weird tags that get created through the copy-and-paste process.

What will you write with Zotero and Scrivener?

This article has mapped out the way I use the Zotero-Zotfile-Scrivener combo to write my regular columns here at JSTOR Daily , but it’s a process I’ve adapted for other research-driven projects, too. Whether you’re an academic writing papers, a journalist writing articles, or a marketer writing blog posts, I suspect some version of this process can dramatically simplify and accelerate your own research-driven writing. If you try this process yourself—or have questions about how to apply it—I hope you’ll let us know!

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Using Scrivener for PhD Thesis & Dissertations

By Ann Sylvia
June 19, 2020

Scrivener for Academic Writing and Journals

A fantastic tool for academic writers, Scrivener is a word processor that makes writing more convenient, organised and, dare I say it, enjoyable! It differs from other word processors, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, in that it has in-built features that help you focus on what you’re writing, and how you’re writing it.

It offers a distraction-free writing experience, a friendly layout and a vast array of organisational features which make it enticing for all sorts of academic writing. And I’m not just talking short essays; I wrote my entire 92,000 word-long PhD thesis and 4th-year undergraduate dissertation in it.

To help show you how the software could revolutionise your writing experience, I will explain what it is, the features it boosts and how easy it is to get started with it.

Scrivener For Thesis, Dissertation & Academic Writing – A Complete Guide

Created by Literature & Latte , Scrivener is a writing tool that takes a unique approach to the way you sit down and write. Rather than create a single file for the document you need to write, Scrivener creates an entire project. Within this project, you can then create sections, outlines and drafts of your document. The project keeps all your work in one place, meaning you can easily organise your thoughts and record any research in the section they’re relevant to. That way, when it comes time to creating your first outline, you already have a ‘pre-outline’ to speak based on the high-level structure of your project.

Here are some ‘structural’ features, which will stand out for your drafting stage.

Corkboard View

If you’ve extracted data or ideas from several research papers, you can save each extract as documents. You can then gain a quick overview of all your research by viewing all your extracts as index cards in a corkboard style view.

This won’t only ensure you never lose sight of the bigger picture, i.e. the question your research paper is trying to answer, but also allows you to reorganise your findings in a logical order. This is thanks to the ‘drag-and-drop’ feature built into Scrivener which lets you rearrange sections by simply dragging them into their new position.

Composition Mode

This feature removes everything from your screen except the document you’re working on. This works surprisingly well when you need to get words down on paper. Removing all visual distractions also helps in eliminating writers’ block, as you’re not continually getting overwhelmed by countless reference papers.

Split-screen View

Scrivener lets you open two documents side-by-side in the editing window. While this isn’t exactly a groundbreaking feature, it’s incredibly useful when you want to refer to data or related papers.

Scrivener Research Paper Dissertation Workflow

Research Folder

Any new project you create has a ‘Research’ folder by default where you can drag-and-drop in all images and documents relevant to your paper. This ensures you always have the information you need accessible through the single click of a button, regardless of where in Scrivener you may be.

This may seem like a small perk, but the efficiency of never having to dig through an endless number of poorly named folders (we’re all guilty of it) can’t be overstated.

Word Count Targets

Writing day after day can get tiring quickly, so it’s not surprising that writers’ block is one of the biggest hurdles all writers face. Although you’ll still have to sit down and force yourself to write, thankfully Scrivener makes this a little easier through its ‘Word Targets’ feature.

With this feature, you can set a word count target for each day, or each writing session if you’d prefer, which remains displayed at the bottom of your window. This helps you monitor your progress, and also has the benefit of helping you to approach your writing goals in a healthier way – in consistent daily sessions rather than long and intense sessions usually followed by burnout.

Scrivener Dissertation Templates

Several Scrivener dissertation templates are available which aim to help you immerse yourself into your academic writing in a matter of minutes. You can find these templates on both Literature & Latte’s website, or on other fan-made websites that also use Scrivener as their go-to writing platform. These templates range from project set-ups for PhD theses and dissertations, to single document set-ups for academic essays or short coursework assignments.

The templates will probably be more useful for undergraduate students writing short pieces of work, however, as all templates can be customised, you should be able to modify a thesis or dissertation template to meet your requirements. I modified an existing template for my PhD thesis but have, and will continue to, use 3rd party templates for drafting journal publications. This is one of the many benefits of Scrivener – it can be as minimalistic or detailed as you would like it to be.

Zotero Scrivener Integration

Using Scrivener for any research paper, whether it’s your PhD thesis, a final year dissertation or your first journal article , there’s still no avoiding that you will have to use citations. Many academic writers use reference managers such as Zotero or Mendeley to eliminate having to reference papers manually.

I personally use Zotero because of its simplicity, plus its compatibility with Scrivener. Here’s a quick guide to show you just how easy it is to integrate the two tools so you can get the best from both worlds.

Install Zotero, which is available as a plugin and standalone app.
Next, install the RTF/ODF-Scan for Zotero, the add-in that makes this integration possible. It can read the citation markers into a document saved as ODT and transform them into Zotero citations automatically.
Under the Preferences tab, click on the Export option – Default Output Format – Scannable Cite. Selecting this lets you insert citation markers by drag and drop or using ctrl+alt+c and ctrl+v. And that’s all there is to it – you can now simply copy-paste citations into your writing from the in-built reference manager.

Scrivener Research Paper Dissertation Workflow

There’s no right way to use Scrivener, but from my experience, there is a wrong way, and that’s by forcing a particular structure or workflow. One of the best features of Scrivener is that it’s flexible enough it can adapt to your individual workflow process. Therefore, I won’t describe my exact workflow as the tool will be more useful if you allow it to adapt to your needs naturally, but I will share a few workflow tips to help you get started quickly after your first time using it.

Tip 1 – Starting Folders

Tip 2 – icons for tagging folders, tip 3 – meta information, tip 4 – outline view.

Final Thoughts

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool that has the potential to transform your entire academic writing experience; from your dissertation to your thesis and journal publications. It provides you with an intuitive way to structure your writing, organise your research and implement popular referencing managers to your disposal.

However, Scrivener is just that, a tool. It won’t turn you into a great researcher if you aren’t one already; similarly, it won’t turn you into an organised writer if you already have poor structuring habits which you aren’t willing to work on. Assuming you don’t fall into this category, I encourage you to try Scrivener, or any other similar writing manager as it will make your next writing task just that much more enjoyable.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the views of DiscoverPhDs. The author nor DiscoverPhDs are affiliated with Scrivener, nor any of its subsidiaries.

In Finland, all new PhD holders are given a traditional Doctoral Hat and Doctoral Sword during a Conferment Ceremony, symbolising the freedom of research.

The purpose of research is to enhance society by advancing knowledge through developing scientific theories, concepts and ideas – find out more on what this involves.

In the UK, a dissertation, usually around 20,000 words is written by undergraduate and Master’s students, whilst a thesis, around 80,000 words, is written as part of a PhD.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

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Find out the different dissertation and thesis binding options, which is best, advantages and disadvantages, typical costs, popular services and more.

Stay up to date with current information being provided by the UK Government and Universities about the impact of the global pandemic on PhD research studies.

Dr Clarence gained her PhD in Higher Education Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa in 2013. She is now an honorary research associate at the University and also runs her own blog about working as a researcher/parent in academia.

Nathan is about to enter the 2nd year of his PhD at the University of Hertfordshire. His research looks at how lifestyle stresses can impact skin barrier biophysics and skin barrier and oral cavity biochemistry and microbiology.

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Scrivener Review

Writing well is difficult and time-consuming, requiring you to balance planning, research, writing, editing, and publishing. Scrivener offers features to assist with each of these and offers more power than its competitors. If you’re working on a large project or are serious about your writing, the additional learning curve required to master that power will be justified. The fact that it’s available on Mac, Windows, and iOS makes it available to most people. Is Scrivener worth it? After using Ulysses for many years, I wrote this entire review using Scrivener. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and found the app easy to pick up, but I’m aware that there are a lot of features under the hood that I haven’t even discovered yet. If that appeals to you, I encourage you to try Scrivener—it may suit you. I recommend it, especially if long writing projects are your thing. What I Like : Structure your document via outline or corkboard. Many ways to track your progress. Powerful research features. A flexible app that can be used in many ways. What I Don’t Like : I encountered a minor bug while using the app.

What does Scrivener do?

It is a software tool for writers of all kinds. It allows you to see an overview of your work and offers helpful tools as you type each word. It also allows you to structure and restructure your document and keep additional research material on hand. In short, it’s a highly respected app used and recommended by serious writers.

Is Scrivener free?

Scrivener is not a free app but does come with a generous trial period . You are able to use all features of the app for 30 days of actual use, not just 30 calendar days from the date you install it.

That allows plenty of time to get the know the app and evaluate it for your writing requirements and workflows.

How much does Scrivener cost?

Both the Windows and Mac version costs $49 (a little cheaper if you’re a student or academic), and the iOS version is $19.99. If you’re planning to run Scrivener on both Mac and Windows you need to purchase both, but get a $15 cross-grading discount. Check the lasting pricing info here .

Where to find good Scrivener tutorials ?

Helpfully, the Scrivener website offers quite a number of video tutorials (also available on YouTube ), covering a range of topics from basic to advanced. These are highly recommended.

Major online training providers (including Lynda and Udemy) provide full courses on how to use the software to the max. You can preview the courses for free, but you’ll have to pay to complete them. Quite a number of other third-party providers also offer tutorials and training on the app’s features.

Table of Contents

Why Trust Me for This Scrivener Review?

1. type and format your document, 2. structure your document, 3. track your progress, 4. brainstorming and research, 5. publish the final document, reasons behind my ratings, scrivener alternatives.

My name is Adrian, and I make my living writing. I rely heavily on writing software and tools and make sure I’m familiar with the best options. My favorites have changed over the years, and currently, my regular toolkit includes Ulysses , OmniOutliner, Google Docs and Bear Writer.

Although I don’t normally use Scrivener, I have huge respect for the app, keep up to date with its development, and try it out from time to time. I evaluated it again in 2018 as I wrote about The Best Writing Apps for Mac, and downloaded and used the trial version to write this article. While writing, I tried to use just about every feature the app offers, and I’m impressed.

