Getting Started with Scrivener

Tools for Writers
My other tutorials are tips and tricks to get the most out of Scrivener’s features. But if you’ve never used Scrivener and need to learn how to set it up and get started writing, this is for you.
I’ve done my best to accommodate for both Windows and Mac users, but they can be very different at times.

Take it step by step. You can do it. :)

Step 1 – Starting a New Project
After you’ve download Scrivener (30 non-consecutive day free trial or paid version), open up the program.


Novel

Under “File” choose “New Project” and you’ll see the screen above. (Mac users, this screen might come up when you open the program.) Choose the type of project you’ll be working on, for example “Fiction” and then “Novel.” This will work for most fiction writers.

Name your project under “Save As” and use the “Browse” button (or “Where” on Mac) to set where it will save to.

Hit “Create.” You’ll see the instructions below, which explain how to get started if you’d like to read through them.

message

Step 2 – Setting Font & Spacing
There are a lot of things you can preset in Scrivener, but we’re going to keep it simple. (You are free to skip this section if you don’t mind the standard presets. Some of these will not stay put when you finish and compile your document, but it will make it easier while you write, IMO.)

Mac users – choose “Scrivener” and “Preferences.”
Windows users - Under “Tools” choose “Options.” You’ll get a screen like this.

options

Mac – Click “Formatting.”
Windows - Click “Editor” on the left and you’ll see this.

change font

We’re going to make sure the font and spacing are how you want them, so click the blue, italicized A at the top. (It won’t be blue for Mac users.)

font

Choose the font you want for your project. Windows users, click “OK.”

change font

Now click on the arrow to the right of where it says a number like “1.0x” so we can change the spacing and indents. You’ll get a drop down menu. **Mac users – The box will be over to the right. If it doesn’t say 2.0, click on the arrows to the right and change it to 2.0. Skip the few steps.**

more

Windows only - Click “More” and you’ll get this window.

spacing 
Windows only - Change “First Line” to “0.50 inch(es).” This is called a hanging indent. YOU WILL NOT NEED TO USE THE TAB KEY when this is set. Simply type and hit enter when you want the next line indented.

Change “Line Spacing” to “Double” and click “OK.”

**Mac users, in the formatting window, the top slide bar (a little blue rectangle) should be between the 0 and the 1. If not, move it there. This is called a hanging indent. YOU WILL NOT NEED TO USE THE TAB KEY when this is set. Simply type and hit enter when you want the next line indented.

Also make sure the box next to “Scrivenings” is checked for “Separate scrivenings” so you don’t get any extra line breaks.

Now your “Options” window should look like this. (Similar for Mac)

double space

Windows users, click “ok.” Mac users might need to click “Use Formatting in Current Editor" if the button is showing.

Step 3 – Folders & Synopsis

FOLDERS
title

Double click where is says “Manuscript” in the binder (to the left) and change it to your title. (If you have one!) Whenever you want to look at things in the whole project (word count, chapters in corkboard mode, etc.) you’ll want this selected.

Double click on the folder that says “Chapter”  and rename it if you’d like. It can either be “Chapter 1” or a heading for your chapter like “Fall.”

Now here’s how I do it, because I find it the easiest.
Create enough new chapters to get started or if you already have an outline, create the number you know you need. There are several ways to do this.

New folder

For Windows Users -

Option 1. Click the arrow to the right of the green plus sign and choose “New Folder.”

For Windows & Mac users -

Option 2. Right click and choose “Add New Folder.”

Option 3. Click the New Folder icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

Option 4. Hold down the following keys “Ctrl+Shift+N” (Windows) Cmd +Option+N (Mac).

corkboard chapters

Option 5. You can also do this from Corkboard mode. Make sure you’ve selected the main manuscript in the binder and then click the little Corkboard icon at the top. (Highlighted in yellow in the image above.)

Make sure you’ve selected the last index card and do one of the methods described above. (Although Option 2 seems to work best to keep you in the Corkboard screen.)

Each time you do, a new index card will pop up to represent a chapter. (You’ll also see them appear in the binder.)

*OR you can just add folders as you write.

SYNOPSIS
If you already have an outline, you can add chapter summaries. (You can also do this as you go along or after the manuscript is written.)

synopsis 
Over to the right is an index card that says “Synopsis” above it. If you don’t see it, click the little blue “i” at the top right.

