Dabble for Authors

 

When I first opened this app, I saw its ad slogan and scoffed. It totes itself to be “Like Scrivener, without the learning curve.” Scrivener’s curve is huge. It’s a fact. I use it for all my drafting and still don’t know what half the stuff is. So “no learning curve” sounds lovely. And I can tell you, that ad line is so accurate.

I love Scrivener, but Dabble has all I require without all the extra fuss. If you are just starting with a writing app, I recommend using Dabble first. It’s simple, easy, and has a few features Scrivener does not.

Both apps have an outline on the left side. It has binders, folders, and text files listed. It’s easily moveable on both, with added sections if needed. Wonderful. For this almost fifty-year-old writer, here’s the bonus. Dabble’s screen text is larger and much easier to read. If you’re using the app online, you can zoom in until the screen is huge. It’s a small but necessary thing because I do not want to wear my glasses.

I also love that adding new material seems faster and simpler. There is no giant list (of tiny text). A click on the plus sign gives the writer a list of things to add immediately, including a new book, additional notes, files, and plot points. How ever your brain works, you can add what you need with ease. As long as you’re fine with the product not being as robust as Scrivener, Dabble is a great way to write your novels.

Let’s talk about plotting. By now, I’m sure you’ve all read Romancing the Beats by Gwen Hayes. That book has everything a romance author needs for their novel. If you’re writing just fiction, it can help with your romantic arc. There are many other plotting books and author suggestions for story arcs. Why not take your favorite and throw them into the Plot section? Save your document as Beats or something. Then refer to it as you write. Templates are not yet available on Dabble as they are on Scrivener. But that doesn’t mean you can create one for reference.

Subscription versus paid model. Here is have to say, I prefer a one-time payment method. This limits updates and makes bugs a little hard to fix. But I’m old and used to paying one time for software. The lowest price for Dabble is almost $100 a year. Scrivener costs $50 to use forever, plus the ability to put it on multiple devices. I really like Dabble, like, REALLY like it. But I’ve already paid for Scrivener and the upgrade to version 3.1.

Authors need to take care with subscriptions as they can add up. Get a premium graphic program, a writing app, and a mailing service, and you could pay up to $500 a year. I don’t make that much! Dabble has a coupon if you participate in National Novel Writing Month (which I encourage for everyone). You can get 20% straight off the bat or 50% if you win. Not a bad deal.

So Dabble… Yes, I want it. It’s wonderful and easy, but I already spent the money. You might find that it’s worth every penny.