Using Scrivener for the First Time ~ A Pantster's Notes

After finishing NaNoWriMo this year, I decided to take Scrivener up on its offer of 1/2 price to all Nano Winners. Then I got started with my newest work in project right away.

Note: I've always used Word. Never used anything else. I sometimes type on my laptop, sometimes on my iPad, and sometimes on my AlphaSmart Neo. I'm getting started on using Dragon for dictation (more blogs on that later.) And I'm a pantster, but I do write a few scenes and ideas ahead in my notebook, when I think of them. 

It's now been a week using Scrivener, and here are my thoughts thus far:

*I LOVE the Character Templates - they are helping me get my thoughts organized on the characters' descriptions and motivations - usually I don't figure these out until I'm a couple chapters in and then have to go back and add stuff in or delete backstory.

*The whole writing by scene thing, I kind of already did it, but didn't really define it. It actually helps that they are separated so I can compartmentalize.

*Switching to Scrivener is hard. I'm not used to "starting new documents" for every scene I write - then "New Folder" for every chapter. I'm worried that things are going to get weird when I finally ask it to compile.

*It took me a while to get both my laptop and my iPad to sync perfectly with Dropbox, but now that I have done it, it's dreamy! 

via GIPHY

*I don't know about you, but I often use the feature in Word that allows me to find a synonym for words that I've already repeated too many times already - well, Scrivener seems to give me more options for some words than Word does, but less options for others. I'm still figuring that out, but on the ones with more options? LOVE.

*Still, part of me really wants to quit and go back to word. Simply because that's what I'm used to, but I'm determined to give this a try until I complete this manuscript! I will report back with more later :)