Building on the idea to include writing and editing support within my Scrivener project, I’ve found a very nice proofreading guide thanks to Indiana University. By saving it as a web archive file, I was able to easily incorporate it into the Style Guide section of my project. For more information on web archive files – and how to use them in Scrivener – see Setting Up a Scrivener Project.
Other sources for proofreading and editing checklists include:
I find the beginning of a writing project a difficult and intimidating time. I have an idea and possibly a few notes – maybe even a rough outline – but there’s still so much to consider before I write the first paragraph. Starting your first project in Scrivener can be rather intimidating too, but hopefully this post will show you how the app can quickly become your friend and make those early stages of a writing project easier and more focused.
Here’s a look at a writing project that’s just getting started. Looking at the contents of the Binder in the left sidebar you see there are a number of folders set up with different icons chosen to help define their purpose. You’ll also notice there are only a few text items included at this point and these are mostly generic content. Let’s go through what you see here and why they are included.
You’re looking at the “How to Use This Guide” text element located as the first element in the Draft folder. The Draft folder is where the actual contents of the book resides. Right now it contains just a few things – most of them boilerplate text. As you can see, the Front Matter folder holds the copyright, fine print and other legal requirements for this book. Other than a few things like book title and copyright date, this stuff won’t change much from one project to the next. You’ll also notice that I’ve got my text set to a rather large font. I’ve already set up the formatting within the manuscript so it’s easy for me to read while I work. This won’t affect the look of the published book, but it will sure make writing and editing easier on my eyes.
Below the contents of the Draft folder is another folder called Research. This is where I’m going to stash all the notes, screenshots, web archives and other information I’ll need to reference while I’m working on this project. Right now the only thing in there is a blank text item called Useful Links. I’ll soon have this loaded down with URLs to online sources related to this project.
Trash is where I drag and drop folders and text items I no longer need. Those things are not actually deleted until you manually empty the trash.
The Graphics folder has sub-folders to hold the image files for both my book’s cover as well as any graphics to be included in the guide.
Style Guide is used to build a quick reference for grammar and style issues. Right now you can see that I’ve imported the word list file from Yahoo’s online style guide. Why this word list? Because most of my books discuss tech and online topics and this word list supports those terms and phrases. I can easily add to this word list or include notes and grammar references at any time.
How did this word list get added to my project? I downloaded the list from Yahoo, then clicked on the Style Guide icon in the Binder and chose File > Import > Files and selected the file I wanted to import.
Notes is empty right now but will soon be full of reminders, notes, imported files and web archives. There could well be several sub-folders added within Notes to keep things organized as my research items grow. The goal is to have all the reference material I’ll need while I’m writing within easy reach inside Scrivener so I don’t waste time trying to find it.
I’m a big fan of outlines and I keep outline apps on both my iPad and phone to jot down something before I forget it. I can easily export those files and include them in my Scrivener research. I keep an Outline folder in my project so I have a place for them when I want them.
Because I plan to write several guides, I’ve saved this basic setup as a template. That way I don’t have to recreate these same generic elements with each project. Once I’ve got the basic setup the way I like it, I save it as a template (File > Save as Template …). Next I’m asked which category to save it under – I chose Non-Fiction – and to give it a title. Now, when I’m ready to start a new guide all I do is choose File > New Project and select my template from the appropriate category.
One Scrivener feature I’ve found quite useful is the ability to include Web Archive files in my research folders. The Safari browser [Mac & Win - free] lets you save all or part of a displayed web page as an archive. The result is very similar to a screenshot except that the links included on the page will work. It is important to note that a web archive doesn’t always capture all the contents. It does have problems with content displayed within an iFrame – like the census pages displayed on Ancestry. If you want to include one of these views in your Scrivener project, it’s best to download the page as a graphic then bring that into your research folders.
Here’s what my Wikipedia article looks like in Scrivener. I can use the links within the Contents box to move to specific content within the article and the external links will open in my default web browser. The difference is this information is now easily accessible from within my current writing project.
With the essentials already waiting for me in my Scrivener template, I’m ready to concentrate on building my writing project. In this example, you see my Binder is beginning to fill out with more research items and a number of topics to be discussed within the manuscript. I’m still in the research and organization phase of my writing project but I’m getting focused and can concentrate on the what I want in this guide and how to organize it. Of course things will change frequently as the project progresses. The published guide will bear little resemblance to what you see here, but Scrivener will continue to help me manipulate my manuscript until I have it just the way I want it.
Since I spend a lot of time in Scrivener working on writing projects, I want to make it as comfortable as possible. For me that means large fonts that are easy on these old eyes. Fortunately, the only formatting options that can’t be overridden in the compile process are bold, italics and underlines. That means I can set font styles and sizes in the workspace that make it easy for me to see what I’m doing but have the final product set in more platform-appropriate type. I’m loving that!
If you’re like me, you probably won’t even think about doing something like this until you’re well into a Scrivener project. In my case, I recently imported my first book, The Future of Memories, as a Scrivener project so I can bring it up to date. It came in with all the fonts, styles and colors used in the PDF edition of the book so now I want something that’s easier to work on. I’m doing a review to define which areas of the book need more information/updated information/new content so updating the format has been included in the review process. Here’s how it works.
Once I’ve got a text element set up with the font, size, line spacing and other formatting preferences I want, I select it and choose the Format > Formatting > Redefine Preset From Selection command, then choose the element I want to redefine. In this example, I had body text selected so I would chose Redefine Body. I would do the same for block quotes, headings and sub-headings within the draft. Notice there’s also an option for setting up new presets – like maybe a caption or something similar.
Once everything’s the way I want it, I can then make them your default presets so every new project will be set up just like this one. To do that, I go to the Scrivener Preferences panel (Scrivener > Preferences), choose the Formatting button then click the Use Formatting in Current Editor button.
Now, whenever I need one of these formatting presets, I’ll select the text to be formatted, click on the Presets button in the toolbar and choose the preset I want. It works for me.
Users who purchased Scrivener directly from Literature & Latte should see an update notice when they open the app. If you purchased your version through the Mac App Store, you’ll have to wait a couple of days for it to be approved and posted. Here’s the information being sent to Scrivener’s Mac users:
Scrivener 2.4 adds numerous refinements, is fully Retina Display compatible, and includes many bug-fixes. It is a free update for all registered users of Scrivener 2, and we recommend that you update from whatever version of Scrivener you are using. Updates and fixes include:
- Scrivener is now fully Retina Display compatible (every icon and graphic has been recreated at twice the size to take full advantage of the Retina display).
- Added support for Regular Expressions in all find and replace features (Lion and above only).
- Many improvements and additions to Compile.
- Added full support for the Fountain screenplay syntax (http://fountain.io) to Import, Import and Split, Export, Compile and External Folder Sync.
- Added drag-and-drop support for Scapple notes (Scapple is our upcoming freeform mind-mapping-type app – please see http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=42 ).
- The Scratch Pad can now be set up to use plain text, making it easy to sync scratch pad notes with iOS apps.
- Inspector comments and footnotes can now be zoomed with the text.
- Updated MultiMarkdown package to 3.7.
- Improved e-book export, in particular to accommodate Amazon’s stricter Kindle formatting rules and to avoid iTunes Producer rejecting certain EPUB files.
- Fixed critical bug whereby Scrivener could stop saving documents that were part of a scrivenings session that had been open for more than two days.
- Over 100 other refinements and bug fixes.
You can find a full list of changes here:
One of the many useful tools Scrivener offers is the split pane view. It allows you to open a second pane below or beside the text item you are currently writing or editing. There are many uses for this feature – from referring to another part of your manuscript to maintain consistency to opening a scanned family document for transcription. And, for those who use the Safari browser [Mac & Win - free], it can be used to create a web archive file like the one you see in the example below.
Split panes showing a WebArchive file in the lower pane. (Click image for larger view.)
Creating split panes is quite simple. Choose View > Layout > Split Horizontally to create the example you see above. The View > Layout > Split Vertically displays the panes side-by-side. When I am ready to return to a single editing pane choose View > Layout > No Split. I can display just about anything in either pane. In this example there’s a text element from the manuscript in the top pane and a web archive file in the bottom pane. The web archive is from a blog site I’m discussing in the text and it’s there so I can see it while I’m writing about it. The web archive file is located in the Research section of this project’s Binder and I just dragged the file to the pane’s title bar (highlighted in blue) to display it in that pane.
So, what exactly is a web archive and why bother with it?
A web archive file is created using the Safari browser. When I save a displayed web page as a web archive file, it saves the entire page including all images and hyperlinks. The hyperlinks will remain functional as long as the destinations for those links still exist. Why not just use a screenshot? Screenshots generally only capture what is currently visible on the screen whereas a web archive captures the entire web page. And, it’s just as easy to capture a web archive file as it is to capture a screenshot – I just save the page as a web archive. Want to capture an entire article in Wikipedia? I can do it with a web archive file.
To add web archive files to a Scrivener project, I just drag and drop the file into the appropriate folder within my Research section of the project. Remember . . . only text can go into the Draft/Manuscript sections.