I found Scrivener easy to use, and appreciated the many tools and features it offers writers. I know I’ve only scratched the surface, and with further usage would continue making interesting discoveries that would improve my writing workflow. If you’re a writer, this might be the app for you—especially if you write long-form—and we’ll include a list of alternatives in case you don’t find it a good fit.

Scrivener Review: What’s In It for You?

Scrivener is all about writing productively, and I’ll list its features in the following five sections. In each subsection, I’ll explore what the app offers and then share my personal take.

As a writing tool, you might expect Scrivener to provide a number of word processing features, and you’d be right. The app does allow you to type, edit and format words in ways you’re familiar with.

The toolbar above Scrivener’s Edit pane allows you to choose the font family, typeface and font size of your text, as well as make it bold, italic or underlined, and align it to the left, right, center or justify it. Font and highlight colors are selectable, line spacing options are available, and a range of bullet and numbering styles are offered. If you’re comfortable with Word there will be no surprises here.

Images can be added to your document through drag and drop or from the Insert menu or paperclip icon. Images can be scaled, but not cropped or otherwise edited, once in your document.

But rather than using fonts to format your text, the best practice is to use styles. By doing so you’re defining the role the text plays (title, heading, blockquote), rather than the way you want it to look. That’s much more flexible when it comes to publishing or exporting your document, and also assists in clarifying the document structure.

The Scrivener team has obviously thought a lot about what writers will find useful, and I keep finding new treasures the longer I use the app. Here’s an example. When you select some text, the number of words selected is displayed at the bottom of the screen. That’s handy!

My personal take : Just about everyone is familiar with typing, editing, and formatting in a word processor like Microsoft Word. You can make full use of that familiarity when starting to use Scrivener. That’s not true of all writing apps. For example, Ulysses formats your text using Markdown syntax, which may be harder for some users to get their head around initially.

While Scrivener resembles a word processor in some ways, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It offers many features that word processors don’t, especially when it comes to structuring your document, and flexibly rearranging that structure. That’s particularly helpful with long documents.

Rather than displaying your document as one large scroll, Scrivener lets you break it up into smaller pieces, and arrange them hierarchically. Your project will be made up of documents and subdocuments, and maybe even folders. That allows you to see the big picture more easily, and rearrange the pieces as you like. Scrivener offers two different ways to visualize all of this: outlines and the corkboard.

I’ve always loved structuring information in an outline, and the effective use of outlines is one of Scrivener’s greatest appeals to me. Firstly, a tree view of your project is displayed on the left of the Editor pane. Scrivener calls this the Binder .

This works exactly as you’d expect if you’ve spent any time managing files or emails. You can view or edit any document by clicking on it, and rearrange the outline by drag-and-drop. Note that the outline contains only sections of the current project you are working on. Ulysses, by comparison, displays an outline of every project in your library. The best approach is a matter of personal preference.

By clicking on the blue Outline icon on the toolbar, you can also display an outline of your project in the Editor pane on the right. This will show you a more detailed outline of the current document along with any subdocuments. To display the entire outline, you’ll need to select the topmost outline item, called “Draft” in my project.

You’ll notice that the outline view gives several additional columns of information. You can customize the columns that are displayed.

Another way to get an overview of your document is Scrivener’s Corkboard , which can be accessed by the orange icon on the toolbar. This displays each section of your document as an index card.

Rearranging these cards will rearrange the attached text in your document. You can give each card a short synopsis to summarise the content you intend to write in that section. Like the Outline view, the Corkboard will display cards for any subdocuments of the chapter you have highlighted in the binder.

My personal take : To make the best use of Scrivener, don’t be tempted to type everything into a single document. Splitting up a large writing project into smaller pieces will assist your productivity, give you a better sense of progress, and the Outline and Corkboard features will allow you to rearrange your project quickly.

When writing a long document, it can be helpful and motivating to keep track of your progress. Knowing at a glance which parts of a document have been finished gives you a sense of progress, and makes sure that nothing slips through the cracks. As I’ve been writing this review, I’ve experimented with a number of ways of achieving this.

The first feature I tried is the Label . You can add a different label to each section of your document. By default, Scrivener uses colors, but what you call them is completely customizable. I decided to add a green label to any section I’ve completed. I then added a column to display that label in the document’s outline.

A second feature for tracking your progress is Status . The status of any section of a document can be set as to do, in progress, first draft, revised draft, final draft or done —or left with no status.

Initially, I marked each section as “to do”, and added an outline column to display the status. As I work through each section, I’ll update the status to “First Draft”, and by the time I’m ready to publish the project, everything will be marked “Done”.

Another way to track progress are goals, or Targets . Most of my writing projects have a word count requirement. Scrivener’s Targets allow you to set a word goal and deadline for your project, and individual word goals for each document.

You can set a word target for the entire project…

And by clicking the Options button, set a deadline too.

By clicking the bullseye icon at the bottom of each document, you can set a word or character count for that document.

Targets can be displayed in the document outline along with a graph of your progress, so you can see how you’re going at a glance.

Unfortunately, when I add a word target for the main heading, words typed in the subheadings don’t count. I notice that this feature was requested in 2008 , but doesn’t seem to have been implemented yet. I think it would be a useful addition.

I enjoyed using these features to track my progress, though using all of them seemed like overkill. I might feel differently when working on a multi-month (or multi-year) project where tracking progress is even more crucial. But coming from Ulysses, what I really wanted was to get a sense of progress just by glancing at the outline in the Binder. To achieve that, I started changing icons, and that’s my favorite method so far.

Scrivener provides a wide range of icons, but the ones I made use of were different colors of the default sheet of paper. As I writing this review, I’ve turned the icon green for each section I’ve completed.

It’s a simple approach with a useful visual. I can easily extend my system to include additional colors for the first draft, final draft, etc. In fact, what I’d really like to do is associate each document status with a different color icon, so when I change the status to Final Draft, the icon automatically turns green, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem possible. What some people do is open an extra pane so that they can view the Binder, Outline, and Editor all at the same time, and keep an eye on the statuses and labels that way.

My personal take : Tracking progress is motivating, stops things slipping through the cracks, and keeps me on top of my deadlines. Scrivener offers a number of ways to achieve this. Using all of them is probably overkill, but there’s enough choice to find something that’s effective for your workflow.

The biggest thing that sets Scrivener apart from other writing apps is the way it lets you work with reference material that’s separate (but related to) the words you are writing. Keeping track of your ideas and research effectively is incredibly important, especially for long and complex documents. Scrivener offers the best-in-class tools.

I’ve already noted that you can add a synopsis to each document. This can be seen in the Outline and Corkboard views, and also in the inspector, so you can refer to it as you type. And underneath the synopsis, there’s a space to type additional notes.

While that’s helpful, these features barely scratch the surface. The real power of Scrivener is that it gives you a dedicated area for your research in the Binder. You can create your own outline of thoughts and ideas, web pages, PDFs and other documents, and images and photos.

For a short piece like this article, I’m just as likely to keep the reference information open in my browser. But for a long article, thesis, novel, or screenplay, there’s often a lot of material to keep track of, and the project is likely to be long-term, meaning that material will need a more permanent home.

The reference area can contain Scrivener documents, which offer all of the features you have when typing your actual project, including formatting.

But you can also attach reference information in the form of web pages, documents, and images. Here I attached another Scrivener review for reference.

Unfortunately when I click on that page, I’m redirected to my web browser where the following error message is displayed:

{“code”:”MethodNotAllowedError”,”message”:”GET is not allowed”}

Not a serious error—I just come back to Scrivener and read the review. It didn’t happen with any other webpage I added, so I’m not sure why it’s happening with this one. I passed the problem on to Scrivener support.

Another useful reference resource is the Scrivener user manual, which I attached as a PDF. Unfortunately, I encountered another problem. After adding the document, the Editor pane froze, so no matter which document section I clicked on in the Binder, the manual was still being displayed. I closed and reopened the app, and all was well. I tried to reproduce the error, but the second time, adding the PDF worked perfectly.

I don’t get the feeling that these errors are common, so it’s strange that I had trouble with the first two items I added to the research area. And fortunately, it only happened with those first two. Other documents and web pages I added were problem-free.

My personal take : Some projects require a lot of brainstorming. Others require you to gather and wade through a lot of reference material. Rather than keeping dozens of browser tabs open, Scrivener gives you a long-term place to store it all. Storing that material in the same file as your writing project is very convenient.

During the writing stage of your project, you don’t want to obsess about how the final version will look. But when you’re finished, Scrivener offers some very powerful and flexible publishing options. Because they’re powerful, they do come with a learning curve, so for best results, reading the manual is recommended.

Like most writing apps, Scrivener allows you to export the document sections you select as a file in a variety of formats.

But Scrivener’s real publishing power lies in its Compile feature. This allows you to publish your document to paper or digitally in a number of popular document and ebook formats.

Quite a number of attractive, predefined formats (or templates) are available, or you can create your own. When I finish this review, I’ll export it to a Microsoft Word document I can upload to Google Docs for final submission, proofreading, and editing.

My personal take : Scrivener takes care of you throughout the entire writing process, including publishing your work. The features it offers are powerful and flexible, allowing you to quickly export your work into quite a number of useful formats, both for print and digital distribution.

Effectiveness: 5/5

Scrivener is one of the most powerful and popular writing apps out there, especially for long-form writing projects. Available for Mac, Windows, and iOS, this app lets you write wherever and whenever you get the opportunity.

Price: 4.5/5

While Scrivener is not cheap, it does offer good value for money, as you’ll notice when you come to the Alternatives section of the review. At a one-off purchase of $49, it is only marginally more expensive than a single year’s subscription of Ulysses, its closest rival.

Ease of Use: 4/5

Scrivener may require more effort to master than its competitors. It’s not that it’s hard to learn, but there’s a lot to learn—it’s a professional tool offering a wider range of features than its competitors. Fortunately, you don’t have to know everything before you begin, so it’s a program you can grow into.

Support: 5/5

Scrivener seems to be a labor of love by a small team of developers who are serious about supporting their product. The website’s Learn and Support page includes video tutorials, a user manual, and user forums. The page also covers common questions, links to books about the app, and links that allow you to submit a bug report or ask a question.

