Tool Thursday: Scrivener

Organizing your manuscript can feel like herding sheep in a storm. Enter Scrivener, a powerful writing tool that’s been my go-to for crafting novels for the last ten years.

Scrivener’s strength lies in its flexibility. Unlike Word’s linear format, Scrivener lets you break your manuscript into manageable chunks—chapters, scenes, or even character arcs. Create a folder for each book section, like “Redemption Arc” for your protagonist’s faith journey. Use the corkboard view to rearrange scenes visually, ensuring your story’s spiritual themes flow naturally. Having the book laid out like notecards helps me plot and see where there are holes in my story.

The research folder is a gem for writers of any genre. I throw in websites, photos, documents. It’s all right there without having to leave my current work in progress – thus eliminating distractions of that great big world wide web. You don’t have to keep a specific format – just copy and paste and save. Easy peasy.

Scrivener’s templates help with planning. I use the character sketch and put a photo of my character and any important information I need to remember. I name each of the character files by the character’s last name then first name so that they’re in alphabetical order in the file directory. I try to make one for every named character so that I don’t double-name people (I’m so bad with names!) and in case I want to pull a character out and give him or her their own story.

The split-screen feature lets you write while viewing your research, which is brilliant when you need ti right at your fingertips.

The project targets tool tracks your word count, motivating you to hit daily goals. I set up my writing days for the week then put in the final desired word count and the deadline. Every day, there is a minimum number of words I need to write each day to meet my deadline.

Plus, Scrivener compiles your manuscript into eBook or print formats.

It is a wonderful tool.

When I first got Scrivener, I was intimidated by everything it did and didn’t use it for several months. Finally, I watched a video on how to use it, and halfway through the video, I realized I absolutely could use it! I wasn’t intimidated after that.

If you are going to try Scrivener, only download it from the Literature and Latte website at this link:

Here is a video about Scrivener that the developers put together: