Scrivener – GK Jurrens

Why Should a Great Mind Map Matter to You as an Author?

By admin | August 9, 2020

I’m going to share with you a tool and a methodology, both of which have already paid me handsome dividends for my current long-form writing project, a novel, and for all my future novels… for less than twenty bucks.

The tool is called Scapple, NOT Scalpel! Polar opposites… read on, intrepid scribe…

So what the heck is Scapple?
Well, it’s not only a mind mapping tool, it’s a piece of companion software to the amazing writer’s program called Scrivener. Both programs are offered by a British company with the coolest name ever: Literature & Latte. Even though I swore off caffeine last year, I still love the name, and I can still smell a seductive aroma.

Click here for my earlier review of Scrivener, but that is largely irrelevant to this article. Read on!

***An example of a visual ‘mind map’ created using Scapple***

First, why is a mind map important to an author, especially for long-form projects like a novel?

Recently, several of my readers have suggested that I locate my customary cast of characters page at the beginning of my books. Since I cast a lot of characters in my stories, most of near-epic length, this is either a simple helpful suggestion or an indictment of too many characters. I’m hoping its the former, not the latter. Either way, it’s a good idea shared by some famous best sellers.

That got me thinking if I couldn’t do better beyond just moving my character list and a brief sentence of their role in the book. Enter the mind map and tools to ease the task of creating one. I’ve used mind maps for a few years now in writing the book. Now I’m considering incorporating them in my published works.

So let’s define the word Scapple, the name of a tool I’m growing to really love:

To work roughly, or shape without finishing
To dress in any way short of fine tooling or rubbing, as stone.

Yup, I start documenting my early writing workflow for my latest book with a tool called Scapple–to rough out a story, to imagine and to define character and multiple story line relationships. Helps alleviate an otherwise encroaching cloud of insanity. We’ll examine my current work in progress to illustrate.

I’m in the early stages of creating the final book in a near-future dystopian science fiction trilogy. And yes, I’m writing the middle book last. I’ve entitled it Amidst the Mayhem. Most of my books weave lots of characters in and around at least a few different story lines. This type of project is not for the feint of heart, but gives a story depth and dimension.

In the past I’ve pressed various mind mapping tools into service, some free, but none really met my needs. Most are hierarchical, like branches on a tree, or progressive forks in a road. Scapple is better for diagramming any-to-any relationships, which is precisely what I needed.

See the resource list at the end of this article for other similar tools. You can peruse over a hundred possible mind mapping tools and techniques from that list. I also offer you “how to” references.

Scapple is fast, simple, effective, and works well with my favorite writing software, Scrivener.

Check out my own big picture diagram below for my latest novel. Scapple neatly pulled together, in one info-packed diagram, my brainstorming of a list of characters and their relationships to each other. I consolidated phrases jotted down on single sheets of paper, scribbles from various Post-It Notes™, various pages of sundry notebooks, and transcriptions of 2AM whispered voice recordings–you know, like most authors do.

This data collection took about a half-dozen hours spanning several days. I then spent just two hours to shop for the right mind-mapping software, another ten minutes to buy, download and install Scapple, plus maybe another hour to learn the program. Easy.

Heck, I spent more time than that tweaking a perfectly good diagram, just because it was fun!

This intuitive diagram now captures the entire extensive cast of characters of my new novel and their relationships within three different story lines in one powerful visual. You’ll note this is version 4. It is so fast and easy to update and export or print, I am really impressed:

Here is why this diagram is so powerful:

Every node in the diagram is called a note. Notes may be easily connected to other notes to signify a relationship just by dragging one on top of the other. These connections can be labeled to further identify their relationship. Huh? Keep reading…
In this example, each of the three largest rectangles comprise a unique but relevant story line in this novel (labeled Story Line A, Story Line B, & Story Line C). And I’ve characterized each with a representative label (Triple Linchpin, Pro-Corp, & Pro-Gov’t, as well as their settings’ geographical locations)
Within each story line box you’ll see primary characters enclosed in colored boxes, secondaries in a larger boldface font, & tertiaries in regular (non-bold) smaller font. These are my own arbitrary conventions (I started from a blank page and just went crazy!)
You can see the arrows connecting the notes suggest their relationships–in this case, between characters I plan to include in this novel. I use these labels on these arrows to further define unique relationships between specific characters
You also can see a few connections (arrows, aka relationships) connecting characters across the big rectangles. This illustrates that some primary and secondary characters span more than one story line, and some don’t, but none span all three story lines. This helps me plan how these stories intersect within the book to develop a solid throughline (a theme that runs through the entire book).
That is a lot of information conveyed in a one-page diagram, isn’t it? Thi is my ‘god’s eye view,’ which keeps me focused as I now fill in the gaps throughout the writing process within Scrivener.
While functionally simple, Scapple features powerful features for:
- Simplicity:
  - To create a new note, just double click anywhere on the board and start typing
  - All commands are accessed from the tool bar OR via straightforward keyboard shortcuts (I keep a short cheat sheet–a Post-It Note™–stuck to the bottom of my monitor for handy reference)
- Formatting and arranging:
  - When typing a lot of text into a note (see another example below), formatting the shape of the note is as simple as dragging a corner or edge to expand or contract its horizontal and/or vertical dimensions
  - To connect two notes, just drag and drop one note onto another, and they revert to their original locations, but now they’re connected
  - To change the connection from a dotted line to a directional or bi-directional arrow, just also use the command, control, or option keys while dragging (I printed out Scapple’s 2-page Quick Start Guide and I keep that handy. Easy)
  - Can do lots more with color, note backgrounds/shapes, etc. But not a lot of foo-foo crap I don’t need (that would slow me and this lightning fast tool down)
  - One of the coolest features: when you move a note around (drag ‘n drop), the connectors automagically extend or contract and change angle as necessary. The connection labels follow the lines too
  - Aligning connected or unconnected notes horizontally or vertically is a simple select a menu option from the tool bar and click.
  - And justifying text inside a note (left, right, or centered) is just as easy
  - Lots more too like stacking, background shapes, zooming and navigating, and movement mode.
- Interacting with Scrivener:
  - Easy drag ‘n drop or cut ‘n paste multiple elements (notes) from Scapple into the Scrivener binder (file list), and the program automatically creates a document (e.g., scene) within a Scrivener project (aka book) for each note from the Scapple diagram.
- Exporting:
  - As a file (PDF)
  - Or as an image (PNG)
  - Other mind mapping programs offer more export options, but this is all I needed and wanted.