Scrivener is one of the best cross-platform apps for writers out there, though comes with a fairly high price tag and a learning curve. Fortunately, it’s not your only option. Here are some excellent alternatives at a variety of price points, and you might also like to check out our roundup of the best writing apps for Mac .

Ulysses is Scrivener’s closest competitor. It’s a modern, fully-featured app for writers with a streamlined interface. In the roundup, we recommend it as the best app for most writers.
Storyist is similar to Scrivener in several ways: it is project-based and can give you a bird’s eye view of your document through outline and index card views. It’s designed for professional novelists and screenwriters and produces submission-ready manuscripts and screenplays.
Mellel covers many of Scrivener’s writing features, and adds even more that are useful for academics. The app integrates with a reference manager and supports mathematical equations and a range of other languages. It’s an older app that looks a little dated but still works well.
iA Writer is a simpler app, but also comes with a price that’s easier to swallow. It’s a basic writing tool without all of the bells and whistles that Scrivener offers and is available for Mac, iOS, and Windows. Byword is similar but is not available for Windows.
Manuscripts (free) is a serious writing tool that allows you to plan, edit and share your work. It includes templates, an outliner, writing goals, and publishing features. It’s suitable for academics.

Scrivener is not a word processor. It’s a tool for writers and is focused on supporting the task of writing long-form pieces by providing a number of unique features. It functions like a typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook—all at the same time. This depth can make the app a little difficult to learn.

Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators, and more. Scrivener won’t tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing.

So, although the app allows you to choose fonts, justify text, and vary line spacing, that’s not where you’ll spend most of your time. When you’re writing, it can be actually unproductive to focus on the final appearance of the document. Instead, you’ll be brainstorming, working on the structure of your document, gathering reference information, and typing words. Then when you’re finished, Scrivener can flexibly compile your work to a wide number of publishable or printable formats.

Scrivener is available for Mac, Windows, and iOS, and will sync your work onto each device you own. This piece of software is loved by many serious writers. It might be the right tool for you, too.

So, do you find this Scrivener review helpful? Share your thoughts below.

18 Comments

I think some people are more planners and work out the structure in advance, in terms of scenes, characters, places, plot arcs and so on, before they start writing. Whereas others tend to go with the flow more and make things up as they go along. Scrivener, then, better suits those who lean towards the former approach. I also suspect that people are so used to the one file approach of word processors that adapting to any other way of working seems unnatural.

Scrivener is at heart an outliner that allows you to collapse very long documents and look at them from a higher level perspective and that can be a good way of managing story worlds that are hard to hold in your head all at once. Personally, I don’t find Scrivener hard to use; maybe as with many tools it is a question of getting to understand the workflow it is designed to facilitate. And whether you wish to work in that way is a personal decision, of course.

The main issue is that you can buy Windows and Mac versions, but Scrivener does not function well as a cross-platform app. It would make a huge difference to me if there were able to present it as a cross-platform app at one price ( https://scrivener.tenderapp.com/help/kb/features-and-usage/cross-platform-compatibility ).

Have you tried Manuskript?

Also, are there any good cross platform apps for journaling? I like the cork board view a lot, as well as the index tree on the left, but don’t need all the extras intended for book or novel writing.

Thanks for a helpful overview of the product, succinct and comprehensive.

I’m a journalist and I love Scrivener because I can organize all my resources (documents, photos, website links, ideas, etc.) for handy reference in the left-hand column. It makes it a lot easier to organize my thoughts and fact check. If there’s a problem with something in the story, I can easily solve it without having to search all over my computer. But there isn’t any single do-it-all tool for any journalist or writer and I might have two or three different tools in use at the same time. I sometimes use Writer’s Block (very pricey though), for example, because I can see and organize large numbers of related facts across one large computer screen while writing with Scrivener on another. I often need to open LibreOffice as well (can’t stand Microsoft’s clunky Word), simultaneously. You have to find the write combination for your needs and preferences.

Can I import extract of newspaper articles and photographs easily into my book for both Scriniver or Ulyssess?

Thank you for your thoughtful and comprehensive review – very helpful.

I need help. I have 32 bit Scrivener that I have not used in 2 years. If I get Literature and download it, will I be able to see the book I began on the 32 bit.

Hi Clare. I recommend you contact Literature and Latte with your question.

I can’t stand Scrivener. It’s a clunky mess with so many bells and whistles that I’ve never needed. Most editors hate it as well in my experience and consistently ask for .doc or .docx, and with good reason– you can’t track changes in Scrivener, making it a horrific pain to actually edit and revise in.

It’s garbage, frankly. I guess it’s cool if you spend more time making things look fancy than actually writing; I don’t.

Hi Sarah, isn’t it wonderful that we’re all different? I actually feel the same way about Microsoft Word! 😉 My favorite writing app is Ulysses. Once it’s time to track changes, you can export it to another app, even Word. 🙂

You can track changes using the Snapshots function, but it is not meant for collaborative writing; the app and the function assume you have made all changes. To use it, you save a snapshot, then go back and revise your document. In the snapshot window, you can load up a comparison that will show you all changes along with a revision history.

In my workflow with my editor, I send him an exported Word document, which he marks up (along with my tech editor). When he sends it back, I import it to Scrivener and review the marked up changes, then generate a ‘clean’ version with markup stripped out.

It is completely different than the review tools in Word, to be sure, but it is effective if you plan carefully.

Sarah, What program do you recommend ? I want to be able to track changes and ideally collaborate in real time (multiple people work at same time)

I really hate this software. I have been using it for a few years now, but I spend so much time dealing with the not intuitive software that I lose time writing. Issues that I have had include: disappearing writing, formating that works in one book but not another, compiling only to find little # all through my book. There is no tech support to speak of here and thier rationalization of this is that it is a small company. And yes, before you ask, I watched the tutorials. I have also read through the numerous questions and comments where users seem to have to figure things out themselves. Maybe this is a program designed for programmers. But is is highly frustrating if you are simply trying to write.

Sorry to hear that, Lexy. We’ve written a number of reviews on other writing apps , including a roundup of the best apps for Mac. Let us know if you find something that suits you better.

Perhaps you should realize that that’s user error (as in, your fault) rather than the fault of the program itself. Many, many people use Scrivener just fine and have none of the problems you have. Some people apparently can’t deal with something more complex than Notepad….

Or maybe they need something more refined and streamlined on both operating systems. A whole lot of tender love and care with updates to the MacOS app but Windows is still behind by several digits even with Version 3. The IOS app is no better. Relying on Dropbox and a sync button while continually dealing with an overwhelming software can put a kink in any writers flow. At least the successful ones.

The biggest problem with your review and your alternatives suggestions is that they are much too Mac specific. The current Windows version of Scrivener is at version 1.9 and is nowhere close to the Mac Version 3 in terms of features. Plus you can’t use Mac Scriv 3 files on Win Scriv 1.9

The publisher is promising a Windows-based Scrivener 3 version “Real Soon Now” for quite some time. I have no doubt it will happen eventually but it’s a small company and these things take time.

Your alternatives are also exclusively Mac oriented. Only iA Writer has a windows option that I know of. Two viable Windows only alternatives that I like are Quoll Writer and Atomic Scribbler. Both are free. Quoll Writer is an open source title. Atomic Scribbler is by the publisher/developer of Page Four and SmartEdit.

Atomic Scribbler has the option (at additional cost) of seamless integration with SmartEdit, but is otherwise fully functional. As far as I know, Atomic Scribbler is the ONLY writing/Authorship title that offers full integration with an after draft editing tool.

Thanks, Glen, that’s a fair criticism. I appreciate your feedback, and for your recommendations of Quoll Writer and Atomic Scribbler. We will update the review at some time in the future, and I’ll make sure your issues are addressed. Literature and Latte are a small team and it does seem to take them time to complete projects. Their iOS version seemed to take forever, and I understand they encountered quite a few roadblocks on the way. Hopefully, Scrivener 3 will arrive soon. It’s expected Q2 of 2019 and will be a free upgrade.

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Scrivener Review: The Best Software for Writers?

Long before there was any great writing software, most authors found themselves writing on anything they could: Pads of paper, napkins, scraps of paper, or multiple Word docs that you’d later sort through and organize to see what you’ve really got.

But these days, there are tons of book writing software options on the market.

In this Scrivener review post, we break down all the features and tools, so that you can make a decision as to whether or not this is the best software for you to create your next bestseller. While it can work for everyone, it may not be the best option for everyone.

In this Scrivener review, you will learn:

What is scrivener.

Why This Review Matters

Scrivener: the Pros and Cons

How Much Does Scrivener Cost?
Scrivener 3.0: Best Key Features
Common FAQs About Scrivener
Scrivener Review: Is It Worth the Hype?

Scrivener: a professional or public copyist or writer : scribe. 2 : notary public.

A scrivener (or scribe ) was a person who could read and write or who wrote letters to court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying written material. This usually indicated secretarial and administrative duties such as dictation and keeping business, judicial, and historical records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities.

The biggest issue with writers today is the ability to organize all of their notes for their books that includes pictures, documents, files, photos, videos, ideas and more. If anything, Scrivener helps with the ease of navigation in order to consolidate all of these notes and files so that they are easy to find and put into your book for publication.

Overall, Scrivener was designed specifically to help authors—of fiction and nonfiction—to organize all of their material into one central location. It’s described as a virtual three-ring binder because it lets you have all the folders, labels, tabs and flags that you could want for your writing process in a clear and neatly organized way.

You can think of Scrivener as your all-in-one Hub for book publishing. While there are many forms of writing software on the market today, Scrivener has by far exceeded the expectations for most authors. In fact, after using Scrivener for just a few days, you’ll most likely be convinced that is the only tool you’ll ever need. However, for authors that prefer a more basic approach, Microsoft Word and Google Docs are certainly great options.

Scrivener is a great writing tool for books and manuscripts. Most authors are definitely all-in for using this book writing software after they start using Scrivener. It’s great for high-level organization, large writing projects, researching various topics, and the need for a distraction-free writing environment.