Make sure you have the correct chapter selected and that it says “Chapter” not “Scene” above the index card. You can also add summaries from Corkboard mode.

Step 4 – Adding Text

Now you’re ready to start writing! No really, you are.

Just click on the icon in the binder for the first scene, click in the text editor in the center, and start writing. (If you're still in Corkboard mode, you'll need to switch back to Text Editor - the icon to the left of Corkboard)

(Or click on the chapter where you want to start a new scene.)

new text

When you’re ready for the next scene, you have several options.

1. Click the green plus sign at the top (or the little arrow to the right of the green plus for Windows) and choose “New Text.” You’ll see the new scene appear in the binder. 
(If you want it to go in the next chapter, just drag it to the folder icon or chapter title. Or click on the chapter you want before you choose “New Text.”)

2. Click the New Text icon in the lower left corner of the screen. (It’s a + sign for Mac users)

3. Press “Ctrl+N” (Windows) or “Cmd+N” (Mac).

4. Click the scene in the binder that you want to be before the new text and hit Return.

*If you already have something written in Word, watch for an upcoming post on how to import files as chapters.

A few tips . . .

It might be a good idea to open up a new project just to get the hang of Scrivener. You can play around with it when you want to try a new feature and not worry about messing anything up. :)

Keep in mind that Scrivener is set to save your project every two seconds after a pause and back it up every time you close the program. (These can be adjusted.)

Items can be moved and rearranged in Scrivener (which can be super helpful when moving around scenes and chapters), but be careful if you don’t want things moved, especially if you have a touch screen.

So there you go, you’re all set to work in Scrivener!

To learn more about Scrivener, head over to the Tools for Writers page.

Query.Sign.Submit. with Jen Malone

Jen Malone

Jen Malone is a middle grade and young adult author. Her debut AT YOUR SERVICE is now available from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin MIX!, with several others on the way! She is represented by Holly Root of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.

At Your Service

 

 

 

Connect with and learn more about Jen . . .

Website 
Blog 
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Pinterest

literary agent and author 
Now for Jen’s insight on querying, signing with an agent, and going on submission.

QUERY

What advice would you give to querying writers?

Well, as someone who sent my very first query to an agent based on the fact that he shared a name with an ex-boyfriend of mine (And yes. Yes, it did include the line “I once loved ‘Agent Name” as my hook), let’s just say I’ve had a steep learning curve when it’s come to querying. Fortunately, said agent has an excellent sense of humor and though his rejection was swift, he had a great attitude about it. I’m sure my query went straight into his folder of “Queriers to contact if I ever go missing.” I began researching much more after this. I now realize that agents are using your sample pages to evaluate you as a writer and your query to evaluate you as a client. Obviously your writing is what will sell your book, but your agent also needs to have faith that you will be able to conduct yourself professionally in the industry. Agent relationships with editors are paramount and no agent wants to risk that relationship or their reputation by sending some crazypants author into a business deal. It’s fine to include some personality, but follow the standard query guidelines and be respectful and courteous, even if the reply isn’t what you wanted to hear.

What resources and websites did you use when querying?

I used Literary Rambles and Google to track down recent interviews with agents, but if I were querying now I’d add the Twitter hashtag #MSWL for great info on what agents are looking for. QueryTracker was a good way to see where agents might be in their inbox- I knew if someone posted a response to a query sent later than mine, it probably meant a no for mine. I think sites like Agent Query Connect can be good for getting feedback on your query (which I really encourage) but I see a huge value in professional critiques as well- often online query contests offer (free) agent feedback, and so do Ninja agents at WriteOneCon. Authors and agents alike will often donate critiques to charity auctions (not free, but for a good cause and tax-deductable) and many classes through Writer’s Digest come with instructor evaluation of pages or queries. Lastly, conferences often offer these opportunities. In my case, having an agent weigh in on my query (which had been through countless peer evaluations) made my request rate jump from 5% to 40%.

What do you wish you’d known back when you were in the query trenches?