So the next logical progression? Why not include a completed mind map at the beginning of each of my novels with a robust cast? George RR Martin includes maps of the Seven Kingdoms in his books, as does JRR Tokein with a map of Middle Earth. Why not a relationship map of my Mayhem characters? They can’t stop me!

Bonus Tip:

I’m also finding this tool incredibly helpful for mapping concepts I’m learning as I structure this latest work in progress. Mind mapping is also a wonderful technique for visualizing an overall project, for getting my mental arms wrapped around a 70- to 100-thousand word story beyond basic story structure and character relationships. Applying Scapple to that task is equally useful and productive, at least for my mental workflow.

For example, I just read (twice) a new (to me) Kindle book called Write Your Novel From the Middle by James Scott Bell. This is a wonderful little book that I found immensely instructional.

Bell presents a method for nailing the structure and continuity or theme (a book’s throughline) of a long-form writing project like a novel by first identifying what he refers to as a mirror moment (MM). Within a scene during a moment of introspection, a character asks several important questions of herself, perhaps looking at a mirror. This moment–near the midpoint of a story–is a pivotal point that defines what the story is really all about. That is where we start.

Then, and only then, according to Bell, should we return to an earlier point in the outline (or scene list) and define that character’s pre-story psychology (PSP). Or we may choose to jump ahead to the end of the story and sketch out or write that story’s or character’s transformation (T). But the mirror moment is what generates the project’s heat, as Bell says, the continuity between the early story and its ending.

Bell calls these three points his Golden Triangle. Some author’s refer to that as the character’s arc. Bell simply suggests an elegant and simplified point of view for implementing that important concept, expanding it to integrate the story’s theme.

I’ve embedded all of these diagrams for easy reference in the Scrivener project for Mayhem: Underground… As I add scenes, I’ll refer to these diagrams to stay on track. I can even view each diagram alongside the scene I’m currently crafting.

So how cool is that? Now I’m brainstorming scenes that connect the dots. Or in this case, the scenes that connect the three corners of Bell’s Golden Triangle: three major scene signposts for each of the three main characters in each of the three story lines to ensure the story flows with punch and continuity:

The mirror moment (either character-driven or plot-driven) placed well within Act 2 of a three-act structure for each story line (circa the book’s midpoint),
The pre-story psychology (background early in the book) for the major characters in each story line that makes the mirror moment necessary, and
The transformation experienced by each of those characters at the end of the book which brings the reader to confident closure.

I combined this Golden Triangle methodology with Bell’s Fourteen Signpost Scenes, another pro-tip in Write From the Middle…

By pasting those scene titles and descriptions into Scrivener’s binder (list of scenes/chapters), the dots are now filling in faster in my mind than I can write them!

For me (your mileage may vary), this yields just enough structure to the overall project to ensure a powerful throughline, and it’s fun! At least, that’s Bell’s promise, and… so far, so good.

Of course, I still modify a lot of this stuff as the story evolves, but it’s a great way to hit the keyboard with momentum, and a great way to visualize complex character and story relationships.

***WARNING: Choose your tool carefully.***
Don’t just get seduced by sexy graphics and tack-on capabilities.
Most mind mapping tools are hierarchical, like a tree goes from a trunk to larger branches to smaller branches. That was not what I needed, and a primary reason I chose Scapple for its any-to-any connection capabilities.
***And just remember: if your objective is to WRITE, creating beautiful and creative diagrams may generate orthogonal value, but will slow down the writing process.***

Mind-mapping tool selection considerations:

Most free tools are web-based (an Internet connection is needed for access and use)
If you’re asked to pay for a tool, look for one with a generous free trial with the tool’s full function (like Scapple) to ensure it’s right for you before plunking down hard-earned cash
Some of the paid tools might be subscription-based (a monthly fee) or a one-time licensing fee (like Scapple) which is available for either MacOS (like mine) or Windows ($18 USD each). Sadly not available on iOS or Android.
Look for a tool that fits your particular needs.
There is a lot of feature overlap between tools, but if you’re going to use such a tool quite a bit (you’ll find reasons!), take a little time to choose your best fit.

Basic selection criteria for a mind mapping tool include:

Top priority: choose a tool that inspires you to complete your task!
Free or fee (free isn’t always the best choice, but a free trial usually is)
Web- or desktop-based
Hierarchical (most tools) or any-to-any (like Scapple) connections
Integration with other software you use (e.g., MS Word, Scrivener, other mind mapping tools your friends or collaborators may use)
Export, save, print, share capabilities (pick the program that allows the output formats you need)
Full-screen with easy zoom mode. Useful for large complex diagrams
Sophisticated graphics (images, clip-art, colorful connectors, timeline, 3D view…)
Input capabilities like weblinks, videos, emoji reactions, and/or music. I chose simple and fast with Scapple as I wasn’t out to create a work of art or a multimedia presentation
Mind mapping templates if you need something to start from. Some programs provide a library of templates which is useful if you don’t know where to begin, or you have a very task-specific project in mind
Some tools are very task-specific (e.g., project management, budgeting, teaching, scheduling, Gantt charting, Venn diagrams, checklists, blue prints, spreadsheet-based, team collaboration…)
Some online tools (won’t work without an Internet connection) require you to create an account to use them. Most are free to create, but may charge you for tool usage once you’re in
Some provide robust font support
Some provide a built-in presentation mode

Note: one feature of Scapple could be construed as a disadvantage. While it offers an intuitively simple interface, connectors between nodes are straight lines only, unlike some other tools. That works fine for me, but some might find this limiting.