Having said that, Scrivener may not be for everybody but the question is, is it the best writing tool for you?

Let’s dive deeper into this Scrivener review by looking at the pros and cons of this writing software!

We want you to make informed decisions when it comes to how and where to invest your money. That’s why our mission is to help educate authors on the various self-publishing companies and services that are on the market today.

Our reviews are meant to be unbiased, 3rd party reviews, but we will speak up if there is a scam or a clearly better option.

Why this Scrivener review matters

As an author who has written dozens of books over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to test many writing software and in doing so, Scrivener has always remained at the very top of my list for the best writing software available. For this reason, this review matters because I have personally written over 10 books using the Scrivener software, and it is a robust tool that deserves its own review.

The goal here is not to sell you on the software but, to make you a better writer as a result of using it and, if this review is going to push you forward into getting your book published, by any means Scrivener is the way to go.

The Scrivener app is all about productivity and although there’s a large learning curve to this software, in the long run, it should save you a lot of time by providing the best tools for organizing, compiling, cataloging, and publishing your valuable work.

Scrivener is, for the most part, the best writing tool on the market that is used by authors of fiction, nonfiction, academics, creatives and journalists. The writing software app has many pros and a few cons to its application. There are a lot of features (more than you probably need) and you might be asking yourself, “Is it worth it to learn all this?”

Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons:

Scrivener Pros:

Composition Mode erases all distractions and lets you write on a screen of nothing but text, though you can customize the background to be a texture or image as well
Templates to fit your writing needs (fiction, nonfiction, screenplay, poem, essay, etc.)
Comments, footnotes, annotations, and synopses simplify keeping track of your stream-of-consciousness brainstorming
Organizes projects into one file with easy access to countless documents and research in the same window
Can export projects as EPUB, MOBI, PDF, RTF, DOC, DOCX, OTD, HTML, or TXT
Flexible interface users can customize to their needs
A fully customizable toolbar
More affordable than comparable writing software
Offers a full 30-day free trial that only counts the days you actually open Scrivener. So if you use it for 30 days, it expires after 30 days. Use it twice a week and it lasts for 15 weeks.
Powerful app with helpful features for every stage of your writing project
Free templates for ease of writing

Scrivener Cons:

No real-time collaboration or co-author functionality
Windows version is inferior to Mac version
Currently no Android app available
Complex to learn all of Scrivener’s many robust features
Most users will only use a small handful of the features and get confused by the amount of functionality.
Occasionally fails to back up data, although this bug is supposed to be fixed with Scrivener 3.0

Overall the pros of Scrivener far outweigh the cons to using this software, but you will have to test drive this powerful writing app yourself to draw your own conclusions.

How much does Scrivener cost?

Scrivener 3 costs $49. However, if you purchased Scrivener 2 on or after August 20, 2017 you can upgrade for free. Users who purchased Scrivener 1 or 2 before that date can get a 45% discount off the purchase price.

Scrivener also has a 30-day free trial period, though it’s actually 30 days of use — so if you only use the program two times a week, you will have the trial for 15 weeks.

Both the Windows and Mac version costs $49 (a little cheaper if you’re a student or academic), and the iOS version is $19.99.

If you’re planning to run Scrivener on both Mac and Windows you need to purchase both, but get a $15 cross-grading discount. Check the latest pricing info here .

Scrivener 3.0 Upgrade

If you already have Scrivener 2, you can upgrade via the Literature and Latte site. Click here , then select “Upgrade from an older version” in the trial window.

Scrivener 3.0: Best key features

As I previously mentioned, Scrivener is one of the most robust writing tools available on the market, but the question is what are the key features that make it so readily popular with writers all around the world? Let’s take a look at the top 8 best features.

1. Customizable Templates

Just like Microsoft Word has dozens of templates you can use for various themes, Scrivener also has templates that you can use to customize your book, whether you’re ready for fiction, nonfiction, a journal, or academic papers. When you select your favorite template while creating a new project, Scrivener gives you templated suggestions on how other authors make that type of project work.

2. The Ring Binder

Scrivener combines and cultivates everything you need to write, research and arrange long documents in a single, powerful app. At its core is a ring-binder metaphor that allows you to gather your material and switch back and forth between different parts of your manuscript, notes, and references with ease.

Break your text into manageable sections of any size and trust in Scrivener to merge them together. Integrated outlining tools let you plan everything first or restructure later. It also includes a trash bag over there so that you never really lose anything. You can create subfolders, change icons, rename files, or add a new file with the push of just one button.

3. Outliner

Develop the structure of your writing with Scrivener’s powerful outliner. Similar to the function of the corkboard, the outliner lets you work with an overview of a chapter, a part, or your entire manuscript. Arrange your draft however you want using folders and subfolders.

Review synopses of what you’ve written so far or summarize what you need to write next. Check word counts. View meta-data. You can change anything that you want to and still leave your core material intact. You can trust you’ll have an outstanding book structure by implementing the outliner tool.

4. Corkboard: Big-View Synopses Cards

The cork board is one of the writer’s most ambitious writing tools. Now you can visualize your project as a whole by writing down all of your scenes on cards. This makes your book project completely visual and you’re able to attach colors to the scenes for greater clarification and organization. You can easily drag and drop and add or delete cards.

In Scrivener, every section of your project is attached to a virtual index card. Scrivener’s corkboard lets you step back and work with just the synopses you’ve written on the cards—and when you move them, you’re rearranging your manuscript at the same time.

5. Bookmarks

Scrivener utilizes an easy-to-navigate interface that utilizes a bookmark system. You can effortlessly access any project documents that you refer to often. But what makes it especially useful is that clicking on a bookmarked document will open it side-by-side with your current document, allowing you to reference or edit it without having to flip back and forth between texts.

6. Composition “Free Writing” Zone

This is one of my favorite tools in the Scrivener system. With the composition “free writing” zone, you are able to blank away everything while you are free to write and create within your own distraction-free zone. It’s the perfect Haven for a writer. It includes various backgrounds that make you feel calm and creative when you’re writing.

To customize the background in Composition Mode, click Scrivener > Preferences > Appearance > Composition Mode.

Scrivener’s full-screen composition mode is fully customizable so, how it looks is up to you. This is your writing space, so get comfortable and start typing.

7. Flexible Interface

Different writing projects demand different thought processes, and Scrivener’s flexible interface adapts to the work at hand. Arrange index cards along coloured lines on the corkboard—perfect for tracking different storylines or thematic developments.

Experiment and place cards anywhere in freeform mode. Choose which columns are shown in the outliner—or create your own. Use the corkboard or outliner to browse through research while you write. Make a mess or keep it simple. Whatever you’re writing, you get to choose the tools that work for you, and everything else stays out of your way.

8. Compile, Export and Print

Export to a wide variety of file formats, including Microsoft Word, RTF and OpenOffice. Save screenplays to Final Draft format with script notes intact. Generate PDF files ready for self-publishing. Create Epub and Kindle ebooks to sell on iBooks or Amazon, or for proofreading on an e-reader. You can even use MultiMarkdown for LaTeX support and more.

When you’re ready to export, click File > Compile or Option+Command+E.

Common FAQs about Scrivener

There are a lot of questions that authors have before deciding to invest in this software. But we are not referring to the low price of just $49.00. You are investing a lot of time and energy into learning this software so, for that matter, you want to make sure that you’re investing in something that you’re able to use long-term.

That’s why we consolidated the best questions that authors are asking in order to arrive at a decision to utilize Scrivener and all its functions and features.

Can I use my Mac license code in the Windows version (and vice versa)?

To run Scrivener on both Windows and Mac machines, you will need to purchase a separate license for each platform. However, if you already own Scrivener for macOS and want to buy Scrivener for Windows or vice versa, you are eligible for a cross-grade discount.

How long does a Scrivener license last?

A Scrivener license lasts forever, for whatever version you purchase. It may cost to upgrade your Scrivener. However, if you bought a license for Scrivener 1 on Windows after July 2017, you will be able to upgrade for free when Scrivener 3 is released.

Will I have to pay for updates?

If you purchased directly from the Scrivener store, or from one of the resellers that redirect to Scrivener, all minor updates are free. Such updates usually consist of a combination of bug-fixes and feature refinements, although often contain more substantial changes and new features too.

All major updates are offered at a discount.

If you purchased the software at any time during the three months prior to the release date of the major new version, you will receive the update for free.

If you purchased the previous version of the software earlier than that, you receive a major discount on the regular price. The discount price will be set at the time of release, but as an example, Scrivener 3 on the Mac is $49, but registered users of Scrivener 2 for macOS get a 45% discount.

How do I install Scrivener on other Computers?

All you need to do is download the application and install it, just like you did the first time, using the registration information and instructions that were sent to you.

If you’ve lost the original email you can recover your license details . Here is the download link for the installer . The first time that you open the application on the second computer, you can enter your license information when prompted.

Can I edit my ebook with Scrivener?

Scrivener itself is not an ebook editor, even though it can produce ebooks via its compilation process. For detailed instructions on this process, refer to Scrivener’s video tutorials or the user manual, available from Scrivener’s Help menu. If you wish to clean up the presentation of an ebook or make revisions to it after you’ve compiled it outside of Scrivener, these tools can help:

Calibre : General purpose ebook management and full-featured e-reader, also capable of performing conversions between many common ebook formats. Good for testing links, layout, and other specifics. Available for macOS, Linux and Windows.

Sigil : An ePub editor which will let you fine-tune your compiled ebook or help track down problems within it. Available for macOS and Windows.

Kindle Previewer : Amazon’s free book previewer will aid in the production of Kindle compatible ebooks and provide a precise preview of what your ebook will look like on various Kindle models. Scrivener will integrate with Previewer if it is found installed and allow for the direct creation of Mobi ebooks. However, in most cases you will want to use ePub for publication through Amazon. Available for macOS and Windows.

Vellum : Specializes in creating nicely designed ebooks from a number of pre-built templates. Scrivener has a special DOCX compile format for creating the best input for this tool. Available for macOS only.

Where can I find video tutorials for using Scrivener?

