Architectural Technologist - Scrivener Writing tools

I have tried many different writing tools, from word, to just plain old text editors like elements on the iPad, so when I decided to write a little more seriously, I started to look about to see just what professional writers use, and apart from the usual word, addicts, a program available on the Mac and PC has shone way ahead, it's called Scrivener, and one of the first highlights was or is it's ability to save, that call it compile to kindle, straight ePub and a lot more, including word.

Another feature that I like and it takes some getting used to, is the way you can section out the writing into chunks, each separate from the others or if you want shown together.

Research material is also kept within the document, and by that I mean all research material, from links to scripts to text, to photos, if its a book your writing then even the characters are within the research notes.

I am half way through my CPD book, I have made the first draft, and now it's about correcting the spelling, and adding content, I have tried an initial compile to kindle and it works a treat, so we press ahead, pity, it has no iPad app yet but they promise one in the near future, so I have saved the main Scrivener file into Dropbox for that time.

I like writing, it's a very relaxing, way of transmitting ideas and thoughts, but sometimes I just need to doodle, that is type from my head, adding small sentences or longer and seeing where they go, sometimes no where, but so often it all begins to make sense. Before I had folders full of small text files, almost impossible to see what and when I wrote them, without opening them up, Evernote is my way of keeping these thoughts together for ease of use, the tags make finding it so easy, and now with Scrivener I can pull relevant text into the research fold so easily.

I can't claim any CPD on this, but word is not the way forward with main stram writing, it's blotted, and so often difficult to work with, so Scrivener for me takes the best of word and adds some better tools and ways of working.

The video below is the “what's it all about” video from YouTube, there are plenty of people adding little videos on the various ways of working with Scrivener, always a good sign.