Mind-mapping resources (some overlap):

Go crazy!

With pen in hand…

Gene (also at GKJurrens.com)

New Lessons: eBook to Print

By admin | October 26, 2019

How many of you publish eBooks only (Kindle or iBook editions…)? That’s me. For now. But…

Now I’m thinking all things paperback publishing. No hardcovers for now, and that’s okay.

In fact, more seriously than ever, I’m considering embarking on the tree-killing phase of my independent publishing journey.
That translates into “Fear of Commitment.” Once on paper, no more easy revisions!

I flirted with starting down this path well over a year ago, and shared what I learned at that time in an article about one print-on-demand (POD) vendor, KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing, an Amazon company. FYI, if you were familiar with CreateSpace, it has been absorbed into KDP. I posted some good info in an article you can find here.

You can see I’ve learned more since then, but rather than repeat much of that material, see that article for good questions self-publishing authors of print books should research on cryptic topics such as book format, spline width, full-bleed, text boundaries, etc. Not for the feint of heart, but essential questions all. Fortunately, Print-on-demand (POD) vendors are helpful navigating this morass.

Here’s what I’m learning today:

Scrivener remains my overwhelming author software of choice; however, I need to learn even more new terms and why they are important as I set my sites on print. For example:
- What is the difference between mass-market and trade paperbacks? See Joseph Kunz’s excellent article explaining the difference. I’m aiming at mass-market for lower unit cost (and price).
- What precise formatting dimensions are expected for each, and how does that influence my design (my “copy,” or text; and graphics) for a front cover, the spine (the narrow edge that shows when the book sits on the shelf), and the back cover?
  - I suggest studying the detailed specifications of each POD vendor before spending time creating your own format and design. Don’t waste time redesigning, like me.
  - For example, guidelines for KDP can be found here.
- I design my own cover art using Canva which offers some nice basic designs from templates, especially after I add my own artwork, which is optional. If you hire the services of a professional cover designer for several hundred dollars or more for each project, you need not worry so much about this part of the process other than paying your artist. A few ideas for you:
  - Use your favorite search engine (my favorite is duckduckgo.com because they don’t micro-market to me like the big boys) to locate “book cover designers” and roll the dice! Or,
  - Consult with successful authors to discover their favorites. Joanna Penn has made a name for herself writing and publishing both fiction and non-fiction. Take a look at her extensive list of book cover designers here.
Scrivener continues to be my amazing all-in-one writer’s studio. All of my formatting, even for paper, can be achieved within this single program. As I discover I need them (e.g., for print), I’m finding useful features in the Compile (format/export) feature of Scrivener:
- The “Print” function in Compile, for example, doesn’t mean I need to print to paper. Rather, I will format for print, and save my output in a PDF file format, or some other type of file, to pre-flight (inspect) the results,
- Heretofore unimportant (to me) formatting and ID options, such as:
  - Margins. They now need careful consideration. New terms, such as guttering are now important. These are the margins closest to the center of the book, where the rightmost margin of the leftmost page is closest to the leftmost margin of the rightmost (facing) page. The gutter. Why? Well, the thicker (as in more pages in) the book, the wider the guttering margins must be. Huh! Who knew?
  - Page Count. Too many pages means too high a book price required by the printer (they charge by the page). If the book costs too much, that impacts my sales. Artificially lowering the price (a tighter profit margin) leaves fewer pennies left to drift into this author’s bank account. And my CFO claims it’s not enough to justify a year’s worth of effort. Huh. Alas, what is a poor scribe to do. Is not every word I pen precious? The truth is it ain’t worth a plug nickel if nobody buys the darn book because it costs too much!
  - Scrivener Compile for Print: This may require a good deal of experimentation, but this article is helping tweak my freak. And remember, experimentation with the look of the book can be achieved without killing a single tree. Select Print formatting in Compile and then export your format to a PDF file instead of to a printer. I will spend the time to get it right!
  - ISBNs: A comprehensive discussion of ISBNs can be found in this article. ISBN is an acronym for the all-important International Standard Book Number. This article is a must-read for all self-published authors!
    - While I haven’t needed an ISBN to self-publish an eBook within a single channel (think only Kindle Edition only on Amazon, for example), a unique ISBN is required for each:
      - Print book,
      - Audiobook,
      - Language.
    - ISBNs for use in any sales channel are not free. I’m saving my pennies to buy 100 ISBNs for $575 (better deal than $150 each!). Why? Well…
      - I’ll have 4 books published by year-end x 3 (eBook + audiobook + paperback) = 12 ISBNs I require now, and,
      - I’ll require 3 additional ISBNs for each new book (potentially).
      - Each revision requires an additional IBSN for each format
      - If I should choose to publish other authors’ books (unlikely), I will have some ISBNs to spare.
      - Plus I have several shorter projects like short story anthologies and novellas in the wings.
I’m discovering new resources on the Internet for exploring features I had yet to learn within Scrivener, and will be useful as I commit to print. Some features ease the task of writing, while others ensure a consistent look and feel across all my books once printed. Very cool stuff. Such as:
- Keywords. Here’s why. I assign a keyword to each scene or chapter within which a certain character appears. Then I can search on that keyword in my 100,000-word novel to see how many scenes or chapters in which that character appears. Or I assign a different keyword to all the scenes or chapters relevant to one storyline, and a different keyword to another. That helps me understand the balance and distribution across the storylines.
- Templates. Let’s say I don’t want to recreate dozens of settings for each new book. I only publish one book a year. Remembering all those settings for that long is a pain, and if dozens of options are not precisely duplicated, the latest book doesn’t look quite like the last one. This is particularly problematic for a series. Using the same template for each project simplifies matters. I discovered some wonderful articles for future projects that you might find useful in structuring your own work. My advice? Study Scrivener templates! Create your own! Or modify someone else’s for your use to keep your projects consistent! Examples:
  - 30-Chapter Novel Template (Damien LeDoux)
  - Romance Novel Template (Gwen Hayes)
  - Murder Mystery Template (Jennifer Mattern)
  - And if you need some help importing templates into Scrivener or are looking for some non-fiction templates (some cost a few bucks), click here.
- Page Formatting Options for Print:
  - I’m in the process of crafting my fondest page and book formatting dreams within Compile in Scrivener. And not just for Fractured Dreams, but for all my projects. With quality and consistency. But this will take some work on my part unless I want to spend money. Here are the options:
    - This Page Formatting Tricks article includes some clever ideas on how to use Scrivener Collections to track different versions of the same project (ePub or iBooks, Print, or Kindle). I like these ideas because it keeps me from needing external tools,
    - Alternatives to focusing on Scrivener Compile include spending money formatting your manuscripts with other products like Adobe InDesign (free trial, then $21 monthly!) or the ease-of-use-per-dollar value, Vellum ($250, one-time charge for eBook & Print), but those are still additional significant expenditures and learning curves of other tools.
    - Or you can spend even more (thousands across multiple projects) hiring one of the countless professional book formatting services to do the work for you. All are reasonable choices with different price points, but the choice is yours.