The Scrivener website offers a wide range of video tutorials (also available on YouTube ), covering various topics from basic learner to advanced. These are highly recommended video tutorials for diving deep into how to use this complex app. If you require a big overall view of how Scrivener works before deciding to purchase, you can access all the FAQs here: Scrivener Support

Scrivener review: Is it worth the hype?

Scrivener is a powerful tool for writers and is focused on writing long-form pieces by providing a number of unique features. It functions like a typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook—all at the same time.

Scrivener works best for writers of all kinds of literature who have lots of notes or research to compile into their books and/or plan to write a lengthy, very in-depth series of books .

If you plan to do extensive self-editing or find a book editor in another program, Scrivener is a good match.

Scrivener does have many amazing features that we like. It includes high-level organization tools, powerful drag-and-drop features, easy-to-export features, a customizable toolbar, and the ability to break up your project into smaller pieces.

However, if you just want to dive into the writing and skip the learning curve required, we recommend you go with something easier to start with, such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Scrivener does not have a great formatting option, it requires separate licenses for Mac and Windows, and there is a steep learning curve that could set you back days or weeks that isn’t going to build your confidence if you just want to write.

If you’re happy to just sit down and pound out your content on a weekend, you probably don’t need Scrivener. What really matters is, if you’re happy with the software, you’re willing to make the investment of time and energy.

Personally, I rarely use Word anymore after getting used to Scrivener, and now that I’ve written several books with the software, it’s hard to go back to the basics.

Before you decide, download the free version and give it a try.

Looking for more writing apps? Check out our reviews below:

ProWritingAid Review
Freedom App Review
Google Docs Review
Microsoft Word Review
Antidote Review
Hemingway Review
Novelpad Review
Plottr Review
Book Brush Review
Campfire Writing Review
Ulysses Software Review
Speechify Review

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Information indigestion? The search for a perfect note taking system.

For the last 20 years I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect academic note taking system.

I abandoned paper in 2005 when I realised my notebooks were the place my ideas went to die. Although writing into a notebook felt useful at the time it was hard to find stuff later. Flipping fruitlessly through hundreds of pages of bad hand writing was frustrating. When I did find the notes, they didn’t make much sense without the source material. Scribbling notes on printouts solved this problem and created another: filing. I’d either remember the author or the title – maybe sometimes just the topic or idea. You can’t file a piece of paper under four categories at once.

I’ll admit, over the last fifteen years, I’ve wondered at people who cling stubbornly to their paper ways. Digital notes have all sorts of obvious advantages. The search function replaces filing and you virtually eliminate the ‘transaction cost’ of transcribing notes from paper to screen. It all sounds great – but there’s a reason there’s heaps of database products on the market and none have dominated. They don’t really solve the note taking problem.

I’ve been a relentless digital note taking booster, but I have a confession to make. All the time I was telling people that digital notes were better, I had the nagging suspicion something was not working. I frequently found myself overwhelmed when I sat down to write. I had everything I needed, but the annotations and slabs of text I’d accumulated just didn’t seem that useful.

This is not a tool problem. I say this after trying and discarding almost every digital tool on the market.

In an attempt to replicate the success I had with writing on printouts, I’ve taken notes in a bunch of conventional citation managers: Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley and Papers2. I felt even more scattered taking notes this way than I did writing in a notebook. By splintering my notes, I splintered my thinking.

The next step was to try digital databases. Theoretically, a database can help you find relationships and connections. By running a search, you can see related things together and spark ideas. I’ve used many databases – Evernote, DevonThink, OneNote, Readwise, Pocket and Notion just to name a few. To be honest with you, even though I have briefly evangelised some of these products, I’m unconvinced any are worth the effort.

Some databases have great features – like the machine learning assisted searching in Devon Think – but maintaining a notes database properly is a lot of work. The best thing about digital databases is also the biggest problem: they are frictionless. By enabling you to store, and move data around, effortlessly, it’s oh so easy to put a lot of stuff in there without an organising principle.

The end result? Information Indigestion.

Unless you are very careful about naming conventions, tagging and pruning, your notes quickly become a hot mess of digital clutter. I’ve come to the conclusion that a notes database you spend a lot of time managing is worse than a notebook you never read.

Note taking is basically a way of squeezing insights out of information: the process is often more important than the product itself . This doesn’t mean notes are pointless, but it’s important to remember they are a means, not an end. The ‘meat computer’ on top of our necks is pretty good at making connections and ideas. Notes are there to help.

My best advice is to let go of the need to have a perfect ‘system’ and develop a ‘good enough’ set of solutions that work for you. Below is a set of notes on how I take notes. It’s not pretty, but it works.

I don’t suggest you adopt ‘my system’ – because it’s not a system. It’s a bunch of hacks and work arounds. Maybe some of them will be useful to you. Or maybe, by sharing how messy I am behind the scenes, you will feel better about your own ad hoc solutions!

Notes for writing

One of the key things we teach at our world famous thesis bootcamp program is how to write without constantly rummaging around for notes. People reach for their notes in an attempt to make sentences perfectly correct the first time. But all this rummaging derails the creative process. People can write four or five times faster by free writing first, and using their notes to check information later.

The notes you need for writing are more than just what you’ve read: you need to process ideas, facts, findings and insights from data. I find the best way to take notes for writing is to write them straight into a file: one that has a name and a specific purpose. The file acts as a grounding tool to focus the note taking. I write the actual notes either as a comment, or in a different font. These notes are really premade ‘chunks’ of text for the final paper. Think whole sentences with subjects, objects and verbs . I weave these notes into the writing as I generate text and edit.

If you want to try this ‘just in time’ approach, it’s best to use a fit for purpose tool like Scrivener. Scrivener has a built in notes pane next to your main text. It also has the capacity to store PDF files with the text so a curated list of relevant source material is always available as you write. In this way, Scrivener helps you digitally replicate the ‘scribble on the side of a print out’ type of note taking.

Scrivener helps a lot, but you will still end up with a splintered note problem. Every piece of writing becomes a digital version of a bulging manila folder, full of newspaper clippings. Some of those clippings are potentially useful in other projects, but they are now locked in a file. You can’t search the notes in multiple Scrivener files at once… but hey, good enough, right?

Notes for your literature review

Literature reviews require a special kind of note taking. These days, the literature on anything, even a tiny field like mine, is vast and anxiety provoking. You must read and synthesise vast amounts of information. You won’t use everything you read, at least directly, and part of the job is to decide what is relevant to include in the text and what will remain in the background. Sometimes people produce an extended bibliography that includes things they read, but didn’t cite, so keeping track of what you decided not to use can be important.

You’ll need a couple of specialised literature wrangling tools in your belt.

While some people like the Cornell template to turn notes into writing , I prefer the literature review matrix method: an idea I picked up originally from the ‘My Studious life’ blog . A literature review matrix is simply a table with the individual paper names as the columns and questions you are trying to answer as rows (if you are having trouble imagining what I’m talking about, there’s a live example here ). The advantage of a matrix is it’s cumulative – you can add columns as you read and synthesize the insights by simply reading along the rows to compare what different authors said about the same thing. This method is excellent for spotting areas where the literature is sparse, because some rows simply get more fleshed out than others.

Katherine Firth, Shaun Lehmann and I subsequently documented this idea and some variations more fully in two books: How to fix your academic writing trouble and Level up your essays . I have a free cheat sheet for the method here . I use google sheets to make them as I find Excel and MS Word have too many formatting issues. But lately I’ve been experimenting with using Google forms for long term projects. The form helps me capture the ideas sequentially:

And then auto-generates a matrix you can review to see where ideas intersect:

I’m excited by new tools that work on a social graph principle, like the amazing Connected Papers . I think this is the future of literature reviewing in an age of endless information and I am here for it!

Notes for teaching and presentations

Presentation notes are extremely valuable. This kind of hybrid writing/note taking practice is very audience focussed. Teaching forces you to think about sequencing and comprehension. Presentations force you to think about how to make your ideas into stories. If you are really stuck on a piece of writing, a good trick can be to make a powerpoint presentation and write notes under it.

My principle here is to take the path of least resistence. I simply write everything on the slide, then transfer most of it to the notes pane so I don’t end up with a wall of text. Invariably, I end up recycling those notes back into papers and articles. For high stakes talks, or when I am not as across the material as I would like to be, I make a written script in plain language – these are even more useful. Here’s the script I used for my PhD confirmation, which I immediately turned into my introduction chapter.

Notes not bound to a task or project

Like all academics, I’m a curious person and like to read stuff in my areas of interest for no particular purpose – other than idle nerdery. I want to record some of this reading, but I don’t want to invest too much effort in the note taking process. Notes with no obvious purpose are the most difficult to manage. They are why a database still has a place in your arsenal of organising tools. In fact, you’ll probably need more than one database tool to manage academic work.

I use Pocket to clip things from the web and I don’t even bother tagging or filing this information. I indiscriminately grab everything interesting, then run a search in there if I have a specific problem to solve. I am still using OmniFocus to organise my email and projects, and I use the notes pane there to take notes of meetings.

I use Notion to keep my professional contact list organised. I think this is the best of the structured databases I’ve tried because it’s essentially a personal wikipedia. I don’t use Notion for my own notes as I have gone back to hand writing (see below), but if you hate hand writing, like my son, it’s worth a try. I introduced Thesiswhisperer Jnr to Notion when he started Uni and he happily uses it for all his lecture notes. I have observed him turning these notes into writing and it seems to work well for that purpose.

For a long time I used Evernote for random thoughts and ideas, but lately retired it because paper works just as well – maybe even better (gasp!). My friend and ‘ On the Reg’ Podcast colleague, Dr Jason Downs started using the Bullet Journal method or #bujo. I always copy Jason, so I bought myself a notebook, sharpened a pencil and got to work.

I’ve found the #bujo extremely useful for jotting notes, drawing diagrams and maintaining daily to do lists. I often write notes in there that I end up transfering into presentations and papers. It’s not the purpose of this post to tell you exactly how to implement the #bujo method for yourself. There are vast amounts written about it and some helpful videos on the Bullet Journal Youtube channel, like this one:

My only #bujo suggestion is to start simply.