On Mac systems, the default application for displaying a web archive file is the Safari browser, but in addition to Scrivener, I can also view web archives in my Footnote, MacJournal, Notebooks and Paperless apps. Since web archives are an Apple feature, I doubt that there are many Windows apps supporting the format. While Safari’s web archive feature isn’t the ideal solution for capturing the contents of a web page, it’s still one of the best options we have. And, for people like me who spend most of their online time in the Safari browser, it’s one of the easiest ways to capture the page. Even if you’re not working in Scrivener, there are still a lot of ways to put a web archive file to good use.
There is an iPad version of Scrivener in the works, but it looks like it will be a while before we see it. Until we do, here are your options for working on your writing project when you’re away from your desk. One caution . . . always backup your project before exporting or importing.
As you see here, there is a Sync command located under the File menu. In this example, I’m synching my project to Simplenote. The Simplenote [iOS - free and $20/year] service is a cloud-based notebook and offers both a free and premium service with a very nice iPad app. When you sync all or part of your project to Simplenote, it exports the manuscript items as text files which you can then edit online or in the Simplenote app.
In this case the use of the word “sync” as a Scrivener command is a bit misleading. You don’t just sync to Simplenote, make some edits then sync back to Scrivener. Once you’ve finished editing on your mobile device, you’ll need to import that text file back into Scrivener.
One of my favorite iPad text editors is Elements for Dropbox [iOS - $4.99] because of its support for markdown. [For more information on markdown, see Markdown - an archival standard for digital documents?] It can also be used to edit your project on the go. In this case, you will “sync” your Scrivener project with an external folder – only this folder will be the Elements folder within your virtual Dropbox folder. Once again, those updated text files will need to be imported back to Scrivener.
While Simplenote offers more options for editing whenever and wherever using either a mobile app or the platform’s Web interface, I find the importing effort more straightforward when pulling in files from a Dropbox folder. That being said, I have no problem taking advantage of whichever option is available in any given situation.
If you are like me and find outlines useful to help plan and organize projects, the Cloud Outliner app [iOS - $4.99 and Mac - $9.99] could be quite useful. There’s also a Lite version of the iOS app if you’d like to take a test drive first. This app supports OPML (Outline Processing Markup Language) a format standard for outlines. Scrivener supports importing OPML files. I’ve gotten into the habit of creating a folder in my Binder just to keep the outlines (yes, plural) I create for a project. It’s part of the “working” files – not part of the manuscript itself.
In the example below, you see a scene from my Future of Memories (FoM) project that has been exported to my iPad using Simplenote.
Scrivener scenes exported to Simplenote.
Here’s an example of the same scene as it appears in the Elements app.
A scene displayed using Elements for Dropbox.
And an outline in my Cloud Outliner app.
Cloud Outliner on iPad.
To import this outline into a Scrivener project, I first used the Cloud Outliner app’s File > Export command to export the selected outline to an OPML file. In Scrivener, I select the Outlines item in the Binder and then use Scrivener’s File > Import > Files command to import the OPML file I just created. As you can see below, the file is delivered to Scrivener with all the outline levels of the original file.
OPML outline file imported to Scrivener.
I don’t attempt to export an entire project to my iPad, but having a section with me at an given time, gives me something to work on when I have a few minutes. Like many others, I look forward to the day I can carry a mobile version of Scrivener with me but until then, I’m make do with what I’ve got. The iPad apps discussed here have uses other than just their Scrivener capabilities and are put to use for many purposes so they were already part of my mobile workspace.
Scrivener [Mac - $45.00 & Win - $40.00] is a great app for any family history writing project. With Scrivener, you have everything you need – from research to writing tools – all organized in one place. This article looks at some options for setting up a family history writing project.
Scrivener Workspace
What you see here is the basic Scrivener workspace you’ll see when you create a new project. The only thing I’ve done so far is set up the Binder (the stuff you see in the left sidebar) with the basic items I’ll need in this project. This particular project was set up for my Barker family. I know I have material for two books on this family, but hope to do two more at some point. Since much of the research and resources I’ve collected will be needed for each book, it only makes sense to put each of these books into one project.
Let’s take a close look at the Binder. This is where you organize all the different components of your project. There are two basic kinds of items used within the Binder – folders and files – but as you’re about to see they can serve many purposes. Scrivener offers a number of icons to help you see at a glance how each item fits into the project. This project was created using the generic Novel template. Once I’ve set up this project to suit my workflow, I’ll save it as a custom template so the next family writing project will be even easier to set up.
