My favourite things about Scrivener
1. Navigation. You can see all your chapters, scenes, character & setting planning at one glance and switch between them very easily - compared to scrolling up and down in one long word processing document. Every file can also be a folder, so you can have collapsible items underneath it.
2. Word count targets. The “Project Targets” are particularly useful for NaNoWriMo so you don’t have to keep looking back at the website to see how you’re doing for the day, but more so outside of it, when you want to keep yourself working to a target but don’t have Nano’s charts and daily word counts. It also gives you a nice ding when you hit your session target.
3. How many pages? I only recently discovered this, but it’s very nice to be able to see in Project Statistics approximately how big your manuscript would be in pages without worrying about formatting.
4. Outlining. Scrivener has two methods of outlining - one is Corkboard, which is exactly what it sounds like, a digital corkboard with notes pinned on it that represent your chapters/scenes with their summaries. The screenshot above is called ‘outliner’ and lists collapsible chapters/scenes with various statistics you can select as shown in the tick menu. Generally I prefer Corkboard, but Outliner is useful if you just want to see everything in a clear order.
5. Full screen. I get distracted very easily when writing, so the full-screen writing mode is wonderful for me to avoid that - but you can still choose certain windows from the normal Scrivener view to show up. I have my targets and my summary, so I can stick to my plan when I’m writing and also see what progress I’m making.
6. Notes. No screenshot, but it’s a simple post-it note style box to the side of every document (chapter, scene, character etc.) that allows you to add notes. This may sound very simple, but it’s far more useful than I’d expected. During NaNoWriMo when I’m not meant to be editing at all, but I know something needs fixing, I will jot down something in the side like ‘Take out the horse’ so that when I go through again to edit I know exactly the things to focus on immediately but which would have taken too much time before. It’s linked to the scene so I don’t just have a pile of notes in one document at the end and then have to work out where it needs fixing.
Overall
I downloaded Scrivener for the first time two years ago, and now I can’t imagine working without it. It’s so nice to have the planning and the writing all combined into one place where I can easily switch between the two. I haven’t yet got as far in a novel created in Scrivener to use the compile features so I can’t comment on those, but so far all my experiences of it have been good.
One thing to note is that if transferring project between a Windows and a Mac version of Scrivener, it’s generally best to zip the file first.
[Screenshots from my current novel Kindling Ashes using the Mac version of Scrivener - some features may not be available in Windows yet.]
Made off of a random idea, which is like most of them. A tale of a space
...
"And so your first thought was to stick your arm into it?" Dr. Fel'o said, running the DNA scanner over the officer's glossy black arm.
"To be fair," Officer Dent said, "It was just my finger and it sort of crawled up from there."
The medbay of the intersteller ship had been quarantined due to Officer Dent's malady. The scanner beeped and an image was brought up on the monitor on the other side of Dent's bed.
"It crawled up?" Fel'o said walked around to inspect the monitor.
"Yeah, you know like the way frost covers a window when it gets cold out?" Dent said gesturing with his left hand. His right arm remained motionless.
The doctored made a non-commital sound, looking over the diagnosis. "Well, it might be a parasite. Or a fungus." He stroked his chin. "Does it hurt at all?"
Dent shook his head. "It tingles once in a while but it doesn't hurt." He looked down at his arm, "What's the verdict doc?"
Fel'o ran his finger across some intricate readout data and sighed, "As a surprise to no one, I'm sure, we have no data on this." He tapped a few components to start up a new file, "I would like to take a sample."
Dent cleared his throat, "You gonna," he hesitated at the word, "Amputate?"
"I am tempted. Seems like the simple solution." Said the doctor, picking up a handheld tool with a long blade. "But I would rather we didn't do that." He set the tool down, "This is usually the part where the hapless scientist gets eaten by the parasite monster trying to protect its host."
Dent frowned at his arm, "It seems harmless enough. Juda accidentally slammed it in the airlock and it didn't eat anyone."
Fel'o turned sharply, "Slammed it in the airlock? Like," He smacked his fist against his arm, "Bam."
Dent nodded and made the same motion, smacking his fist against the arm. It continued to be glossy.
The doctor looked back at the data readouts. "Then maybe." He stepped away from the monitor and paced around a little. "Okay, let's try something else." He walked to his desk and grabbed a smooth, silver ball. He clicked a few buttons on it and it started to hum. He clicked again and the humming stopped.
"We are going to see if vibrations do anything interesting." Fel'o put the ball into Dent's hand. When he let go, the ball fell to the floor.
"Sorry, the hand can be finicky." Dent shrugged.
Fel'o picked up the ball, "But you said you can still move your arm."