The key difference between the #bujo and a normal notebookis that a #bujo has numbered pages and an index at the front. Even if you only implement this page numbering principle, it will make your notebooks 1000 times more useful and no longer the place where ideas go to die! If you want to hear more about the #bujo method, tune in to the On The Reg podcast that was released in early April – Jason and I discuss it at length.

I hope this extended meditation on the note taking process was useful for you. I’m interested in your hacks and solutions so I’ve turned the comments on for this one. If you are interested in sharing your own hacks, or chat to me on Twitter.

In note taking solidarity!

PS: If you love reading about productivity, listen to the ‘ On the Reg’ Podcast with me and Jason Downs where we have been boring for Australia about academic productivity for nearly 17 hours so far! The episode on University Bullshit and the CRAP framework for dealing with it has been super popular for some reason 🙂 – you can also listen to our latest on how we have implemented #bujo . Subscription options can be found on our Buzzsprout page .

Tools mentioned in this post

Endnote , Zotero , Mendeley , Papers (I don’t recommend the new version, it’s not as good as the old one), Evernote , DevonThink , OneNote , Readwise , Pocket Notion And OmniFocus

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When You Write

Scrivener Review (2024) Is This Writing Software Worth It?

Scrivener proclaims itself as a professional word processing tool that acts like a typewriter, ring-binder, and scrapbook.

Novelists, screenwriters, all non-fiction writers are all formatting and structuring their bestsellers on this tool.

But is it really? And what does it do? Is it worth it?

Well… I have covered more than these questions in this post and by the end of the article, you will be able to make an informed decision on whether Scrivener is right for you.

Let’s get right into it then, starting with the pros and cons of this popular tool.

Scrivener Pros

1. A Generous 30-day free trial : Before you purchase a Scrivener package, Scrivener has a handsome free 30-day trial that comes with all the tool’s paid features.

2. Customizable setup and interfaces : Many of Scrivener’s features are customizable, and this gives you (the user) a personalized experience.

3. Pre-set templates : Scrivener “was made by writers, for writers.” Obviously, they understand the needs of different types of writers (Screenwriters, poets, novelists, etc.). Therefore, the tool comes with different already-set templates that you can choose from— Novel, Short Story, Screenplay, Stageplay, Recipe collection.

4. Write offline: Scrivener doesn’t need a working internet connection to work. Once you download it, it’s good to go.

5. Includes tutorials: the tool has tutorials meant to help you understand and master its features.

Scrivener Cons:

1. Separate Licences for each Supported platform: Scrivener doesn’t have a single package for all supported systems; you have to buy separate licenses for Mac and Windows if you want to access the two on both systems

2. Hard to Master: This is a multifunctional tool—it’s trying to be the usual word processor, it’s dealing with genre-specific formatting issues, and there are index cards too, just a lot of functions in one tool. This depth makes it hard for users to master Scrivener’s many features.

Scrivener Overview: What is it, and who is it for?

Scrivener is a book-writing software program developed by an aspiring writer— Keith Blount—back in 2007. It’s a package consisting of a typewriter, ring binder, and a scrapbook in one tool.

There’s actually a good backstory; let me sum it up for you:

Keith Blount—not the vice admiral—was an aspiring author searching for a perfect writing organizational tool for writers. He had tried and gotten frustrated by tools like Z-Write, WriteWay, LiquidStory, and many others before stumbling upon a tool called Ulysses.

But after a while he realized that Ulysses ‘wasn’t it.’ Then, he decided to make his own tool, not necessarily for the money, but to help him organize and finish his book.

And… Scrivener was born.

Its features and capabilities include a corkboard, preset formatting, templates, file importing, metatags, automated document listing, and many others. These features are perfect for novelists, scriptwriters, academics, lawyers, translators, journalists, and students.

How much does Scrivener cost?

Scrivener has separate payment plans for the three supported platforms—macOS, iOS, and Windows.

Scrivener 3—which is the latest scrivener and currently only available on macOS—costs $49. But, for existing users who would like to upgrade from Scrivener 2, the scrivener team have thrown free and discount clauses:

For users who purchased Scrivener 2 on or after 20th August 2017, upgrading to Scrivener 3 is free.
Those who purchased Scrivener 2 before the stated date can update to Scrivener 3 with a 45% discount.

Scrivener for Windows and iOS costs $45 and $19.99, respectively. The Scrivener fees are one-time payments; once you have made the purchase, you can use Scrivener for life.

Unfortunately, Scrivener doesn’t offer any free plans. However, they offer a lengthy free trial period—a whole 30 days.

Getting Started: How to Use Scrivener

You can use Scrivener on macOS, Windows, and iOS devices. When you download the Scrivener app, you get a 30-day trial on all the devices.

After that, you have to purchase the tool.

Downloading, Installing, and Registering Scrivener

Macos (scrivener 3).

You can either install Scrivener from the Mac App Store or directly from the Literature & Latte’s website.

The app store doesn’t offer the free trial version, but if you go to the literature and latte website, you have two options: download a free trial or purchase it right away.

Once the free trial expires, you’ll have to purchase a registration code. After payment, a confirmation email with a unique serial number will be sent to your email.

You can use the serial number to activate the free trial app by clicking the “enter license” button, pasting the code into the text box, and clicking “register.”

Windows (Scrivener 1) Now Version 3

The process is exactly the same as the one for macOS that I just explained. Purchase the app here .

Although Scrivener 3 wasn’t available for Windows initially, the developers finally released Scrivener 3 for Windows after some time in beta.

Scrivener Review: Features and What It Can Do for You?

Key features.

Scrivener’s Cork Board enables you to compile your notes on digital note cards. The notecards sort of look like sticky notes on a wall. This is how you organize your notes.

Outliner (the Binder)

Scrivener has this convenient sidebar that arranges different parts of your project (chapters, notes, etc.) and arranges them into an organized flow of documents, folders, etc.

Scrivener comes with a couple of default templates based on genre, style, and other details.

Whether you are writing a novel, a short story, or a screenplay, you can utilize the default templates or from fellow writers.

The Inspector Tool

In addition to the Binder Feature, there’s a secondary sidebar called the inspector.

For some people this feature is inessential. For most, it’s where they create a synopsis for the section or general notes, references, keywords, and snapshots, among other things.

Goals and Targets

Scrivener allows you to set word or character targets for the project, sections, or a single writing session.

You can check the Writing History to track the progress that you made.

In order to enable you to compare rewrites to original notes easily, Scrivener lets you take “Snapshots.”

The snapshots enable you to return to the original version at your own convenience using the “Compare” feature.

Over and over again, I’ve seen writers wail because they have lost all their work in an instant.

That usually happens when one is using basic writing tools. To avoid this tragic event from ever occurring, Scrivener has an autosave feature that saves your work as you write.

Distraction Free Mode

This feature is for those times when nothing else—other than your manuscript and coffee—matters.

In this mode, the app goes full screen and things like menu bars, buttons, and other tabs get hidden.

Linguistic Focus (MacOS) / Dialogue Focus

This is one of the things that Scrivener 3 has brought. On macOS it is called the Linguistic focus, but on Windows it’ll be called Dialogue Focus.

Users can utilize this tool to check the flow of the manuscript’s dialogue and ascertain that the characters have a unique voice.

Scrivener Tutorials

To help users master the tool quickly, the Scrivener website offers some video tutorials that explain various basic and advanced elements of the tool.

Scrivener’s Capabilities Summed

So, with all these features, what can the tool do for you?

1. Be Your Word Processor

Scrivener has features just like a regular typing tool; you can type, edit and format words.

The Scrivener app has a toolbar that allows you to format your text the same way you do with MS Word.

Although the toolbar isn’t as comprehensive as Word’s, you can choose the font size and type; make it bold, italic, or underlined; change the font color, and change the alignment.

You can also tweak line spacing and select bullet and numbering styles. Scrivener also offers styles (title, Caption, heading, heading, etc.).

2. Structure Your Document

Structuring bulky texts—a 100k-word novel, for example—using basic tools like MS Word can be laborious.

Conveniently, Scrivener has two organizational features; the outliner and the corkboard.

Both features provide you with an overview of a chapter, a section, or even the entire project.

The corkboard is a very efficient planning tool; it allows you to break your text into manageable sections.

Every section is attached to a virtual index card—when you move the index card, a corresponding section in your manuscript gets moved along.

With Scrivener’s corkboard, you can jump from one section to another with ease; you just have to look at the title and synopsis of that section. If it’s what you are looking for, just click on the index.

To help with the structure of your manuscript, Scrivener has a very tidy feature called the outliner.

The outliner is a hierarchical sidebar that arranges your text using folders and subfolders. Apart from giving you the overview of a chapter, a section, or your entire manuscript, it enables you to review synopses, check word counts, view meta-data, or shift your epilogue or prologue easily by dragging and dropping.

3. Keep Tabs On Your References and Ideas

Scrivener helps you keep original content, sources, and ideas so that you can go back and compare with or reference your current text.

Tools like Snapshots, the Inspector tool, and the Binder make brainstorming and keep track of research material possible and easy.

The Binder has a dedicated section for your research. You can fill this section with your own outline of ideas, images, web pages, PDFs, or documents in other file formats.

The Inspector is equally helpful in brainstorming and keeping research material. You can create synopses or general notes, references, keywords, snapshots, and many other things that you can come back to.

4. Track Your Progress

Scrivener comes with a lot of features that help you to track your progress, but I picked these essential three features:

Status : This feature lets you mark the level or stage of your manuscript. You can set it to ‘to do,’ ‘in progress,’ ‘first draft,’ ‘revised draft,’ ‘final draft or done,’ simply leave tick the ‘no status’ option.
Labels : another way of tracking your progress is by the use of color labels. You can customize different colors to indicate the stage at which a section of your document is at—assigning a purple color to all completed sections, for example.
Targets : setting word or character targets helps you keep track of your word and character counts when you are writing. You can also check the Writing History to deduce the amount of writing you have done each writing session or day.

With these three features, you can see how much distance you have covered and how much work remains.

5. Sort Out the Final Output

So now that you’ve finished the writing part, it’s time to focus on publishing your text.

But, in what format?

Well, Scrivener has some stretched publishing options and allows you to publish your work in a variety of formats.