I wish I’d known how often “it’s not you, it’s me” is true. There are a million reasons an agent doesn’t connect with or doesn’t feel she could sell a manuscript and it might not have anything to do with the writing or the story or the person sending the query (though sometimes it does, so evaluate your query often if you’re not getting requests!) Sometimes I would read an agent interview and feel like a certain agent and I would be complete BFFs if only she agreed to rep me. Then I would be crushed when she passed on my query. But I didn’t yet realize I wasn’t querying for a bestie, I was querying for an agent. And, while my books are certainly a part of me, I am not my book and someone not liking my book is not the same as someone not liking me (incidentally, this is a great thing for writers to learn early on because reviewers are sometimes less considerate than agents in their assessments!) Now that I’ve seen the decision process a little more closely, I have a much better handle on the many, many factors that go into repping and selling a book and I think it’s helped me see how much of it is a combination of craft, timing, and sheer luck.

SIGN

Once a writer has signed with an agent, what’s the next step?

Write more. That’s always the next step. But otherwise, it was to incorporate Holly’s light notes and then wait for it to go out on sub. To be honest, it wasn’t all that different than querying except now I was listening for my phone AS WELL AS checking my email obsessively.

How editorial is your agent? Is it what you expected?

I didn’t initially think Holly was all that editorial because she subbed my first few manuscripts with the most minor of edits, but with my most recent YA she had really thoughtful notes for me on a pretty big revision and I was really excited to get those. However, I also have great CPs and do a lot with them before it even goes to my agent. What I really can’t get from anyone else in my circle is Holly’s pulse on the marketplace. Somehow she always knows exactly what editors are buzzing about or wishing for. Before I start work on new projects (or if I can’t decide between projects) I’ll send her what amounts to a query description of what I have in mind and ask for her input. She’s steered me away from one that was eerily similar to something she’d seen kicking around and not selling the year before and encouraged me to think about changing the time period for one to make it more marketable. I’m not saying “write to the marketplace” BUT if there are things that can make a project I’m already excited about more palatable to editors, there’s a huge value in knowing that before beginning the first draft.

Do you send sample chapters to your agent or do you wait until the next manuscript is finished?

My last MG book sold on proposal, so “finished” was only a few chapters and a synopsis. But prior to that I would send her the “blurb” before starting to get her take on it from a market perspective and then not send her more until I had gone through a round of revisions with my critique partners. However, I know some of her clients will send her pages as they go. She once said to me that she’s happy to read as often as I want and at any stage that I want, so long as I knew going in that it’s harder for her to see things with fresh eyes after the third read. I’m the same way so I understood that and try to plan ahead to get those fresh eyes at the most beneficial times.

SUBMIT

Do you see the feedback from editors?

I chose to. Holly would forward me the editor’s email, usually including a short sentence or two of her own above it lending reassurances or interpretation. These were usually along the lines of, “picture me with an angry storm cloud above my head” or, “This one felt really close.” That said, if I were to go on a traditional sub round now, I’d ask for those updates on a predetermined day of the week instead of right away as they came in. I was on a crazy roller coaster during submission and those emails could really affect my mood. Knowing I would just be dealing with them once a week would have been helpful. Obviously, I’d get a call if the news was really good!

What is the next step if an editor shows interest?

So my experience was a little different because, while I was on sub with the book I’d signed with Holly for, an editor who had already passed on it asked if I would be interested in submitting pages for an IP (Intellectual Property) project they were developing in-house. For that I had to write the first fifty pages and submit them alongside a full synopsis. I knew there were five or so other writers “auditioning” and it was a lot of work for something that might not pan out, but I loved the story concept and felt like it was an opportunity I shouldn’t pass up. Thank goodness I did, because that’s now AT YOUR SERVICE!

Is there anything you learned while being on submission that you didn’t know before?

I learned there are a lot of ways to get a book deal. I’d never considered IP projects, but I loved the whole experience start to finish. It was especially great to have full access to my editor WHILE I was drafting and (something I didn’t even know enough to consider) it’s taken a little bit of the pressure off me in terms of sales because the concept was developed in-house. Of course, I feel total ownership over the book at this point and will do everything I can to ensure its success, but it’s been a nice way to ease myself into the industry. My next four books under contract are my own concepts, so they’re all on me and that makes me nervous!

How did you celebrate when you got the news about your first book deal?

My husband took me to dinner at a restaurant in Cambridge, MA called First Printer because it was built on the site of the nation’s first printing press and then we wandered over to an indie bookstore and searched out the shelf where my book would be. I’m sentimental like that!

Once you have a book published, how does submission change for an author?

