I posted back at the beginning of September about how to get my project into manuscript format. Here’s what I’ve done so far…
-Before I posted, I tried starting my project as “Novel Manuscript Format”, but couldn’t figure out how to get my chapters into the chapter template.
Then, based on the answers to my post I…
-I imported my novel as an Empty Project, and broke it up into chapters.
-I went to Compile Draft, chose “Novel Manuscript Format”, and exported.
It all worked fine except that my chapter titles aren’t centered, and they start at the top of the page instead of part way down.
So now I’m wondering…
-What’s the best way to import my novel so that I can get it into manuscript format?
-Is there a way to import my manuscript into “Novel Manuscript Format” instead of “Empty Project”?
-If not, how can I get my chapters to format correctly?
Thanks,
Hank
Hi Hank,
I know you said you already tried the novel MS template, but did you read the instructions that appear at the top of a project created from that template? They explain how to format the chapter titles, which are contained inside the chapter folder text (remember that a key feature of Scrivener is that folders and text documents are not different apart from their icons and the default mode in which they open - you can turn off the corkboard or outliner to reveal the underlying text of a folder, where you would find the chapter titles in the novel template project).
All the best,
Keith
Keith,
Thanks for the reply. I must be missing something. I read the directions when first tried, and again just now, but I still can’t see my way around this. When I import my novel into Scriviner using Novel Format, in the binder I see the following…
Novel Format
Manuscript
Title Page
Chapter (which is the blank template I want novel to look like)
My imported chapters
I’ve tried dragging my chapters onto the chapter template, and they just go into the chapter file, and don’t get formatted (am I making any sense?).
I imagine I’ll feel pretty silly when I discover what I’m missing here, but right now it’s all beyond me.
Thanks,
Hank
The “Chapter” file has the title and everything formatted, and has “Preserve formatting” set so that it will look just like that in the final MS. Inside the Chapter folder you would put different scenes. There formatting doesn’t matter too much as all the formatting is handled at the Compile Draft stage (the only reason that the Chapter folders are formatted ready is that we want all the spacing before the title etc).
For every new chapter, you will want to create a folder and put some text inside it just like in the Chapter folder that is already there. So the structure of that template project assumes that each chapter is represented by a folder containing different scenes.
The magic is done at the File > Compile Draft stage. In Scrivener, you can format as you go, but you can also just have the text formatted when you compile and write using your preferred writing font… The novel template assumes that you will want Courier etc sorting out at the Compile stage. In general the idea is that you can just worry about writing, and then you may just need to do a bit of reshuffling and mess around with the Compile Draft settings when you want to get everything out.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Keith
Keith,
No, not really. I don’t get how to put my existing chapters into the Chapter folder that appears in the binder. When I “click away” the corkboard so that I can see the underlying text of the Chapter folder, I see the template, just like I want my chapters to look, but I can’t get my exisiting chapters into that folder. I drag them on top of the Chapter folder, and they appear to go in (they show up in the binder under the Chapter folder, and slightly to the right), but they don’t take on the formatting of the Chapter folder.
Hank
Keith,
Am I copying my chapters, and pasting them into the Chapter folder?
My novel is finished (I fought MS Word for three years to do it!!)… I’m just trying to use Scrivener to format the thing. I can’t wait to write a novel from scratch using Scrivener!
Hank
Honestly, you’re at the one stage where Word really is better than Scrivener. Formatting is Word’s whole reason for being. It’s something of a side project for Scrivener. The first thing to realize is that templates in Scrivener do not work in remotely the same way as templates in Word.
Dragging your chapters around in the binder does indeed put them in the folders where they appear to be. To apply the formatting, though, you want to use the File/Compile Draft command. Compile Draft command takes the documents you select (first page of dialog box), applies the formatting you choose (third page), adds headers, footers, and other miscellania (second page), and smooshes the whole thing into a single document, ready for either final tweaking in a program like Word, or shipment to a publisher.
Katherine
Ah, yes, you’re definitely going the wrong way. 
The idea is that you get the novel finished in Scrivener, then take it to a program such as Word or Nisus for final formatting. Dragging files into Scrivener won’t reformat them, if that is what you were expecting. Importing files just imports them as they are. You can then either just reformat them manually, or use Compile Draft to format them at the export stage - Compile Draft only affects the formatting of the exported or printed version of the manuscript, though, the idea being that writers can use any format they wish within Scrivener and then export using a different format.
To achieve what it seems you wish to do, you would need to:
• Create a new chapter folder for each chapter.
• Put each chapter inside the chapter folder, possibly breaking it down into scenes.
• Use Compile Draft to export or print with formatting.
All the best,
Keith
Poor Hank. I completely understand your impulse. 
Scrivener is just so enticing, and the Standard Novel template is pretty much irresistible. I finished my whole novel in Scriv, not using the template, then spent several days trying to transfer it over to a NEW project WITH the template, just as you are doing, for the sheer excitement of getting Scriv to format it. But the others are right, this is an ass-backwards way of doing things. I’m contemplating Nisus at this point, but be of good cheer–there is nothing more refreshing or therapeutic than starting anew on the next WIP, and this time you can use the Novel template right from the get-go.
A fellow traveller-- 
Z
I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Some of the musical instrument forums I’m on would have had a field day with me asking silly questions! Thanks for your patience everyone. Last question (maybe!)… Keith mentioned creating new Chapter folders. How do I do that?
I’ll check out Nisus to help me format. Now I need you guys to help me find an agent for my book!
Hank
To create a new chapter folder, you could just go to File > New Folder or hit Opt-Cmd-N, and then you would have to turn off the corkboard for that folder and add the text. Or you could go to Documents > Simple Duplicate while the current folder is selected to duplicate that one.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
Keith
Thanks for the help everyone!
Hank