Using Scrivener’s compile feature, you can print your work to paper or publish it on digital platforms in various document and eBook formats.

Among the various formats, you can export from Scrivener projects to PDF, DOCX, RTF, TXT, or directly to your printer. If you are an indie author, you can export your book to Amazon Kindle in EPUB or MOBI formats.

Scrivener comes with many preset formats (or templates) that you can use to publish your document. Alternatively, you can make your templates.

Is Scrivener Worth it?

I honestly think it’s worth every cent of that $49.

And that’s a one-time payment. Looking at it from that angle, it seems pretty cheap. Some alternative writing tools cost half that price for just one month.

But, the issue here is not the money, let me remind you why I like this tool:

The corkboard and the “binder” are just super tidy, convenient, and perfect for giving your work a good structure.
Tracking your progress with this tool can be automated. Once you set the labels and tick the status, you will be able to know where you are at with your project.
Effective research features. The snapshots, inspector tool, and the outliner just make referencing and storage of some random epiphanies very easy.
Scrivener takes you from the first letter to the final output.

And if I were to take you back to the price, you would see it the way I see it—$49 is a steal.

Scrivener FAQs

What is scrivener.

It is a professional writing software tool for writers of all sorts. It enables you to see an overview of your writing project and helps you organize your work.

With Scrivener, you can structure and restructure your document whilst keeping your research material readily available.

Is Scrivener free?

Scrivener is not free and doesn’t have any free versions to supplement its paid solutions.

But, the tool does have a lengthy trial period. Scrivener allows you to use all its features for 30 days straight without paying for it. It doesn’t count the days from the installation day, it counts the usage.

In the 30 days, you have ample time to familiarize yourself with the tool and assess whether it satisfies your writing requirements.

The Mac and Windows version—which is currently Scrivener 3—costs $49. Scrivener also has an iOS version which is at $19.99.

How long does a scrivener license last?

When you purchase a Scrivener license, it lasts forever for that version only. As long as Scrivener supports that version, you are going to use it indefinitely.

But if you’d like to upgrade to a newer version, you’ll not purchase it at the full price—Scrivener either gives free upgrades or at a discount depending on the time you bought your current version.

Is Scrivener Available for Windows?

Originally, Scrivener was made available on the Mac only. But in 2011, a Windows version was developed and moved from Scrivener 1 to Scrivener 1.99.

While the Mac version is 3, the Windows version is still 1 and is expected to jump version 2 and go straight to Scrivener 3 in 2021.

Update: Windows version 3 is now available.

When is Scrivener 3 for Windows Coming?

The expected release of Scrivener 3 for Windows was during 2021 . Finally, Scrivener 3 is now also available on Windows, so you’re not left out if you are a PC fan.

Why Did Scrivener for Windows Lag Two Versions Behind?

As I said, Scrivener was originally available for macOS only. The macOS version was released several years before the Windows version was made in 2011.

By this time, Scrivener had already released Scrivener 2 for macOS.

But, to avoid this confusion, Scrivener jumped version number and updated Scrivener for Windows from version 1 to version 3.

Is Scrivener The Best Software For Writing a Book?

That’s another resounding yes. I totally was in love with MS Word at first—to a certain extent, I’m still in love with it and use it for some particular tasks—but scrivener organizes your manuscript way better.

If there’s a persistent complaint against Scrivener, it’s the steep learning curve.

But, if you’re willing to invest time and effort mastering the tool, you’ll find out that it’s not just the best, but it sets the standard for tools in its category.

My Final Thoughts On Scrivener

Having seen what Scrivener can do, I think every novelist (and any writer who needs a professional word processor) should at least try it out.

If not for the fact that it’s hard to master the tool, I’d have given it a 5/5. Although I have to lower the rating, it can’t go lower than 4.95/5 because the tool is hard to master because of its functional depth.

And that’s a good thing!

Different writers have different needs, but with the free trial, you have nothing to lose. Give it a try and you might just discover that it’s what you’ve been looking for all this while.

Review: Scrivener for Windows lets you write epic novels, office memos

Expert's rating.

Extremely powerful
Makes long text easier to face by breaking them down
No way to switch off rich-text engine

Our Verdict

Writing a long text is hard but Scrivener makes it seem less scary.

At least half the work in writing is organizing your text: Sometimes it feels like having a conversation with yourself that you end up sharing with the world once it makes sense. Turning a jumbled mass of ideas into a coherent article, or even a book, isn’t easy, but Scrivener helps.

Scrivener’s interface can seem busy at first glance, but you can switch most of it off when you don’t need it.

While it can sometimes feel like an overwhelmingly complex writing toolbox, Scrivener revolves around a single concept: No matter how massive a text is, it’s invariably made up of smaller parts. A chapter isn’t as scary to write as a whole book; a single paragraph is even more approachable.

You could certainly author a novel or a big employee guide using just a text editor or word processor, breaking down each chapter into its own file. But what if you then wanted to review all scenes with a particular character, or at a particular location? What if you wanted to rearrange the hierarchy? By putting all of your writing into a database, Scrivener makes such tasks trivially easy.

The corkboard is one way to get an overview of your text.

First, let’s take a bird’s-eye view of your text. To do this, Scrivener uses a somewhat old-fashioned “corkboard” metaphor. Each of your documents (chapters, sections, up to you) has a little index card attached to it. This index card can say anything: It’s a little synopsis of your text, just for your own use. In corkboard mode, you see just the index cards, which makes it very easy to rearrange scenes around.

If you’re more into traditional outlining software, you’ll like the outliner mode better. It’s the same concept—taking a sweeping look at your text to see how it all goes together, rearranging the parts as needed.

Metadata, such as labels at statuses, can help you sort out a large body of work and see where everything stands.

Synopsis cards are not the only way to mark your text. Each document in your project can have a status (first draft, revised draft, done, etc.) as well as a label (concept, chapter, and more). Additionally, Scrivener has a keyword feature which lets you build up your own custom hierarchy of keywords—for example, all character names in your book, or even by the mood of the scene.

Combined, all of these attributes let you perform fine-grained searches: Find all the “second draft” scenes that have both Hodor and Bran that take place outdoors. That’s something you just can’t do with a bunch of text files in a folder.

Once you find a collection of documents (chapters, scenes), you can either read them one by one, or—cooler still—select them all and view them as one long stream of text, as if they were all a single document. This is a great way to zoom out again into the broader context of your book or manual. You can use this to read just one plotline consecutively, even if in your work it appears interweaved among other locations and happenings.

Scrivener’s full-screen composition mode is one way to focus on your text.

Of course, before you can slice and dice all of these scenes, they have to exist first. To have a book, you need to get some writing done. Scrivener’s built-in editor feels like a word processor. You can make text bold or italic, play with font sizes, and color individual words. If you’re used to working in a word processor, you’ll find this handy. For me, it was more of a distraction: I wish there was a way to completely switch off the rich text engine and end up with something that feels like WriteMonkey , a minimalistic writing environment that leaves you just with your words.

Scrivener is almost there. It already features robust support for MultiMarkdown, a writing syntax that lets you mark words as bold or italic, set out headlines, and make links without having to fiddle with any buttons. It also has a beautifully executed full-screen mode that blacks out everything else, leaving you with just your text…and the rich-text engine.

Comprehensive as it is, there are a few things Scrivener will not do for you. For one, it won’t check your grammar, unlike these other writing tools . When writing fiction, this is not a bad thing, but if your writing leans more towards the technical or business end of the spectrum, grammar- and usage-checking can make a difference.

Scrivener also won’t help you brainstorm your plot. That’s something developer Literature and Latte made into its own app, Scapple, which works as a freeform mindmapper that lets you jot down your ideas any which way, and then import them into Scrivener for fleshing out.

All in all, Scrivener is a writing powerhouse, but rather than make the prospect of writing a novel scarier, it makes it more approachable. The core concept—taking a big document and breaking it into manageable chunks—works. You won’t use everything Scrivener has to offer, and that’s a good thing. It has features to spare.

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Posted January 28, 2024 — 7:02 pm

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Scrivener for Law Review

I’m new to Scrivener and I’m trying it for my academic writing. I intend to use it mostly for law review articles. This means long papers, structured (divided into parts, sections, subsections), and in Bluebook format. I have been unable to find a template that is suitable for this. Would anyone here know were to find a template? More generally, would anyone have advice on using Scrivener for law review publications? Is Scrivener useful for this?

I saw some old posts on using Scrivener for law review publications, but they were mostly very old and few. Any advice would be very welcome.

I am not familiar with legal articles at all, so my contribution is as superficial as it can be. But I am familiar with Scrivener , and therefore I dare to say that it can be useful for legal articles. Because Scrivener is designed for writing long, structured texts.

Project Templates (script writing aside) are basically just combinations of folders and documents—and these are not strictly seperate entities like in a file system—with names. In a novel template a folder might be called “chapter”, in a legal article template it would be “part” or “section”.

What I mean is that you can create your own template, probably quite easily. (Of course, it would be nice if someone here had done this before and posted it here—let’s wait and see). The structure in the Binder is the structure of the article, that’s all.

Compiling, i.e. creating the output format to make the article look exactly as it should, admittedly has a learning curve. But once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll see the benefits. And if you need help, this forum is the place to go.

As for the Bluebook format—I had to look it up, of course—it is a citation format, if I understand it correctly. So it’s a job for a citation manager like Zotero , EndNote or Bookends . You need one that has the Bluebook format among its citation styles or allows you to create it. And it must work with Scrivener , seamlessly at best. Bookends (macOS and iOS/iPadOS only) does this, but I really can’t say whether it would be the best choice for legal articles.

Further to @suavito ’s sage comments about Scrivener with which I agree fully, like @suavito I am not familiar with Bluebook format. I use Zotero very occasionally.

However, via Google I found Boston College Law Library provides something for use with Zotero

Other law libraries might have something available.

Hi FUM24, and welcome to the forum.

My spouse is a part-time law student, so I’ve seen some of the Bluebooking questions up close. As suavito and rms note, there isn’t a template with Bluebooking requirements ready-made for Scrivener, from what I’ve found.

My recommendation is that you start with Scrivener’s blank project template and add documents for each part of your article as needed.

