As I read around, Scrivener is arguably the best application for novel building and writing. I still have not installed it since I plan to do a serious feature hunt according to what I understand may be the best way I could write. I’m a novice aspiring writer, still learning and worldbuilding. My plan so far is using Scrivener as my main worldbuilding, story planning and word processing software, while using some others to cover Scrivener’s let downs.
So… I understand that Scrivener works with an open format which other programmers have taken advantage of to allow their programs to interoperate with Scrivener. I only know about Scapple and Aeon Timeline. Is there any other program that I should know about?
FreePlane, which is great for organizing research, works nicely with Scrivener.
I make a couple of videos about FreePlane and Scrivener:
scapple freeplane scrivener https://vimeo.com/86436725
Organizing a Writing Project with FreePlane and Scrivener https://vimeo.com/60226233
Thank you. I found I have FreePlane already installed, but I haven’t use it seriously. I see it uses a mm file format. I assume it’s one of the formats Scrivener understands.
It’s already a full week since my OP and just one reply. There should be more applications that can import/export data in a format Scrivener understands. Outliners? The ones I have checked out could be great, but they isolate themselves assuming they are the starting application and they don’t provide any export feature. Is there anyone worth mentioning? Thanks.
In terms of inter-operating applications, the ones that you’re most likely to come across are traditional word processors like MS Word and its non-MS rivals, for which Scrivener can act as a secure, versatile and hugely competent planning and drafting tool with functions that the word processors lack - leaving detailed page layout to the wp - although of course Scrivener can also act as a final-output tool where clever layout is not required. A great deal of Scrivener development work has ensured that the software plays happily in exporting to such applications.
As regards Windows software capable of inputting into Scrivener, I’m more ignorant. On the Mac platform where I work, there’s a format called OPML to which a number of outlining and mind-mapping applications can export and which Scrivener can read. I don’t know whether Windows also uses that format.