"It jerks around sometimes. Like, when Juda went to slap me for getting my arm stuck, it just sprung up." Dent said, poking his arm with his other hand.
"I see," said the doctor. He held the ball over Dent's hand, "Okay, this time I'll have you catch the ball."
Dent sighed, "I dunno if I'll catch it, but I'll try."
Fel'o nodded and just as he dropped the ball, he screamed. A sharp, quick scream that made Dent tense. His hand clenched around the ball as it fell.
"There we go," Fel'o said. "I better note that it responds to reflex stimuli." He walked back to the desk and scribbled his notes.
Dent relaxed his shoulders but tried to focus on keeping his fist flexed around the ball. The hand remained clenched. Fel'o came back wearing a heavy lead protector and a plexipolymer mask. "Alright, let's try some medical science." He tapped a button on a remote and the silver ball began to hum again. Dent screwed up his face and shivered.
"Now that is a strange sensation." He said.
"Does it hurt?" Fel'o asked.
Dent shook his head, "Not really. More tingles. But less of a 'bam' and more of a wave. Like, ocean wave stuff." He said.
Fel'o nodded and observed the arm. It was still glossy but there were ripples spreading across the surface. Then, the ripples began to bubble and small spines were rumbling up from the surface. Little mountain peaks pinpricked across the arm and rose upward.
"Remarkable, it's like a non-nutonian liquid." Fel'o said, shaking his head. "Incredible."
"I think so too, but it is also kind of unnerving." Dent said. "Since, you know, it is my arm."
"Oh right. Let's end here for now." Fel'o clicked his remote and the ball stopped humming. He returned to his desk to scan the mountain of data.
Liked something you wrote today.
Enjoyed writing whatever you wrote today.
Are eager to write the thing you’re supposed to write today.
Are proud to be a writer.
“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.
For those who like silly artists who also love martial arts. Give this one a looksee.
Hey budoka and fitness buddies! I’ve had several people in the community approach me about martial arts & fitness related drawings- it’s super fun for me to work on things like that, as it basically combines two of the things I love most in life! When i can I like to draw stuff on the fly and for free- but time is pretty short these days and so, incidentally, is money! I am opening several slots for commissions of that variety this week. Wanna see yourself as a badass anime character? Or maybe you just want one of your favourite characters giving you a little bit of motivation? I’m your Pants!
Interested? Cool, have a sample/price list: sketches/simple lineart-10$:
Chibi, flat colours with basic shading- 15$:
One shot/short comics. B&W- 25$:
single waist up, full colour- 25$ :
full shot, full colour- 30$ and up :
You’ll get a 300dpi version of the image and big sloppy thank you from yours truly ;D WHY PANTS WHY ARE YOU DOIN THIS???
I am heading out to a comic convention in the month of May. Trips like this are an out of pocket expense for me. As it would happen, I’ve also got a handful of karate clinics I need to attend as well. Needless to say, it’s gonna be a “tight on the budget” kinda month! I am hoping to acquire some of the necessary funding in this way. If you’re interested send me a message, and I will provide you with art to make you smile and get you amped up to work out!! Thanks for stopping by and, as usual, Happy Training!
A lost, lonely Templar on her way back to the garden after a disastrous mission. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to find her way back. She picks up a defective Haremhorn cast out from her herd because her horns and hair won’t stop growing.
A non-canon character insert set in Dan Kim’s “My Shut-in Vampire Princess Bride” comic world. His world-building is amazing, so it’s difficult to not see stories untold unfold in your mind. :3
Okay heads up for all Americans eligible to vote:
The Supreme Court just issues a ruling allowing Ohio and other states to purge voters from their election registration rolls due to their failure to cast a ballot in previous elections.
This is a major victory for the Trump administration and the GOP, and a direct consequence of the Supreme Court being stacked with more conservative judges (the votes were 5-4). This is also a huge part of what Trump/the GOP were counting on to save them in the 2018 midterm elections, which is where Democrats have been hoping to take back a majority in the House, giving them more power to combat Trump’s abuses of power and Republican legislation.
What this means is YOU CAN NOT ASSUME THAT YOU ARE REGISTERED for the 2018 elections, just because you SHOULD be. Thanks to this decision, red states can purge voters’ registration based on their not having cast a ballot in even just previous federal elections, NOT just the national Presidential elections. Effectively, if you haven’t voted in previous senate races or for congressional representatives in the past few years, that’s all they need now to say you’re no longer registered and need to register again.
They’re deliberately counting on people assuming they’re still registered and so not checking until after registration deadlines have passed, or showing up to vote this November and only then finding out they’re no longer registered, when its too late to do a damn thing about it.
And this is absolutely targeted at marginalized communities, low income voters, disabled voters, and basically anyone who simply can’t always AFFORD to keep on top of every federal election and show up to vote in every senate race, etc. Which not so coincidentally happen to be all the communities and voters who have the most to gain from Democratic victories in the 2018 midterms and are the least likely to cast votes for GOP candidates at this point.
This was absolutely a calculated effort aimed specifically at keeping the GOP in power with a majority control of the government come November, and unfortunately, it has a DAMN good chance of accomplishing just that if it goes by unacknowledged. I’m not looking to alarm or panic anyone, simply to say:
If you are a registered voter in a red state at this point, please please please do not take your registered status as assumed. Check on your registration status, look up all relevant voter registration deadlines for your state and district, CIRCLE THAT SHIT ON YOUR CALENDAR, and check your registration status AGAIN right before those deadlines pass, so you can be sure of it before its too late to do anything about it til the next voting cycle.
I do a lot of writing when I am bored at work. Here is one of the quick world-building stories I coughed up one day. Characters I used to play in DnD come together to have a Tavern AU together. Enjoy.
_____
The seedy backstreets of Fwanze are lined with the most bizarre delights and sins that a person could concoct. The gruel and garbage of the city circles the drain and floats down the gutters to the bars and brothels where the regal and a rascal join together to drink bad beer and ogle beautiful young things.
Among these respected and resented establishments, there are a few that stand moderately above the rest. Mainly because they have managed to survive the slurry of puritanical threats coming down from the purging authorities. At the east end, Madam Thorax’s Sinful Dreams will delight any and all who might want a delight for a premium price. To the south, Lucky Legend Land (the Ls are upside-down 7s) will grant you the games of chance you could only dream of in your wildest nightmares. The devil went down to LuLeLa. And to the lawless west, nestled between the grit and thunder of the factories, you have the humble tavern The Hydra’s Head. Newcomers will learn quickly that this place has survived so long thanks to customer loyalty strong community, plus the hydra’s curse threatens if the tavern falls, two more will sprout in its place.
Let’s take a look into this tavern.
Step through the heavy oaken door on any given night and be welcomed to the smell of grilling meat and the sound of laughter. Laborers, traders, and even a few off-duty authorities will be seen sharing a drink and the signature meat pie or steak sandwich. Regular swear by the tender and seasoned meat, but the chef, a burly gentleman, refuses to reveal his recipe or even what animal it comes from. “Old family recipe, da?” He would say, before slamming his butcher’s knife through a thick slab of marbled meat.
As you belly up to the bar to pick up your order of vittles, you will likely see the dazzling stock of liquors and the barrels of artisan brews. It can be overwhelming at first, but thankfully, you have a helpful guide to give you a good idea of what will satisfy. The quick and clever bartender has what you are looking for. Even going so far as to say that he is, “The greatest bartender the world has ever known!” Just be sure to not to stiff him on a tip, you might find yourself short on any shiny valuables you weren’t actively protecting.
And if you are so crass as to try and cause some kind of trouble in this fine establishment, you will likely be forced to contend with the massive bouncer of the Hydra’s Head tavern. Towering over most people, they have a rather calm demeanor and attempt to placate matters peacefully first. But he is known to challenge rowdy guests to duels before beating them senseless and taking their belts. A strange habit.
So if you are finishing your day’s work in the mines, at the factory, or just trying to survive the crowds at the market, you can find rest, respite, and a fine meal waiting for you at the Hydra’s Head Tavern.
Another round of thugly antics. Again, check out Puckarooni for her Pokemon Superhero AU. Cool jams, friendos.
Alolan Joe - Alolan Ratata Leader and self proclaimed mousestache afficianado
Ben - Spearow Brawn of the group of Bachelor of Thuganomics
Zach - Zigzagoon Dunno what he’s doing, but he’s doing it well
Sherman - Sentret Newbie, but he makes up for it with heart
~~~~~
Zach handed the sturdy box to Ben, who nodded and set it in the center of the table in the backroom of the Thrifty. He crammed the edge of the crowbar under the lip of the metal lid.
“Alright, you got it, Sherbet?” Ben said to Sherman, who took hold of the bottom of the box.
“Sherbet?” Sherman said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Said Ben, inclining his head down. “You. Got. It?” He held a stern face.
“Uh,” Sherman adjusted his grip and help tight. “Yeah, I got it, Be–uh. Bu…,” He looked around the thrifty and his eyes settled on a row of candies. “Bu–ttercup?” He looked back to Ben.