Having an established relationship with Simon & Schuster let me sell my next MG series (RSVP, co-written with Gail Nall) on proposal to my current editor versus having to have the completed manuscript. My first editor moved to HarperCollins at the start of the year, so when I was ready to sub my YA, it went to her on an exclusive and she bought it! It’s still about the story and the writing, but cultivating good relationships (which includes proving you can be professional, work through revisions, and meet deadlines) is certainly a huge part of this business, as in most other fields.

How does it work when you’re writing a series?

Are both books sold together or does it depend on the success of the first? For me, it’s been both! In the case of AT YOUR SERVICE everyone would love for there to be a sequel but it depends on what early sales are like (see why preorders are so important?) But for RSVP, the concept of tween girls with a party planning business really lent itself well to a series, as did the four-person POV, so they bought the first two books at once and hopefully that will continue on as well! Fingers crossed!

Thank you so much, Jen!

See other Query. Sign. Submit. interviews
Read inspiring stories of writers getting agents
Find out about agent-judged contests

Posted August 2014

Who and Where Are You at Write On Con?

Is everyone ready for this amazing online writing conference? Have you read my Ten Tips for Write On Con?

Write On Con

If you’d like everyone to come find you in the forums and comment on your posts, please leave any of the following in a comment . . .

 

**Your Write On Con forum user name
Your real name
Your twitter handle
What genre you write
A one line pitch
Links to your website or blog
Links to your WOC posts

You’ll find me over there as Dee!  And I’m @writeforapples on twitter.

Ten Tips for Write on Con 2014

Write On Con

Write on Con is a FREE online writing conference and it’s INCREDIBLE. You won’t believe the resources, insider tips, and feedback available for writers. And here’s my annual post to help you get started.

To get the most out of the conference . . .

1.  Sign up for the newsletter and the forums. You should do this before the conference even begins. You can even start posting in the forums ahead of time.

2. There are threads to post your query, first 250 words and first 5 pages. This is a great chance to get feedback on your work.  If you choose to, you can edit based on comments and get additional feedback on the new versions. *If it’s not a complete ms, mark it as a WIP so agents/editors know. I does not have to be complete.

3.  If you put up both a query and the first 250 words, make sure they link to each other so people can find them easily. (Of course, include the first 5 pages if you do those too.) Because, let’s face it, when you read a great query, you want to read more!

Here’s how-

Once you have both posts up, copy the urls and paste them on Notepad or in Word. Go back and edit your posts and add something at the bottom like, “Read the first 250 words here” with a link to the post. **You can skip this step if you do number 4 below. ;)

4.  You can add links in your signature and you should. That means people can find all of your work, whether it’s your own post or when you comment on someone else’s. You can also add your title and pitch if you’d like. Here’s a sample signature line. All of them should be links.

MG Query ~ MG First 250 ~ PB Query

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter 

Here’s how-

Go to Forum Actions, then Edit Profile. Under My Settings on the left, choose Edit Signature.  (You’ll need those urls you copied above.)

Type whatever you want linked in the box, highlight it, and click the “link” icon on top (a globe with a little chain link). Then insert the url when it prompts you and press okay.

Whenever you post or make a comment, make sure you have the box checked to insert signature.

5. Comment in the forums. It’s so much fun to read everyone’s work and you get to help out other writers at the same time. 

Again, make sure you link to to your query, first 250 words, first 5 pages, and website/blog/twitter handle so people can find you and return the favor.

6. Check the schedule. There are so many great things that go on on during this conference.  Seriously. In the past they’ve had live chats, where you can ask questions or simply lurk, pitch opportunities, and plenty of chances to learn.

It’s all still available later if you can’t be there for it, but some things are time sensitive.

7.  Don’t forget the giveaways. They always have fantastic prizes.

8.  Want to know when and where the ninja agents are lurking? (Shhh. Top secret info.) At the bottom of the forum and the sub-forums (MG, YA, etc.) it shows who is online. Look for “Ninja Agent ______.” You can also go to Quick Links and then Who’s Online?

OR Go to Community and Member List. Find the ninja agents and go to each profile page. It will tell you their current activity, including what they’re doing at that moment. If you choose find all posts, you can see where they’ve commented.

9.  Take a few notes. This is a great opportunity to get that personal first line when you send out your query letter. Look for those tidbits from agents during chats and forum posts and let them know you learned a lot from them at Write On Con! It’s also a great way to help you find agents that might be interested in your work.

10.  Have fun! 

Stop by the Who and Where are You at Write On Con? post so you can connect with other writers.

You’ll find me over there as Dee. Come say hello. :)