To Literature and Latte: I know you guys are working on this, and as a developer I also recognize that making quality software takes time. I also know the absolute fun that comes from playing in Apple's sandbox. Please, if you read this, I'm not complaining. My recent experiences working with Scrivener on my PC have made me all that much more excited to get it running on my iPad too.
I will pay what you want. $10, $20…$50! Well, maybe not … ok yeah, I'd pay $50 if it worked well. This is how much I've been liking Scrivener lately. I've tried a couple other writing applications and was either underwhelmed with the experience, or overwhelmed by the complexity. Scrivener is simple, fast and has enough options that it is an honest boon to my writing, while not flooding me with things I feel I need to learn to use it to its full potential.
The cork board and index cards alone are enough to make me want to be able to sync it to my iPad; a subset of the other features would just be gravy. Right now I'm using Daedalus for my writing app on my iPad, and while its excellent for just sitting down and writing, it's lacking in the areas that Scivener is strong.
I've finally reached the end of what I'm deciding is 'Act 1' of Impervious, and the big hold up is that I didn't know where to go from there. The answer? Do some plotting, genius. So, last night, that's what I did. I turned on Scrivener (which is already a repository for what I have to date) and started plotting, laying down cards and mapping out what's going to happen in the next act. Its simply brilliant how Scrivener doesn't get in your way while you're working. By the by, the Outline View is fantastic for plotting when you use it with the cork board.
Do you have trouble keeping track of all the different drafts of your stories? I don't. Scrivener has a neat 'Snapshot' function where you can save where you were and just keep on going. Speaking of revising, the dual screen feature is wonderful. I can look at the old version, and the new one side by side without flipping back and forth or keeping two different instances of word or Google Docs open.
Since I took over for writing Edge I've been using Scrivener to write bastardized screenplays for Glenn to turn into beautiful comics, and that works amazingly well. The keyboard shortcuts let you just write and the story and dialogue for the comic takes shape. I still have more to learn. Scrivener still has a double handful of features for me to figure out and incorporate into my writing routine, but it doesn't punish me for not knowing them.
Why the Scrivener love, now? Easy. I've had a LOT of free time lately, and I've almost always got Scrivener open, either for Edge of December or my other stories. The more I use it, the more I love it. Sadly, since so much of my writing is on my iPad, it makes more sense to keep writing on my iPad and sync that up to Scrivener, instead of the other way around. I'm not too sure how it would work trying to get stuff from Scrivener to Daedalus (Daedalus tends to have trouble with bigger documents). Which, brings me back to my fervent wish for Scrivener to come out with their iPad app. Seth WANT! But, I shall summon my patience, wait, and make with the word typey typey as best I can until my wish is granted. Until then, back to work! Later, folks.
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