Zach snorted from the couch he had plopped down on. Ben shook his head, “You got a lot to learn, rookie.” He squared his shoulders, “Just, hold onto the damn thing.”
“Yes sir,” Said Sherman, his punctured ego dedicating itself to his task.
Ben worked at the crowbar, prying a little more of the lid back and setting the crowbar deeper. Once he was satisfied, he gave the crowbar a swift jerk that popped the edge of the lid off. The shrapnel flew across the room. Joe stepped into the doorway with impeccable timing.
“Gentlemen, I- Gah!” Joe squeaked as he narrowly missed the chunk of metal box that zipped past him.
“Oh, I see now. So it has come to this,” Joe straightened up and put up his fists. “Mutiny. I knew this day would come. But you’ll have to best me in combat, fiends. Come on then, let’s do this!” Joe began to hop around, waving his fists in front of him.
Sherman popped up, “Whoa wait! It was an accident, Boss. We were just trying to–”
“Finally,” Ben said, shouldering his crowbar, “Been waiting for a chance to knock that cheesy smirk off your face.”
Ben charged at Joe, swinging the crowbar down towards Joe’s head. In a flash, Joe brought up his hands to catch the blow, the two locked eyes and grit their teeth.
“Oh, Heck Yeah!” Sherman said, eyes sparkling. He scurried over to the couch and hopped into the spot next to Zach. “This is gonna be epic. Don’t you think?”
Zach shrugged, “Maybe.”
Joe and Ben tussled for a bit. They wrestled and rolled and tumbled, finishing with Joe having taken the crowbar from Ben.
Joe pointed the crowbar at Ben, who crouched on the ground catching his breath.
“Will you yield?” Joe said.
“Yeah yeah,” Ben said, bruised ego kinda killing the mood. “I will honor the code of the thug and serve your blah blah blah.”
“Perfect,” Joe said and tossed the crowbar back to him. “Whew, almost got me that time.”
Ben caught the crowbar and stood up, “Oh blow me sideways, bristles. You hold back every time.” He scoffed out his nose and went back to the table. “Hey, Sherbet, we opening this thing or what?”
Sherman, stars in his eyes got up from the couch, “You guys are so cool. Like, when you were like, ‘Whapam! Take that’ but then Joe just did that thing where he, you know, just ‘Whoosh, bam!’ and you went flying and…” He flailed his arms. Zach leaned away to allow Sherman room to embellish.
“That’s enough, Sherman.” Joe said, “What are you opening anyway?”
“Dunno, Zach found it in the junkyard and couldn’t open it.” Sherman said “He even did his–” He wiggled his fingers and flip flopped his wrists. “Stuff.”
Zach also wiggled his fingers and then shrugged.
Joe stroked his ‘stache, “A rather tricky treasure trove, it would–” He paused, “t-uh, tantamount to tremendous tantalizing trophies for this team.” He smiled at his cleverness.
Ben scoffed, “You are such a dork.” He glared at Sherman. “Come on, hold this sucker down before I use this crowbar to vent all that hot air in your head.”
Sherman hustled over and gripped the box again. Ben got the edge into the lid again and gave it a adrenaline-fueled push. The lid peeled back like a tuna can and revealed the contents within. Ben tossed the crowbar aside as they all gathered to peek inside the box.
“Oh,” Said Zach with a neutral voice.
“Whoa,” Said Sherman with a hint of wonder.
“Hmm,” Murmured Joe, contemplating.
“Oh, goodie. More junk.” Ben said, his shoulders slumping down.
“What? This isn’t junk,” Sherman reached inside and pulled out a handful of the contents. Play cards. A bunch of them, haphazardly scattered inside the box. They had colorful pictures of monsters on one side and a big logo plastered on the other. “Don’t you remember Pouch Gremlins? For the Game Lad?”
Joe snapped his fingers, “Ha, I knew they looked familiar.” He took a few of the cards out of the box. “I used to play a shared copy of Powgrem with my brothers and sisters way back when.” He started flipping through the cards. Zach also began to dig through the contents of the box.
“Feh,” Ben said looking over the couple that Sherman had fished out, “That baby game about little kids making friends with super powered monsters and battling them. All the designs looked so lame.” His sharp eyes landed on a shiny card in Sherman’s hand, he snatched it and nodded. “Except this guy. He was awesome.”
Joe and Sherman looked at the card. Sherman smiled, “Oh yeah, Psycat. The legendary survivor of psychic experiments. The lore said that he was a loner Powgrem who killed off his old master. Pretty dark stuff.”
“Yeah, super edgy and took no shit. I liked him.” Ben said.
“My favorite was the one you could start out with, Grassasaurus Rex!” Sherman said, pulling out the relevant card, “His solar cannon attack was unbeatable!” He looked to Joe, “Oh, who was your favorite, Joe?”
Joe dug into the box and nodded, pulling out another shiny card, “This one.” He held it up, “The trickmaster, Ghostgar.” He laughed, “When I would play against my siblings, they would actually ban me from using him cause he was too good.”
“How about you, Zach?” Sherman asked, “Did you have a favorite?”
Zach was organizing the cards by color and rarity. Without looking up from his work, he muttered, “Yup.”
Joe chuckled. Sherman pressed on, “Such as…?”
Zach paused, looked over the stacks of cards before grabbing out a fairly common looking card and holding it up. “This guy.”
“Oh,” Sherman said, a little disappointed, “I guess Joltling is pretty popular.” He looked back to Joe, “I mean, it was the mascot of the series.”
Joe nodded and regarded the box again. “Hmm…what do you suppose these were doing in such a secure box?”
Ben scoffed, “Loser probably wanted to hide his shame when he moved on to something better.” He was gathering up all the copies of Psycat and silently judging the edginess of each one.
Sherman looked at the box, “Maybe they were special and he wanted to keep them safe?”
Zach finished sorting and stacking and said, “Resale.”
Joe, Ben and Sherman all looked up, struck by the idea.
Joe caught it first. “How much do you think these cards are worth?”
Ben smirked, “I hear things get more valuable over time, if you collect enough.”
“And look at all of these shinies.” Said Sherman, “They’ve gotta be worth a fortune.”
“Zach, gather up those little treasures,” Joe said, stroking his mouse-stache, “We’re headed to town!”
Ben and Sherman cheered, Zach packed the cards away.
“Gentlemen,” Joe said, “Let’s go make some money.”
…
“50 bucks?” Ben said incredulously. “Are you serious?”
He leaned over the counter of the hobby shop, making the cashier back away slightly. From behind the counter, he gave his big, friendly, Snorlax smile, “Yup, 100 even. Pretty—impressive collection, though.” He said through a yawn. “So, will that be cash or store credit?”
Joe managed to pry Ben away from the counter. “Uh, excuse my friend here. I am pretty certain there were quite a number of rare cards in there. Surely they would fetch a handsome price?”
The cashier shrugged, “Maybe a bit ago, but not anymore.” He turned in his swivel chair and grabbed another box of cards. “Everyone’s moved on to Data Goblins.” He showed them the box. Though the designs were slightly different, it seemed like the exact same game. “People just aren’t buying Powgrem anymore.” He set the box back, “So, 50.” He smiled again.
Ben wrestled out of Joe’s grip and got uncomfortably close to the cashier. “Listen, tubby, how about you grease these pockets before I grease up your face?”
The cashier held his smile and opened one of his eyes just enough to glare at Ben. The sight sent a chill down the young thug’s spine. “Fifty. Dollars. Even.”
…
Ben and Joe shuffled out of the hobby shop.
“Hey guys,” Sherman said, hustling up to them. “How’d it go?”
Joe looked at Ben, who scoffed, “Waste of time.” He looked away and folded his arms.
Zach and Sherman looked at Joe. Joe pulled the 50 dollars out of his pocket.
“Oh,” Said Sherman. Zach gave a resigned shake of the head.
“Well, you win some, you lose some.” Joe said. “But I still think 50 dollars for free is a win.” He smiled.
Sherman nodded, “Still, it would have been nice to at least keep–”
Zach zipped around in front of him and held up the Grassasaurus Rex card. “Here.”
Sherman lit up and took the card, “No way, you held onto my favorite. You’re the best.”
Zach shrugged and walked around to the other two members and held up their favorite cards.
“You sly devil,” Joe said, taking the card and slipping it into his pocket. “Should have known.”
Ben snatched his card, “What the heck? Isn’t this thing super rare? We might have gotten more cash for this.” He glared at Zach, who returned with an indifferent quirk of the eyebrow.
Joe nudged him, “You’re welcome to head back inside to trade it in.”
Ben looked back at the shop, then down to his Psycat. “Yeah, never mind. Psycat is too cool for that.” He also tucked the card into his pocket.
Zach also tucked a card into his pocket. The picture looked like a Joltling, but was a little off. It appeared as though it was merely wearing a Joltling costume…
Solidarity
if you are 13 and there is a 17/18 year old showing interest in you: please run away and never look back. i understand that you feel special; that older person will tell you how mature you are and make you feel special. but please. run away from that person. stay away from them. they do not love you. an 18 year old should not have ANY interest in a 13 year old. please. please be safe. please do not let them manipulate you. they are dangerous. stay away from them