I know it is 2014! Microsoft Word may be Sooo 1990’s but I know how to use that program and I don’t like change. Change is one reason why have kept my prom dresses in a tub in my basement- In my mind I can still fit into them becasue I haven’t changed. I dare you— say I have changed.. I didn’t think so. With many projects and ideas floating around in the hallways of my mind like high schoolers causing destruction on Senior Prank Day, I need to get them out into the real world. There has to be an easier way to keep all my writing projects grouped together – so my quest begins. Or should I say began awhile ago. I’ve been researching this thing called Scrivener($40) for my writing projects and even with all the reviews out there I am still on the fence. I found a great video on YouTube by Johnny B. Truant that helped lay out reasons to switch to Scrivener although I still can’t jump in with both feet. Amazon has quite a few reviews on it as well that are helpful. Susan Mallette the creater of the Keep WRITING wrote a great piece about Scrivener that lays out what you should expect when you start using Scrivener. She also shared with me another product that I have since checked into today called Scapple ($14.99). It looks like a tangible hybrid of what goes on in a writers mind. You add your ideas to a board that you can drop and drag to Scrivener. You can read more about it at Goodreads. Even though I DO have the latest version of Microsoft Word I find it lacking in many areas. I hate switching back and forth for my notes on a project, I can’t really break it up unless I create a whole new document but the truth is I am comfortable with it. I know it and I like to think it knows me 🙂 we spend an awful lot of time together! I can’t even figure out how to group my blog posts together by topic so my computer skills are lacking somewhat and I am afraid if I get Scrivener or Scapple I would botch it up because I am not tech savvy.
I am still on my quest to find something easier and when I make my decsion I will post it on here.
Do you have thoughts on different programs AND what do you use?
Anyway, if you are a writer I hope this helps with which platform best suits your needs. If you have suggestions please share!
A Brunette's Reflection 
I switched to Scrivener over a year ago. I’ve used it for short stories, query letters, and I pasted two novels that I’ve been working on into it. I’ve found that as with anything there are pro’s and con’s. Like you, I was really comfortable with Word, but I hated having to scroll through hundreds of pages to find things, or move things around.
I love Scrivener because you can have every chapter in it’s own folder or text file and open two of them simultaneously so cutting, pasting or just comparing is much easier. You can switch entire chapters around without having to search for the correct spot like you do in Word.
The thing I don’t like is trying to format your project and compile it into a Word doc. or other format. It’s very difficult and if I get too frustrated, I just cut and paste each chapter into Word.
Not being a techie, I realize I’m not explaining this very well. I hope it makes some sense to you.
There are other things I like about it, and there are many things I don’t even use. And you do have to invest a little time to go through the tutorial, but it was very helpful. For $40 maybe you should give it a try. And if you don’t like it you can always go back to Word.
LikeLike
You explained it very well! How is the spell check and does it have a thesaurus? I will probably just buy it, I just seem to dissect everything when protecting my work. Thank you~ this was very helpful!
~~Neasha
LikeLike
It does have spell check. I’m not sure about a thesaurus because I use an online one.
Good luck.
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
I’m sticking with Word. I downloaded a free trial of Scrivener but I didn’t get anywhere with it. I found it so confusing. Yes you have to scroll up and down with Word a lot. But it’s so easy and even those writers I know who use Scrivener admit that it’s not easy to learn to use.
Having said that, these same people have told me how much they love Scrivener and all the benefits it gives them and their writing. So I guess ultimately it’s up to you and how you write, how tech savvy you are and if you feel it’s something that would be good for you.
Those are my thoughts anyway. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing your experience. I will probably try it but its going to be a week or two before I get to it and I will post my review. That Scapple program is something I know I will like to try also because it seems to be a place I can pin my ideas- and I have a lot running through my mind at any given point during the day! 🙂
Happy Blogging and Writing!
~~Neasha
LikeLike
Thanks for that, I’ve been wondering for ages whether to switch to Scrivener.
I use Word 2010, but never have to scroll. I have the Navigation panel on the left, which organizes the book by chapter. Whenever I have to find something, I just click on the relevant chapter instead of scrolling. Also, if I want to rearrange things, I just drag a chapter to move it to a new place within the document.
LikeLike
So far I have not made the Scrivener Jump either. I use Word because of all the things that you have mentioned. I may change my mind later but for now I am good with this decision.
Thanks for stopping by :))
~~Neasha
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see you wrote this in May… did you switch? I have, and I’m enjoying it, though I’m still not sure how everything works exactly even after a few months.
LikeLike
No, I haven’t switched yet. I just don;t have the time right now to dedicate to learning a new writing tool. Once I finish the projects I have going now, I may start the next one with Scrivener.
Thanks for stopping by!
~~Neasha
LikeLike
I plugged my work in progress into Scrivener and it helped organize it. Best of luck when you get to it! 🙂
LikeLike