At the top of the Binder is the Manuscript item. This is a folder that contains the content of my writing project. Other templates may call it “Draft” instead of “Manuscript” and I can call it “Fred” if that’s what suits me, but this is the area where the content of my book will reside. In this example, I have several folders inside the Manuscript folder. I can set up folders for each chapter or section within my book or I can do like I have done here and create folders for each book I expect to write for my Barker family.
Notice the difference in icons between each of these folders. Each of my planned books has a book icon while the newest folder displays the generic folder icon. Scrivener has all kinds of icons to make it easy to see the purpose of any element in my project. The Citations, Notes and Style Guide each use a different colored notebook icon while the Research folder has an open book icon. Right now everything you see in the Binder is a folder – except the Word List item under the Style Guide folder. That is a text file. At this point in my set up, it’s the only text file in the project.
While the Manuscript folder – and the book folders inside it – will be the content of the books I plan to write, the items below are for things that will support my writing efforts across all the books in this project.
Since the research, notes and even some of the content included in this project will be used in each book, it makes sense to keep it all in one project. When you get to the compilation phase of your project – the step that converts your manuscript into a finished book or ebook – you’ll decide just what content is included in the compilation. More on that in future articles.
First, a look at the terminology surrounding the Binder. First there’s the item. It’s a generic term for any file or folder included in the Binder regardless of its use. Next is the document. Officially, it’s any item containing text, but documents can also be empty – temporarily or as a place holder. Documents can also be word-processing or rich text files imported into the project. A folder contains documents and even other folders. A folder can also contain text such as a chapter title. Documents can be nested together as a stack or file group.
You can easily add folders and documents to the Binder by right-clicking in the Binder area and choosing the Add option. You’ve seen how you can nest folders within folders, but you can also nest documents as stacks. One of the very nice things about Scrivener is its ability to reorganize content items quickly and easily. All you do is drag the documents and/or folders from one location to another within the binder.
In the popup menu shown here, you’ll also notice you can duplicate and move items. Mostly this is used to reorganize the flow of a manuscript, but it could also be used to copy an excerpt from one of the book projects to become a preview teaser at the end of another book.
Once your book is finished, don’t delete the Scrivener project. As we all know, there will always be new research and new things to add to your family history. By keeping the project, all you’ll have to do is update it with the new information and recompile it.
Coming up next . . . Organizing Your Book
Scrivener [Mac - $45.00 & Windows - $40.00] creates a complete work area to plan, organize, write, edit and publish. One important part of the writing/editing process is maintaining consistency with the formats, words and terms used. Writers are encouraged to develop a style guide as a reference to insure consistency. Since you’ll be referring to it frequently while you’re working, doesn’t it make sense to build it inside your Scrivener project?
Scrivener project showing style guide section and notes.
In this example, you see a section titled Style Guide in the left sidebar (the Binder) with several notes containing style information. A portion of the Word List note is visible in the work area. Having this inside the project makes it easy for me to check on the correct use of the words and terms I use within my manuscript. I’ve also created a note to define how I want to format things like dates or tables. And, since these are standards I will use in any writing project, I can save this information in a template and have it all set up for me when I create my next writing project in Scrivener.
Scrivener is an amazing tool for any major writing project. This is just one of many reasons why.
Scrivener: Comments and Annotations
What do you do when, in the middle of writing, you think of something that needs checking, more research or whatever? Make a mental note? Scribble something on a scrap of paper?
If you’re writing in Scrivener, you can take advantage of the comments and annotations features to document those ideas and reminders when they happen and where they are needed. Each of these features functions a bit differently giving you useful options for documenting and tracking these notes.
In this example, you see a piece of text that’s being edited. Notice the text highlighted in yellow. It’s associated with the comment visible in the information pane on the right. The text below it highlighted in red is an annotation. The biggest difference between the two is that a comment appears separate from the text while an annotation is inline with the text. There are any number of ways these features can be put to use – from reminders to questions for editors. And, because they have special formatting, you can configure the compiler to automatically strip them from the manuscript when compiling it for review, publication or whatever.
Because of this formatting and thanks to a special Scrivener command, you can easily browse through your manuscript to find each annotation and comment you’ve created. Use the Edit > Find > Find by Formatting command to display the option pane shown here and choose the formatting feature you want to find.
Not only can you find all annotations (in this example), but by also using the Containing text field, you can quickly find all the annotations discussing a particular topic. For example, if you use annotations as placeholders for graphic images need to be included in your manuscript, use the word “graphic” in each annotation then search for annotations containing that word to quickly find where you still need to include them.
Comments and annotations allow you to “jot” down things that come to mind while writing without taking you away from your writing effort to do it. Scrivener provides these tools and more to keep you focused and keep everything you need within easy reach.
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