Hi,
I want to semi-regularly insert some symbols (in this case, asterisks) between paragraphs, to mark a transition to a different ‘scene’/locale within chapters.
I could just type, and centre a row of eight or nine asterisks, but I am not sure if this is the best way to accomplish what I want to do - for example, I have not yet used the Compile feature, and wonder if simply typing some characters might result in erratic placement of those characters when compiled.
Or, maybe there are other reasons to go about this in a different way.
I am grateful for any feedback and suggestions anyone can provide.
Double-click the Format you choose in the Compile Overview Window.
The Compile Format Designer opens.
On the left you’ll find the Separators tab.
In the Section Layouts list, select the Section Layout for your Scene.
Set the Separator between Sections to Custom.
Add three Asterisks in the text field next to Custom.
Compile.
Double-click the Format you choose in the Compile Overview Window.
The Compile Format Designer opens.
On the left you’ll find the Separators tab.
In the Section Layouts list, select the Section Layout for your Scene.
Set the Separator between Sections to Custom.
Add three Asterisks in the text field next to Custom.
Compile.
HTH
Hi Antoni,
Many thanks for your reply.
In case I was unclear, I should clarify that I want to introduce a symbol or separator while I am writing my drafts in Scrivener, i.e., not just when I go to compile what I have written.
My understanding (which might not be correct) of the Compile feature is that one uses it at the end of the writing process, so I have some questions about your suggestion.
Will your suggestion allow me to do this, or is the separator only available when I compile what I have already written?
And maybe another version of the same question - will doing what you suggest set up a separator that I can use during the draft process; i.e., can I use/invoke/place the separator (after setting it up) while writing the drafts?
If you want consistent symbols throughout your draft and on the output when compiling, you’ll have to do a couple of things:
Be consistent with what symbols you enter. There’s no way around it if you want these symbols in your text while you write.
Apply a paragraph style to center the text. If it’s not styled, most compile formats will normalize all text alignment to be left-aligned.
Make sure the output format (docx, html, etc…) supports your style, or you’ll have to customize the compile format to translate your “center this text” style into the format’s own language.
The alternative is to either just leave an extra blank line during scene breaks, which some of the compile formats will translate into 3 centered asterisks, or if all you want is to visually see where the breaks are, you could split your chapter into multiple files, and turn on titles in Scrivenings mode, which wouldn’t be “symbols” unless you used them as document titles, but it would be clear where the breaks occurred. Then when you set up compile, you can pick a compile format for those scenes that will put the 3 asterisks in between each of them in a chapter. You can of course customize the compile settings to change from 3 asterisks to whatever you want.
Don’t wait until the end, when you have a publish deadline staring you in the face. Compile early and often. Every day. Change one setting and see what happens. 5 minutes a day, and you’ll be a Compile expert by the time your book is finished.
While the ideas listed are fine, how about just doing a Ctrl-N and making a new subdocument. Let compile do the work of stitching it all together. This is the strength of Scrivener and most people don’t use it. If the subject matter is truly different from the previous writing, make a new document and move along. You can then move that subject wherever you want it, in whatever order it needs to be.
So far, I have just been separating the two pieces of text within a chapter by an extra blank line, as somebody else suggested.
I think what I am going to do, having read all of the suggestions here – all of which are helpful and informative – is implement the following:
Carry on, for now, simply using an extra blank line to separate the two pieces of text in a given chapter
At the same time, I think I will implement the suggestion made here to experiment with the Compile feature So that I can use it by the time I am finished my novel
I know myself, and know that I could really disappear up my own backside fooling around with the Compile, or any other feature, and thereby using that as a form of procrastination from writing, hence my decision.
The two reasons that I have only ever lost three (relatively unimportant) files in the many years that I have been using computers (since before the availability of DOS) are that I NEVER experiment on original files, and that I am obsessive about making multiple backups.
And on the occasion that I lost those three files, my hard disk and one set of floppy disks went down at the same time – my usual practice at that time was to make two sets of floppy disk backups.
Why take a risk when not taking a risk is a foolproof thing to do? (That is a rhetorical question).
Compile doesn’t affect anything about the documents/text in your project. It’s a filter that copies from within your project and puts that copied text into another file external to your project, formatted so that MS Word, or an e-reader, or a PDF reader can open that copy.
It’s not like with most word processors, where you are modifying the text directly.
But of course, do what you’re comfortable with, especially if that experimentation includes splitting your chapters into scene documents. That’s one way that the above suggestions would change the text inside your project.
