Scrivener has a new update just in time for National Novel Writing Month. I, of course, grabbed it as soon as I could and started playing. The cost is $49 for either the PC or Mac version. If you are upgrading, you can get a 45% discount on the new software (about $22). There is also an iOS version for iPads and iPhones, which is $20 from the Apple store.
The site has a list of updated items, and you can read their boring post if you want here (Windows version). Or you can read my fun post from an actual writer who uses the app almost every day.
The price. Now I’m a skinflint with paying for writing stuff. I test many apps. Being indie, the cost of publishing is so much more than I make from selling books. (Someday, it will change. Buy my books. Just kidding.) I use Scrivener, not only to draft all my novels but also for these two lovely blogs you all read with breathless anticipation. So for me, $22 was not cost-prohibitive. It’s not a subscription or a tiered plan. One payment and the software is mine forever. And I can use it on multiple machines.
Some impressions. I’ve been using the software for about a month now. I’ve only used it for the blogs, but already I feel good about it. It sounds silly, but some upgrades have left a warm spot in my heart. (No, not heartburn, seriously.) Two things I noticed right away. The Binder font is bigger. Yay for old eyes! It’s a small thing, but I don’t need my glasses to see my files. Also, there’s a new default font called Sitka Text. It’s lovely, calming, Times Roman-y, but more casual. These are silly elements to focus on, but they mean something to me as a writer and frequent user.
Anyway…
Here are some other great features in Scrivener 3 you might love too. Under the Edit menu are a few new items, including Writer Tools. Under this menu, there are links to research resources such as a dictionary, thesaurus, Google research, Wikipedia, and Brain Quotes. Highlight your text, click the reference link, and you are off in a browser!
Under that same Writer Tools option, there’s a name generator for characters. You can select male/female/either, special surnames, initials for given names, and more. And this is right in the app. No need to use all those reference sites I gave you (though those were more for book titles).
Under the Project menu, there is now Writing History, perfect for those who want to keep themselves accountable. You can track what days you write, how much you write, your average, and your word count. Perfect for NaNoWriMo, but wait, there’s more.
Scrivener is always a sponsor of NaNo. There is a special discount for the app for November and a new template with a 50k project target. To get the template, follow this link (at the bottom of the page) to download the file and extract it. Then go to Scrivener, click File, New Project, then Options on that window. Under Options, choose Import Template. Find where you saved your template (probably Downloads) and click Open. Scrivener will add the template to the fiction folder.
And even more! When using the template, the project targets are now 50k with a word count per day listed and a deadline of Nov. 30. You can see your whole NaNo stat list right in the doc! Now under Projects is a new option on this template: Update NaNoWriMo word count. Once you make a project on the NaNo site, give Scrivener your login and password, and it will update your word count at NaNo. I’m so excited. Can you tell?
I’ve gone on and on about NaNoWriMo and only included a few updates. There’s more. Next week, we’ll talk about the new compile option, Dialog Focus, and more.