So it occurred to me that even after spending a few years using just the Scrivener features I needed, I’m still learning more this amazing tool can do for me.

Now that my manuscript (final draft) for “Fractured Dreams” is out for beta readers to pick apart (thank you, all!), I’m spending some time learning all this print stuff before I start work on the next project.

You get the idea. Thinking paperback requires different considerations than thinking eBook; however, Scrivener continues to keep this author from straying.
That pleases me because I SO dislike jumping between two or more tools.

Put this in your “for what it’s worth” department.

With pen in hand, and Scrivener on the screen,

Gene

Author of Dangerous Dreams, UpLife – Reality 2.0, and A Narrow Painted Road.

***Look for the sequel to “Dangerous Dreams” entitled “Fractured Dreams” late 2019.***

New Lessons: eBook to Print

By admin | October 26, 2019

How many of you publish eBooks only (Kindle or iBook editions…)? That’s me. For now. But…

Now I’m thinking all things paperback publishing. No hardcovers for now, and that’s okay.

In fact, more seriously than ever, I’m considering embarking on the tree-killing phase of my independent publishing journey.
That translates into “Fear of Commitment.” Once on paper, no more easy revisions!

Here’s what I’m learning today:

Scrivener remains my overwhelming author software of choice; however, I need to learn even more new terms and why they are important as I set my sites on print. For example:
- What is the difference between mass-market and trade paperbacks? See Joseph Kunz’s excellent article explaining the difference. I’m aiming at mass-market for lower unit cost (and price).
- What precise formatting dimensions are expected for each, and how does that influence my design (my “copy,” or text; and graphics) for a front cover, the spine (the narrow edge that shows when the book sits on the shelf), and the back cover?
  - I suggest studying the detailed specifications of each POD vendor before spending time creating your own format and design. Don’t waste time redesigning, like me.
  - For example, guidelines for KDP can be found here.
- I design my own cover art using Canva which offers some nice basic designs from templates, especially after I add my own artwork, which is optional. If you hire the services of a professional cover designer for several hundred dollars or more for each project, you need not worry so much about this part of the process other than paying your artist. A few ideas for you:
  - Use your favorite search engine (my favorite is duckduckgo.com because they don’t micro-market to me like the big boys) to locate “book cover designers” and roll the dice! Or,
  - Consult with successful authors to discover their favorites. Joanna Penn has made a name for herself writing and publishing both fiction and non-fiction. Take a look at her extensive list of book cover designers here.
Scrivener continues to be my amazing all-in-one writer’s studio. All of my formatting, even for paper, can be achieved within this single program. As I discover I need them (e.g., for print), I’m finding useful features in the Compile (format/export) feature of Scrivener:
- The “Print” function in Compile, for example, doesn’t mean I need to print to paper. Rather, I will format for print, and save my output in a PDF file format, or some other type of file, to pre-flight (inspect) the results,
- Heretofore unimportant (to me) formatting and ID options, such as:
  - Margins. They now need careful consideration. New terms, such as guttering are now important. These are the margins closest to the center of the book, where the rightmost margin of the leftmost page is closest to the leftmost margin of the rightmost (facing) page. The gutter. Why? Well, the thicker (as in more pages in) the book, the wider the guttering margins must be. Huh! Who knew?
  - Page Count. Too many pages means too high a book price required by the printer (they charge by the page). If the book costs too much, that impacts my sales. Artificially lowering the price (a tighter profit margin) leaves fewer pennies left to drift into this author’s bank account. And my CFO claims it’s not enough to justify a year’s worth of effort. Huh. Alas, what is a poor scribe to do. Is not every word I pen precious? The truth is it ain’t worth a plug nickel if nobody buys the darn book because it costs too much!
  - Scrivener Compile for Print: This may require a good deal of experimentation, but this article is helping tweak my freak. And remember, experimentation with the look of the book can be achieved without killing a single tree. Select Print formatting in Compile and then export your format to a PDF file instead of to a printer. I will spend the time to get it right!
  - ISBNs: A comprehensive discussion of ISBNs can be found in this article. ISBN is an acronym for the all-important International Standard Book Number. This article is a must-read for all self-published authors!
    - While I haven’t needed an ISBN to self-publish an eBook within a single channel (think only Kindle Edition only on Amazon, for example), a unique ISBN is required for each:
      - Print book,
      - Audiobook,
      - Language.
    - ISBNs for use in any sales channel are not free. I’m saving my pennies to buy 100 ISBNs for $575 (better deal than $150 each!). Why? Well…
      - I’ll have 4 books published by year-end x 3 (eBook + audiobook + paperback) = 12 ISBNs I require now, and,
      - I’ll require 3 additional ISBNs for each new book (potentially).
      - Each revision requires an additional IBSN for each format
      - If I should choose to publish other authors’ books (unlikely), I will have some ISBNs to spare.
      - Plus I have several shorter projects like short story anthologies and novellas in the wings.
I’m discovering new resources on the Internet for exploring features I had yet to learn within Scrivener, and will be useful as I commit to print. Some features ease the task of writing, while others ensure a consistent look and feel across all my books once printed. Very cool stuff. Such as:
- Keywords. Here’s why. I assign a keyword to each scene or chapter within which a certain character appears. Then I can search on that keyword in my 100,000-word novel to see how many scenes or chapters in which that character appears. Or I assign a different keyword to all the scenes or chapters relevant to one storyline, and a different keyword to another. That helps me understand the balance and distribution across the storylines.
- Templates. Let’s say I don’t want to recreate dozens of settings for each new book. I only publish one book a year. Remembering all those settings for that long is a pain, and if dozens of options are not precisely duplicated, the latest book doesn’t look quite like the last one. This is particularly problematic for a series. Using the same template for each project simplifies matters. I discovered some wonderful articles for future projects that you might find useful in structuring your own work. My advice? Study Scrivener templates! Create your own! Or modify someone else’s for your use to keep your projects consistent! Examples:
  - 30-Chapter Novel Template (Damien LeDoux)
  - Romance Novel Template (Gwen Hayes)
  - Murder Mystery Template (Jennifer Mattern)
  - And if you need some help importing templates into Scrivener or are looking for some non-fiction templates (some cost a few bucks), click here.
- Page Formatting Options for Print:
  - I’m in the process of crafting my fondest page and book formatting dreams within Compile in Scrivener. And not just for Fractured Dreams, but for all my projects. With quality and consistency. But this will take some work on my part unless I want to spend money. Here are the options:
    - This Page Formatting Tricks article includes some clever ideas on how to use Scrivener Collections to track different versions of the same project (ePub or iBooks, Print, or Kindle). I like these ideas because it keeps me from needing external tools,
    - Alternatives to focusing on Scrivener Compile include spending money formatting your manuscripts with other products like Adobe InDesign (free trial, then $21 monthly!) or the ease-of-use-per-dollar value, Vellum ($250, one-time charge for eBook & Print), but those are still additional significant expenditures and learning curves of other tools.
    - Or you can spend even more (thousands across multiple projects) hiring one of the countless professional book formatting services to do the work for you. All are reasonable choices with different price points, but the choice is yours.

So it occurred to me that even after spending a few years using just the Scrivener features I needed, I’m still learning more this amazing tool can do for me.

You get the idea. Thinking paperback requires different considerations than thinking eBook; however, Scrivener continues to keep this author from straying.
That pleases me because I SO dislike jumping between two or more tools.

Put this in your “for what it’s worth” department.

With pen in hand, and Scrivener on the screen,

Gene

Author of Dangerous Dreams, UpLife – Reality 2.0, and A Narrow Painted Road.

Scrivener Corkboard Tips

By admin | August 13, 2019

Hey, Scrivener buddies!

If you don’t yet use this program, you can find a generous free trial or commit to purchasing arguably the best author software for editing and organizing available here from my known trusted source–the developers. This site also provides a cornucopia of help.

Want a few useful free tips on using one valuable aspect of Scrivener 3.0?
Keep reading…

***Spend more time imagining worlds, less time manipulating words…***

If you are already a subscriber to this blog, you know I’m a huge Scrivener fan, the only word processing and organizational tool I use to draft and format for publishing longer pieces such as novels, short stories, articles, lengthy blog posts…), and that’s why I’m crafting this article you.

This program transformed my paperless writing workflow. If you’re curious about that, or other awesome writers’ resources I find invaluable, you might like this article listing all my favorite writing tools.

If you’re not as cheap as me, some good commercial Scrivener training programs are available:

David Lee Martin offers a Scrivener class for $47 (as of this printing) called Scrivener Unleashed. If you will trust David with your email address, he’ll send you a FREE daily email tip on using Scrivener.
Joseph Michael also offers a training program called Learn Scrivener Fast. Excellent reviews. More expensive at $127. I suspect it may also be somewhat more comprehensive,
I have availed myself of neither training program. Not to put too fine a point on this, but I am oh-so-very cheap. I have used Scrivener for three years now, learning on my own employing free sources, and every day that passes, I convince myself I don’t need to pay to learn what I might not still know. Bonfire of the Vanities. My message to you, particularly if you don’t feel you have or wish to make the time to learn this wonderful program: there are ways to accelerate your learning curve at various price points from free to fee. That’s good news.
There may be other training programs. These are two fine examples.
I personally pour through the tutorials and forums on the Literature & Latte website.

I’ve captured a few of my own recent learning points below for a specific part of the program. If they are useful to you, Huzzah!

I’ve recently gravitated toward new uses (for me) for the Inspector and Corkboard functions of Scrivener in my latest project (thriller fiction). I thought you might find the screen shot below of some interest for this work-in-progress. It looks complex, and displays a lot of stuff, although I find it VERY useful. PLEASE DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED. Yet.

I’ll peel a few layers off this big fat onion for you if you’re interested, but note this article is not intended to be a detailed tutorial. My objective is to simply introduce some cool but useful stuff Scrivener does for me within one of three primary “views” – the corkboard view:

***I’m hoping you can enlarge this illustration. If not, the description below should suffice.***

Yeah, there’s a lot here, which is exactly why the corkboard view is so useful. And powerful. For example:

First, note three divisions in the window above: the “binder” on the left (a list of files / folders); second, the “inspector” on the right (shows synopsis and notes I’ve entered for a file or folder; and third, the largest area in the center called the “corkboard” (displays a “Post-it Note” for each file or folder in the binder).
Can you see the value of such a big-picture view? For my latest WIP, I weave multiple story lines (60,000 words drafted and partially edited so far toward my target of 90,000 words). This view allows me to stand back and observe the overall flow of how those story lines intersperse in the manuscript. I also get a better sense of how the overall story is evolving.
Did you notice the “144 Items” cited in the lower left corner of the corkboard? This tells me I have defined 144 scenes. From here I can choose how I might want to merge scenes into chapters:
- 144 is too many chapters for this project, for example,
- Each file in the binder is called a “document” within the overall “project,” or manuscript for this book,
- Merging scenes is easy. Just highlight all the documents you wish to merge. Then, at the top of the screen, in the Scrivener toolbar, select DOCUMENTS / MERGE. Done. Easy!
- Likewise if you want to split a document, use the same process (but do so in the text, or “Scrivenings” or text editor view (the leftmost of three icons in a row at the top of the screen, the one that looks like multiple pieces of paper stacked),
After I highlight the overall manuscript (top-level folder in the binder – this is necessary to get your corkboard view to appear), I select the corkboard view at top of the Scrivener screen (middle orange grid-like icon between the regular text view and the outline),
Lots of options for corkboard view. I started with the defaults until I wanted more (title of scene or chapter followed by synopsis of each, and a small file or folder icon that I can change), so let’s talk about why this is useful to me:
- See the little blue function icon at extreme upper right? Toggles the “Inspector” (right portion of screen) on / off,
  - The inspector can show lots of info relevant to a particular file (think scene or chapter) in the binder,
  - My most useful: a scene’s synopsis and notes.
  - I highlight one “post-it note” on the corkboard in the center portion of the screen and the inspector shows info relevant to that scene.
  - In the upper portion of the inspector you see text I’ve typed as a brief description of that scene–its synopsis.
  - Below the synopsis I’ve also typed a few tactical notes to myself that I want attached to that scene, but will not show up anywhere else,
  - IMPORTANT: none of the inspector‘s components are visible in the manuscript’s text when viewed in Scrivener’s editor (in the Scrivenings view) nor when it is compiled into the exported and formatted manuscript. This info is ONLY displayed on the corkboard view and in the inspector. It is for your eyes only to help you write your best! Note: the inspector can also be toggled on / off in the Scrivenings (editor) view,
- Note the title and icon for each scene in the binder is automatically echoed in each “post-it note” on the corkboard.
  - A word on icons: My two major venues in this book will be the protagonist’s “real world” and his “fictional world” (he’s an author and podcaster). I chose an “eye” icon for all scenes related to his real world, and a “thought bubble” for all his fictional world scenes. Easier to track that way,
- A few options I’ve enabled for my personalized corkboard view and how you can do so if useful to you:
  - At the top of the screen, click VIEW / CORKBOARD OPTIONS / SHOW STATUS STAMPS. That option remains for all work you do on the corkboard from then on within this project (book):
    - The red diagonal watermark stamps show the status I’ve designated for each scene (“ProWritingAid Done,” “Revised Draft,” etc. I find this useful for tracking what I’ve already accomplished for each scene.
      - For example to change these as I make progress on each scene, I RIGHT-CLICK on a scene’s title in the binder or on a scene on the corkboard, and click on STATUS, then click on “ProWritingAid Done.” .
    - Do you see lower right where it says, “No Status” and the pull-down next to it? In corkboard view I can sort scenes by STATUS.
      - If you’ve listened to my banter for a while, you know I use a tool (my personal “writing coach”) called ProWritingAid.com (PWA). I find it useful to track which scenes I’ve processed with PWA, so I defined a status label for that and chose to display them in corkboard view.
      - Other STATUS STAMPS: “First Draft,” “Final Draft,” “Done”…). I can define more if useful. Access STATUS by right-clicking on a scene in the binder or corkboard and click on desired status for that scene.
  - At the top of the Scrivener screen again, to add some meaningful COLOR labels to each “post-it note” on the corkboard, I click on VIEW / CORKBOARD OPTIONS / SHOW LABEL COLORS ALONG EDGES:
    - You’ll see blue and red edges along the left side of each “post-it note:”
      - I’ve defined blue for an easy visual clue to signify actual scene text and red for metadata (info about the scenes that follow),
      - For example, I use a red label for an Act boundary in this example, and the info in the inspector shows up in red boundary cards.
      - Label colors also show up in the binder. A blue label, for example, tells me I’ve tweaked that text using PWA (a FREE tool separate from Scrivener that integrates well if you subscribe to their Premium desktop version),
      - See how much blue there is in my binder to the left? That gives me a visual clue of my progress on the entire manuscript.
      - Workflow item: After I perform a compile to read this collection of selected blue scenes as a formatted book for review purposes (Kindle, PDF, etc.), my next move with these blue scenes is a final read-through for any remaining tweaks I might want to include before I change the label color for that scene or group of scenes to green (my definition for “FINAL DRAFT”).
    - Lower right corner of the corkboard again, see “Red?” I can also sort the post-it notes by color. For example, I might want to see all “First Draft” scenes up front together. I don’t use that much, but I could,
    - I can also define how big each post-it note on the corkboard will appear. See the top of the Scrivener screen (the tool bar): VIEW / CORKBOARD OPTIONS / CARDS ACROSS. From there you can choose the number of cards in a row (1, 2, 3… or Autofit),
When we write, we know each scene has its own structure (character, setting, internal/external conflict to create tension, ensure it moves the story forward, major or minor cliff-hanger that leads reader eagerly to the next scene, etc).
- I find the corkboard view particularly useful in capturing or reviewing the brief synopsis for each scene to validate that checklist (I might choose to retain that list in the inspector’s notes for each scene until I’m confident it’s no longer needed,
The corkboard is also useful for viewing the bigger picture flow of my overall manuscript,
Just as in the binder, I can easily drag scenes around if I’m not pleased with the flow, or I can more easily spot continuity problems.

Enough, already! I only hope this helps you guys more than it confuses. Yeah, there’s a lot to Scrivener, but the good news is really good news:

I don’t need to learn all this stuff at once, but I get a good feeling knowing that I’m investing my valuable time learning the best author/blogging software there is for editing and organizing, and any function I might need is there IF and WHEN I need it,
In addition to the commercial training programs mentioned earlier, there’s lots of free help in learning this stuff including decent help files, lots of info on the Literature & Latte website where they offer free tutorials, manuals, and forums, Scrivener FaceBook Groups we can join where experts are glad to answer questions…

By the way, this morning I updated my iMac’s software which took over an hour. Instead of losing my most productive writing time (pre-dawn hours), I quit Scrivener on my Mac before starting its update, fired up the iOS (tablet) version of Scrivener on my iPad, synced with the manuscript changes I had made on the Mac via DropBox (free cloud service), and continued writing on my iPad while “Big Mac” underwent therapy.

I take comfort knowing my projects are backed up not only locally on three devices (iOS version of Scrivener also works on my iPhone), but also offsite in a cloud server. Never know.

That’s it for this morning.

KAY, MORE COFFEE, PLEASE!

Write on, fellow scribes!

For the love of… words, Gene

GKJurrens.com

A Traveling Author’s Best Bets

By admin | February 25, 2019

Ride with me on a journey. Together, let’s explore the experience of wandering North America while learning, writing, editing, teaching, and publishing. In this article I offer you a fanciful overview of my best practices for the itinerant author of fiction or non-fiction, on land or at sea. And we will examine how such a lifestyle compares to that of you stationary authors. If you’re a “roadie” too, you already understand. And we’ll talk best writing tools.

Your Tiny Rolling Home

Imagine your home is tiny, odd-shaped, less than three hundred square feet, maybe much less. And that little house moves with you from one place to another, anywhere you see a road wide enough and possess the desire to drive it.

How would your life as a writer remain the same or differ from sticks ’n bricks on a cul-de-sac in Hometown, USA? How would you survive and thrive rolling over strange byways to set up camp—not as a vacation, but as a lifestyle, where the trip is home?

Writing On Land or At Sea

Our home afloat sailed us down fifteen-hundred miles of the US river system, across the Gulf of Mexico, to the Florida Keys, and beyond. Now we’ve abandoned our life at sea in favor of “land yachting.” So far, such journeys have lasted many years for my wife and me with no predictable end in sight.

Still I write.

Our last “front yard” chasing a Western sunset anchored off Key West, FL, USA. By land or by sea, ***write!***
(original digital painting by GK Jurrens)

We will explore efficiencies that allow all authors greater productivity, even from within a tiny rolling (or floating) home.

Will the Road End Before It Begins?

I now find it difficult to imagine remaining in one place for more than several weeks, but suspect I will eventually awaken from this delightful dream. If you are considering the wandering writer’s life, please keep reading for two important safety tips.

Know that you do need an exit strategy before hitting the Interstate, or the Intracoastal. Nothing lasts forever.

You should also know a full-time mobile lifestyle is not for the feint of heart, maybe not even for you. But such a quest does fan the fires of inspiration. Without question.

Perennial Writing Wisdom… Anywhere

First, certain elements remain the same, no matter the geography:

Virtuosity requires writing daily whether standing or moving,
My evolution as an author continues—I will never cease studying the craft,
Most of us need a controlled space to set our inner authors free. Some of us need noise, others silence. We all must focus. I arise early to write while it’s quiet,
And like all serious authors, I need to build my brand, including a web site, a blog, subscribers, and social media,
I must communicate with other writers and readers.

Adapting to a Mobile Writer’s Life

Other factors require me to road-adapt:

Important relationships with other writers and writing groups are harder “out here.” I embrace this challenge by joining online groups such as “Authors on the Road” on Facebook. Remember, first sell yourself, then your books.Google for many fine resources. Seek a good fit. I’m meeting intriguing folks online—readers and writers—with whom I might not otherwise interact, much less share tips, feedback, and outrageous stories.
Offering writing seminars pays delightful dividends like face-to-face marketing opportunities and increased book sales. I offer such seminars at RV rallies, local libraries, and bookstores. They never disappoint.

An Author’s Paperless Workflow

While inspiration coalesces outside our windshield, we still sleep in our own bed each night. My study and favorite chair and ottoman faithfully follow me everywhere. Limited space for reference materials, especially for a hard-copy library remains our nemesis. Every cubic inch is precious in the bus.