For citations, we have this wiki page on the forum that provides an overview of using Scrivener with reference software . That article will give you some insights into how different citation management tools might work.

From what I’ve seen on websites like this one from the U of Washington’s law school , only some reference management programs will support the Bluebooking formatting.

If I were choosing one from this list, I’d likely go with Endnotes since it’s available for both Windows and Mac. It’s the more expensive option, but your university might include access to it with the other software you can access with your student ID.

And, if you expect that the work you’re doing on this journal might carry over to summer internships or to your first few years as an associate or law clerk, having your references from this journal article in those roles could be useful.

You might also see if anyone on the journal is already using Scrivener and has tips for you. I’d really like to see it adopted more widely in law schools because I think it’s well suited to building exam prep outlines and writing the papers for those writing intensive classes the ABA requires.

Thank you very much @suavito , @RuthS , and rms for the incredibly useful comments. Yes, I need to figure out how to compile the document at the end to make the paper look roughly as I need. I wonder if I could use Scrivener first for a rough draft, and then move to Word for the rest (footnotes, finer revisions, etc.).

Thank you very much again for all the valuable advice!

Compile to DOCX and finish the document there. Track and Trace corrections can only be used in Word, but Comments will import back into Scrivener.

Like many others here, I’ve used Scrivener to write academic articles and monographs. You can use it for footnotes, etc. I only compile to Word when I need to share with readers/editors; otherwise everything is accomplished in Scrivener. I don’t use a reference manager as I do that by hand, but if you search the forums you’ll find tons of advice on Bookends/Endnote/Zotero/etc integration.

You can (and should!) use Scrivener for every step of the writing process, compiling to word when you need to give the formatting one last tidy up before you share/submit.

Don’t worry about templates. Dive in with a blank project, start by creating a new ‘document’ in your draft for each section that you write and you’ll soon figure it out. When you get stuck, check the tutorial or come back here for help.

Bookends permits creating your own citation template, usually by copying and editing one close to what you want. The Bookends owner (Sonny?) is VERY helpful with Bookends questions and possibly could create the citation template you need. Bookends is really nice with Scrivener.

Agree with @dspady . The site @RuthS gives a link to doesn’t include Bookends as that is Mac only. And yes, Jon of SonnySoftware is extremely helpful, so, as long as you know the details of the BlueBook citation formats, I’m sure he would help create one if it is possible.

I totally agree, the support for Bookends is amazing.

In my opinion, finding the right reference software is the key to writing in any field where references are mandatory. Whether I’m writing a long text in Scrivener , quoting from a printed book in my note-taking app Drafts on my iPhone, or in DEVONthink , my repository for everything, my own stuff and excerpts, PDFs, etc— Bookends is always there to help me reference properly.

So when I move an old snippet of text from a cobwebbed group deep in a DEVONthink database to my latest text in Scrivener , Bookends has it in its database and gives it the citation format I need.

However, I still recommend writing in Scrivener !

Starting with an empty project is a good idea. If you build it from scratch, you will learn a lot about the program.

But there is another way: Create an empty project. But then take a legal article that is as structured as possible. With parts, sections, subsections, subsubsections… And it should be in DOCX format.

Then import it into Scrivener’s draft folder. But not by dragging it, because that would copy it there in one piece. Instead use File/Import/Import and Split... and select the option Split using the document's outline structure .

If the imported DOCX file has real headings with levels and not just bigger fonts, you will get a structured binder. And that could be the starting point for your own legal article template.

Wow, this is fantastic! I just tried importing an article with proper headings and it worked perfectly. Scrivener divided it into different documents according to the relevant sections/headings. This is the template that I needed! It also gave me a view of how things should look like if I worked on them in Scrivener. So this is extremely helpful. Thank you very much!

Thank you, Kinsey! I will try to write a more polished version in Scrivener, then. One odd feature of US Law Review articles, which sets them apart from most academic writing, is the insane amount of footnotes in the paper (roughly 30-50% footnotes). I wonder if that makes a difference, since I feel footnoting is rather clunky in Scrivener, but I may be wrong on that. I will give it a go. Thanks for the advice!

Thank you everyone for the useful advice and guidance. Apologies for the multiple replies (I realized too late that I should have replied once, quoting the relevant posts. I’m learning to use the forum too…). Thank you!

@FUM24 Scrivener is fantastic. There is no doubt about that. But since you’re new to Scrivener, I’d like to point out something that sometimes gets forgotten, but can become important.

I don’t think you mentioned how many documents (and which RTF, PDF, web pages) you want in a project. Perhaps the only weakness of Scrivener is that the app cannot search large amounts of documents at a reasonable speed. Depending on the number and mix of documents, this becomes a problem for people who want to have everything in one project.

So if you have no problem, for example, splitting your research material into 3, 5 or even more projects … perfect. But if you expect to manage everything in one project, then you will have problems.

I actually find the footnoting to be superior in Scriv. I like that the anchor can be dragged to a new word and anchored there instead, as well as the ability to have the inspector show footnotes independently of what is being displayed in the editor (i.e., I can scroll down the editor and the inspector won’t automatically “follow”). It’s a very flexible tool.

Can I point out that, when @fto mentions search being a problem, his experience is apparently through having all his Scrivener material in a single project , hence his suggestion of splitting it up. He has been an outlier in the way he has been using Scrivener to date.

That said, I have found in the past that having a high number of Inspector footnotes or annotations can cause a slowdown in editing in Scrivenings mode, though that was a number of OS reiterations ago, so I have no recent experience of it,

And further to @Kinsey ’s post, I would say that if in Project → Project Settings -. Formatting, you set Use Footnote Marker set to whatever you find convenient (default is * but you can set it to [fn] or whatever), you can drag that footnote marker to a different location if you need to without worrying about anchoring it to a specific word.

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Scrivener Review. The best writing app for long-form writers. 4.5. Outstanding. ... Scrivener $59.99 at Literature & Latte. Scrivener. $59.99 at Literature & Latte. See It Table of Contents;
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However, for longer and more-involved projects, Scrivener's organizational tools, formatting, and writing interface can make the whole process easier and more enjoyable. Here are some top features to put to work on your next assignment. 1. Outlining Tools. Scrivener's built-in outlining tools are one of the most-loved features of the app.
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In this in-depth Scrivener 3 review, I show you why Scrivener is the best word processor for academic writing. Unlike Word, Scrivener 3 keeps all your research and writing in one place. ... Try or Buy Scrivener! Literature & Latte also has an extremely generous trial offer: you can download the software and use it for free for 30 days.
Scrivener 3 Review: Don't try it before you've read this!
Write shorter pieces (essays, short stories, poems, children's books) Need to collaborate easily, especially across multiple platforms. Reedsy rating: 4/5. - Originally published on Apr 26, 2019. In this review, Reedsy breaks down the top features of Scrivener 3 — the latest version of Literature and Latte's beloved writing app.
Scrivener Review: Worth it or Worthless? [Insider Opinion]
Scrivener is a popular choice of an alternate word processor created by Literature & Latte. The default option is usually Microsoft Word. The differences between the two are vast, making Scrivener far superior to the basic linear workings of Word. ... With that said, the consensus of this Scrivener review is that it's definitely worth it if ...
Scrivener Review 2020
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Scrivener. $45. Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Buy Now. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Scrivener Review: Read why serious writers love it!
Disclosure: I based this review on my long-term use of Scrivener 3 for macOS.Literature & Latte updated the Windows versions to provide features similar to the macOS version; however, I have not tested the Windows version. Note: I am not an affiliate of Literature & Latte, and this review is not a recommendation of the IOS version for iPad.
Scrivener 3: A Review
In their review of Scrivener 3, PC Magazine writes (rightly, in my opinion), "Scrivener is the best writing app for long-form writers because they built it with their needs in mind.". Make no mistake. Scrivener 3 is no small writing app. Literature and Latte, the company "founded by writers for writers," has produced a robust software.
Scrivener Review: Format, Outline, and Write Like a Pro
Despite this great variety in personal preference, I believe Scrivener is an ideal writing tool for most wordsmiths. Whether you're crafting the next Great American Novel, a feature-length film, or your doctoral thesis, it has features to simplify and streamline your work. I've been using Scrivener since 2012.
Scrivener Review: Why Writers Love This Book-Writing Software
Scrivener is a book-writing software program developed by a British teacher and aspiring writer, Keith Blount, who was frustrated by trying to keep all of his notes together. In fact, he was so frustrated that he learned how to code and create a software dedicated to helping writers get and stay organized. That was Scrivener 1.0 in 2007.
The New Scrivener 3.0
Scrivener 3 costs $45 for new customers. If you purchased an older version of Scrivener at a date later than August 20th 2017, Scrivener 3 is available as a free upgrade. If you purchased an older version of Scrivener prior to August 20th 2017, Scrivener is available for $25. Scrivener 3 is fully compatible with its iOS version.
Scrivener
Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all kinds, used every day by best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. Scrivener won't tell you how to write—it simply provides everything you need to start writing and keep writing. Available for.
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How to Use Zotero and Scrivener for Research-Driven Writing
Step 4: Import your quotations. Create a new folder in Scrivener with a name like "Quotations.". Next, from the File menu in Scrivener, choose Import…/Import and Split. In the file section window, navigate to the text file you just created with all your quotations.
Using Scrivener for PhD Thesis & Dissertations
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Scrivener Review: Is This Writing App Worth It in 2024?
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Scrivener Review
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The Thesis Whisperer
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Scrivener Review 2024 Is This Writing Software Worth It?
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Scrivener for Law Review
Hi! I'm new to Scrivener and I'm trying it for my academic writing. I intend to use it mostly for law review articles. This means long papers, structured (divided into parts, sections, subsections), and in Bluebook format. I have been unable to find a template that is suitable for this. Would anyone here know were to find a template? More generally, would anyone have advice on using ...
Research Guides: Research at NJAES : Literature Reviews
There are many different types of literature reviews from traditional literature reviews to rigorous systematic reviews. Each has its own methodology. Please review resources on this page and familiarize yourself with the task, commitment, and purpose of each before trying to decide on the type of review best fitting your research question.

Scrivener 3 Review: Don't try it before you've read this!

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