Status Update – August 1st, 2017

 

Upcoming Novel Progress: Rough Draft Finished. 26 Chapters Total. First Draft Readthrough underway.

Current Total Word Count: 54,337

Second Project Progress: Rough Draft in progress. 8 Chapters compete. Chapter 9 in progress.

Current Total Word Count: 13,220

 

It’s August 1st, 2017.

Things are moving along smoothly. I have several short story projects in development, but I don’t want to get into too many specifics. Four projects and I hope all four of them get published.

As for the novels, a first read-through already underway for my epic fantasy series. I’m reading through and making notes about the plot so once that’s done, the rewrite can begin. As of this post, two chapters are finished. I have a good idea of where I want to go, so here’s hoping this ride is smoother than the last. Took me over a year just to complete my first draft (my first undertaking, mind you), so I’m hoping my second project is smoother than before and so far it is. No major setbacks as far as I’m concerned.

Ramblings of an Imaginative Author:

Why I use Scrivener for writing

 

Storytelling Art is a series about the kinds of storytelling methods I use and what kinds of material I use to make them. Today, we’re talking about why I use Scrivener.

This might not concern too many people, but Scrivener 3 is coming later this year. I mainly work on Windows so I don’t have much experience with the Mac version. I did have a mac a long time ago, but it’s in technology heaven now. Anyway, I use Scrivener to write my stories. I used Google Docs prior (And for thing like these posts, I still do), but Scrivener is my go-to platform. I didn’t know what I would have done without it.

For those that don’t know, Scrivener is the be-all-end-all of writing apps. It was made for writers. Outlining, folders for multi-book projects, word targets and even a name generator among many. It’s incredibly versatile and you can look all over the internet for writers who use it. It’s not just fiction, there are tools for scriptwriters and even non-fiction writing too.

In any case, the third version is coming soon and while no major details have come out yet, I figured I’d spend some time discussing how I have mine set up to explain it’s versatility by showing it.

 

 

 

This is the format I use in my works. I have to the left all the documents I need. A main story document which gives me a summary of the entire story thus far. Plus outlines, feedback on my works and outlines among other things. It’s what keeps everything in order. The middle is my story itself which is organized by scenes. I have each individual document as one scene. The right is my note cards for each chapter. It’s so I know what happens in what.

 

 

 

 

When I’m editing a story, I’ll change it to another scene so I can see the current draft on the left vs. the old draft on the right. This helps me keep track of my old draft so that when I expand on the new draft, I have something to base it on. The hardest part when making a rough draft is knowing which words to use in a particular scene. Often times, I’ll use weaker terms and light description that I know I’ll edit later just to get it done. This helps me a ton and is probably my favorite thing about Scrivener. I can keep an eye on an old draft and work on the new with a reference.

I also have Scrivener on my smartphone. I plan to get an iPad Pro next month around the time iOS 11 comes out. When I do, I’ll give my thoughts about using Scrivener on an iPad. The app is easy to use and while the phone version is limited compared to the desktop version (I can’t comment on the iPad version just yet) it’s good for that on-the-go writing mood. I get a lot done on my breaks at work.

As for everything else, I use Google Keep for notetaking (though I do have a specific notes section in my Scrivener projects) and Hemingway and Grammarly for grammar edits. Of course I do my own editing as well, but I’m not perfect and some grammar stuff eludes me even to this day (I can never tell the difference between lay and lie, for example). My PC, truth be told, is a gaming PC, but it gets the job done all the same.

I use what I need, but I’m excited for Scrivener 3. I figured I’d give my thoughts on what I use in my writing. Hopefully I can share more about what I use in the future. I received a book from a fellow author not too long ago, so I’ll give my thoughts on that Friday.

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That’s all for today. Take care, and remember, the inn is always open.