So… I’m looking to purchase a software that will give me all the tools to write a novel (hopefully) and came across Scrivener - I have a mac. Wanting to check it out, I downloaded it, put it in my applications folder yet the bugger won’t open. It keeps telling me it’s open but nothing is there?? What’s going on? Any clues? I really want a software like Scrivener that allows you to put all your work in ie: characters, settings, Act 1 Act 2 etc and also has word processor. This is what I was trying, with no success to find out. Does Scrivener have a word processor dictionary, thesaurus and all? If it does great but then my concern would be if I can’t get the free trial up and running will I get the same problem if I purchase Scrivener?
You have to be running Tiger or higher (OSX 10.4) If you launch Scrivener under an Older OS (10.3 or less) the Icon will Bounce on the dock and then nothing happens.
If you are running 10.4 or Higher then look at the menu bar (top of screen).
Scrivener launches but there is no splash screen and no real indication it is running. Under the Menu Bar select NEW PROJECT and that should get you started.
Also you may want to go through the tutorial for some helpful features, etc.
Just to point out:
The “running but has no windows” is normal behaviour for a large number of applications on the Mac, so you may experience it with other applications you try. Having said that, Keith (the developer) is adding a splash screen to the next release.
Regarding dictionary and thesaurus - it does not come with them in-built, but can use 3rd party ones via the Services menu (if you search the forums you will find some mentioned). Spell-checking does come automatically (this is system-wide in Macs).
Scrivener uses the built-in OS X dictionary and thesaurus, which are available from the contextual menu.
You may find the video tutorial on the product page at literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html useful (“Watch Video” in the right-hand panel). It goes through getting up and running. You aren’t the first to find it confusing that there is no window when you first open Scrivener, which is why there is a start panel prompting you to create a project in the next version. But the video should get you past any confusion and get you up and running with the main features. (Note: once you open Scrivener, you should really go to Help > Tutorial and go through that before creating a new project in order to get the most out of the program.)