My strategy? A paperless workflow:

A twenty-seven-inch iMac provides a large visual portal into my work. Yes, I made room for this important (and large) writing tool.
“Outlining Your Novel Software”gets my juices flowing,
Then I flesh out my first draft using an invaluable organizational and editing tool called “Scrivener,”
Another program, “ProWritingAid”facilitates my editing process, integrating nicely with “Scrivener.” I no longer print manuscripts for editing, now unnecessary with these productivity tools,
For now, Kindle Direct Publishing produces my eBooks (Kindle editions) with me as publisher (Author One), eliminating the need for an inventory of space-consuming paper books, although this has affected my marketing efforts. I adapt as necessary.

You need not be a traveling author to leverage this efficient process.

Internet Connectivity & Synchronized Simplicity

My most daunting challenge remains consistent Internet connectivity to back up my research notes, drafts, and manuscripts in cloud storage, and for synchronizing my writing in Scrivener (see my review here) across my iMac, iPhone, iPad, and cloud storage. Only the Apocalypse will destroy my work even though it isn’t on paper!

For this purpose, the free version of an Internet site called “Dropbox” is effective and automatically synchronizes across all my devices after a one-time set up.
By synchronizing projects across my computer, smartphone, and tablet, I can write anywhere with absolute confidence in the integrity of all my projects modified on any of my devices. Even if inspiration strikes while standing in line at the market. Or while lying in bed. Or astride the throne.
I shopped for cell plans that allow me unlimited data streaming to/from phones and tablets. The only time I’m data-plan-limited is to/from the desktop iMac, but my plan allows for that (except for the rare dead zone). I then use a phone or tablet as the Mac’s Internet “hotspot.” Speed is adequate. AT&T and Verizon offer adequate plans. For almost two years I used a dedicated hotspot device (MyFi with AT&T… Verizon calls theirs a JetPack. With the evolution of cell plans, MyFi became obsolete, and I no longer need a separate device),
To optimize free WiFi wherever available, I use a bus rooftop booster called a WiFiRanger which boasts built-in security, even over an unsecured campground WiFi, by creating a bus-wide VPN (Virtual Private Network). Yeah, too techy. Sorry.
- Or I loiter in a coffee shop with my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard.
- Most of the time, my unlimited streaming plan make WiFi obsolete, at least on the phone and tablet.

My productivity soared after I adapted my writing process to this paperless workflow.

Advantages of Mobile Research

Prowling used bookstores everywhere, I eagerly anticipate the aroma of musty volumes and strong coffee… and local inspiration:

In Astoria, Oregon, I love “Lucy’s.” Shop in a “Tardis” (Police Call Box) like Doctor Who’s.
Another example in Astoria: if you need to research Wicca (magic and witchcraft) for a project while sipping Arabica, nearby curmudgeonly “Godfather Books” features an entire section. Another pearl I discovered there—a book on 1940s prison slang!
When passing through Cedar City, Utah, I love “Main Street Books” (collector’s editions, new/used, features local authors). This store connects to a popular coffee house where groups of readers and writers can commiserate in soft chairs.

Googling can’t replace being there… touching, smelling, hearing, tasting, feeling…

Handcrafted Characters Well Met

Delicious characters from each robust region of North America constantly surprise me, and will invade the pages of my new novels, poems, and memoirs. As examples:

Harley is a leathery old prospector of vintage nineteenth-century bottles. He researches local courthouses to uncover erstwhile outhouse locations in Oregon ghost towns so he can “mine” bottles from those high-value digs.
And I’ve met self-proclaimed “rubber trampers” living in the open desert outside Quartzsite, Arizona. Most live on the cheap, minimizing their carbon footprints. Many are devotees of Henry David Thoreau.

Oh, the as-yet-unpublished campfire stories and quotable recitations!

Staying Overnight at Writing Events

Life on the road allows us to intersect with book festivals and writing conferences. At each day’s end, we retire to our own home—the bus—just nearby. To our own bed and pillows, and to my own study from which my cherished iMac beckons.

Frequented festival examples:

The summer-long Shakespeare Festival, Cedar City, Utah, where we attended several live performances of The Bard’s work, and others, including a hilarious comedy, “The Foreigner.”
And the winter weekend Tucson Festival of Books (TFOB). As a volunteer venue monitor, I am able to meet successful authors, publishers, literary agents, and readers. If you independently publish, pay $40 for a two-hour slot at a table in the TFOB Indie Author’s Pavilion. Thousands of readers, agents, and authors see you and your work. But sign up early!
A more intimate festival each Winter in Fort Myers, Florida—the Southwest Florida Reading Festival.

Such networking opportunities, including more specialized writing conferences, are especially important to the traveling author.

Pearls of Homegrown Wisdom

Traveling emphasizes the following lessons for all authors:

To write well requires constant learning to keep our work fresh and evolving,
As we travel to sources of inspiration, internal or external, we may pay a hefty price, but our devoted inner authors will wish to pay—emotionally, financially, perhaps physically,
No matter where I am, as a conscientious writer, I know I must pay close attention to what is happening around me, including sundry eccentricities that add spice to an otherwise bland stew.

In Conclusion

On the road or not, as authors, you and I must leverage each day as if it were our last. Because it soon will be, at least for this destination. We thus honor family, friends and readers encountered everywhere we wander.

This is venerable guidance for all of us, not only as authors, but as human beings.

A Traveling Author's Best Bets - Writing Tools & Going Paperless — The skeleon of an ancient Saguaro cactus reminds us neither are we immortal.
(original photo by GK Jurrens)

GKJurrens.com

Write on!

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Tag: Scrivener

Why Should a Great Mind Map Matter to You as an Author?

By admin | August 9, 2020

I’m going to share with you a tool and a methodology, both of which have already paid me handsome dividends for my current long-form writing project, a novel, and for all my future novels… for less than twenty bucks.