Elaine Sims
Multi-published author of romantic suspense, including Checks and Balances.
I’ve been using Scrivener from the the very beginning. Before it was even a paid app. And as soon as the paid version was available in beta, I was one of the first to jump on board. First of all, I couldn’t believe how cheap such a great app was and remains to be. I was more than happy to send in my payment.
I have used Scrivener on every one of my novels and I’ve found that not only is it great for writing each draft, its perfect during the editing process when I’m working with my publisher. I simply import the version that I receive from my editor, split into scene or chapter cards with the ‘split at selection’ feature, then I can mix, match, and move around the text in whatever fashion the editor wants me to rearrange my novel.
It was invaluable for my latest release because not only did I have to do standard editing and clean up of the feel and flow of the novel, but I had to introduce a completely new throughline and weave it into the existing manuscript. Using the index cards, I wrote a synopsis of all scenes old and new and moved them around at will until I had the story ‘just right’. Then I brought it all together into a new draft, exported and submitted it.
BTW the novel received a 4 out of 5 star rating from the premier romance writer/reader magazine in the world, Romantic Times. I couldn’t have accomplished this without Scrivener.
I also use Scrivener when I go to writer’s conferences, using index cards for individual lectures and sessions. As a result, other authors see me using the software and always ask about it. They love it. One author, a Windows XP user, went out and bought a Mac just so that she could buy Scrivener!
I’ve been a Scrivener disciple from the very beginning and will continue to be. Great job!