Scrivener’s Scratchpad is a small floating window that you can display when you’re working with any app. It’s a great way to collect information and capture ideas on the fly when you’re not working in Scrivener.
The Scrivener Scratchpad is a simple floating window allows you to jot down notes at any time, even when you’re viewing another app. You can use the Scratchpad to collect research material such as links or texts from webpages, to jot down ideas about your current work, or to store miscellaneous information that you need for your project.
You can create individual notes in the Scratchpad, add text, links, or images to them, and you can send the contents of a note to any open project. Here’s how to use the Scratchpad.
How to open the Scratchpad
You can open the Scratchpad by choosing Window > Scratchpad, or by pressing Command-Shift-Return (Mac) or Alt+Shift+Enter (Windows). These keyboard shortcuts toggle the Scratchpad, so you can press the shortcut to display the window, paste or type some text, and then press it again to hide the Scratchpad.
If you want to change the Scratchpad keyboard shortcut, you can do so in Scrivener > Settings (Mac) or File > Options (Windows). Click General, then Scratchpad, then enter the shortcut you want to use.
These settings also let you change the location of the Scratchpad files – you may want to access these files since you can open them without using the Scratchpad; see later in this article – and which format you want the Scratchpad to use: Rich Text with Attachments (RTFD), Rich Text (RTF), or Plain Text. If you choose Plain Text, you won’t be able to store images or live links in the Scratchpad, and if you want to share notes between Mac and Windows, don’t use RTFD.
Adding notes to the Scratchpad
The Scratchpad has two sections: the top lists individual notes and the bottom contains the content of your notes. The first time you open the Scratchpad, you see Untitled Note at the top; this is selected, and you can type in the bottom section immediately.
To create another note, click + in the footer of the Scratchpad window, or, if a note is selected in the top section, press Return. Either of these creates a new note with its title selected; type to give your note a title, then press Tab to move to the bottom section and start typing. You can also paste text, links, and images as you’re conducting research and transfer them to your project. (See below.)
You can rename a note by double-clicking it and typing a new name. And you can delete a note by selecting it and pressing Command-Delete (Mac) or Shift+Del (Windows), or by clicking – in the Scratchpad footer.
When it’s useful to take notes in the Scratchpad
One of the most practical ways to use the Scratchpad is to collect data when you’re doing research for a project. Since the Scratchpad floats above other windows, it is always visible; whether you are in a web browser or another app, you can immediately click on the Scratchpad window to paste or type text.
You can also use the Scratchpad when you’re revising your project. You can make notes as you go along for things that you need to check, such as descriptions of characters or settings, the use of certain words, or any global changes you want to make to your project. Unlike notes in the Scrivener Inspector, which are linked to individual files, notes in the Scratchpad are available no matter which file you are looking at.
Sending Scratchpad notes to Scrivener projects
The Scratchpad can send any of your notes to your Scrivener project. For example, let’s say you have found some information about a setting you want to use in your novel. You may have a note containing links, texts, images, etc. You can send these notes to your Research folder.
You could, of course, just create a new file in the Research folder and paste the contents of a note in that file, but the Scratchpad lets you send the contents of any note to any location in your project.
Click a note in the Scratchpad to select it, then click Send to Project. This opens a menu that displays the names of your open projects. Click a project name, and you have two options: Append Text To, and Import as Subdocument of:
Select a file from your Binder in the sub-menu. If you choose Append Text To, Scrivener adds the text from the note to the end of the selected file. If you choose Import as Subdocument of, Scrivener creates a new document as a subdocument for the folder or file you choose. For example, to create a new file in your Research folder containing the contents of your note, select that folder. If you select a file, Scrivener will add the contents of the note as a new child file of the selected file.
Where Scratchpad notes are stored
Scratchpad notes are stored as individual files on your computer, as mentioned above in How to open the Scratchpad. If you plan to make lots of notes with the Scratchpad, especially if those notes contain images, you might want to change the location of that folder, which you can do in the Settings or Options dialog.
Since these notes are stored as individual files, you can open those files with any app that can read their file formats (rich text or plain text) to edit your notes or move them to a different location. In addition, you can add any files in the appropriate format to the Scratchpad notes folder to have them display in the Scratchpad. So if you have done some research in a different app and saved a file as rich text or plain text, you can make it accessible via the Scratchpad by moving it to the appropriate folder.
The Scratchpad is a great tool for researching your Scrivener project, making notes as you write, and making revision notes when you’ve finished your first draft. Since it can display when you’re looking at any app window, it’s practical to keep it handy as you work.
Kirk McElhearn is a writer, podcaster, and photographer. He is the author of Take Control of Scrivener, and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener.