Recently I decided to download Scrivener, a software program designed for writers.  I’d been getting half-off codes for Scrivener for the past 10 years or so as part of Nanowrimo’s winner prize package.  I figured it could be helpful in writing the last book of the Wolf Point series, to bring together all the information I needed to reference in one place.  Only a few chapters in, I found myself wondering

WHY THE BLEEP DID I WAIT SO LONG?!?!?!

One of the best features of Scrivener is the Project Targets.  It’s a little floating box that shows you how close you are to your word count goals for both the entire project, and for that day’s writing.  Obviously, this is amazing for Nanowrimo, as you can plug in 1,667 words and watch as that bar goes from red to yellow to green.  But it has really helped outside of Nanowrimo.  I can set my word count goal fairly low (usually around 500) and I actually sit down and write.

The Character Sheets are also great.  I can make my own template with the character information I need (for Warriors, I needed descriptions of each person’s human appearance and wolf appearance, as well as their scent) and you can add pictures.

The little note cards in the Inspector let you add a short chapter summary, notes for editing, and other information you might need for that chapter.  I actually found myself outlining a little bit!  It was amazing!

Scrivener also allows you to add a cover and all the copyright information and front and back matter for a self-published book.  Then you can export and have a document ready to upload.  Or, you can export to a manuscript format.

I am definitely a huge fan and I’ll be using Scrivener for most of my writing from now on!