I want to share a layout I have used for brainstorming with Scrivener.
The basic idea is that you go wild creating ideas on virtual index card in a first session, and, after cooling down again, you organize them in a second session under the three basic categories of “Beginning”, “Middle” and “End”. Some ideas won’t fit anywhere and are bad ideas anyway: These one you file away under a fourth category (“Leftovers”, for example) for later consideration. You can refine “Beginning” by ordering the cards or putting them into subfolders for sequences, chapters etc., you may have another brainstorming later etc.
The problem was that Scrivener doesn’t allow to put index cards on stacks. In corkboard view, you may only alter the order, not the nesting.
But – there is a workaround that’s even better…
I simply use a divided screen with two corkboards – because dragging a card from one corkboard into the other is absolutely possible!
The upper is the raw idea collection, the result of my brainstorming. The binder is set to affect only the bottom editor, so I can easily switch between the folders where the cards go into. The rest is moving the index cards around…
(The inspector is closed: I don’t need it in that phase of the process.)
I’ve experimented with the following layout to develop a novel top-down. First, I write short summaries of what shall happen in each act in the synopsis field of the act folders. This way I can see the whole story in outline view. I create subfolders for chapters and sub-documents for scenes and, having the overall summary of an act before me, I break its plot down to actual scenes.
I have the binder closed and use the keyboard shortcuts for creating and moving documents and folders (ctrl-cmd-up/down for moving up or down, ctrl-cmd-left/right for hierarchy level, ctrl-n for new document etc. and, most important, ESC to switch into edit mode of an item of the outline; TAB to the next field). I use colors and row tinting for POVs and statuses like “Ready to write”, “Rethink”, “Another place?”, “Really??”. I use a grey background for the act synopsises to signalize that these are summaries, not scenes. Chapters are white and have no summary; they appear just as dividing lines. (One could, of course, write summaries for chapters, too. I just don’t.)
I keep the synopsises as short as possible and rather functional. “Introduction John Doe: a loser, but sympathetic” would be sufficient. I have the inspector open and very wide, everything closed for having the document notes in maximum size, where I develop an outline of what actually might happen in the scene, with bits of dialogue, description etc.
BTW, what I miss most in the layout management is that the selection of fields in the outline view is not saved along with a layout. Sometimes it would be useful to switch between an outline view that shows statistics (word count, targets etc.) and an outline view that shows content.
COME ON! If this thread is intended as viral marketing for Scrivener 2 I’ll boycott it!
And, by the way, I’ve tried that concept with the vertical split and the narrow corkboard in one pane, with only one card across - it’s really great, so thanks to everyone who had that idea!
I love using my HD TV as a second monitor to my laptop. The TV is where I go full screen to write mainly and then refer to my laptop screen for my outline or corkboard view. Of course, I use a wireless keyboard/mouse setup. I love it because I like to see the words as big as possible.
I write short previews and reviews all the time, and use this simple vertical split view. I make one project per week, and I’ll often have several reviews in the Draft section on a given week. Dunno if this is very helpful, and I’m not saying it’s the best way, but it’s quick and it works for me. Suggestions welcome!
Wow, cool screenshots. I’ve really been under utilizing Scrivener’s flexibility! That’s what I get for doing all that writing and not checking into the forum more regularly. Thanks to everyone who has posted here. I hope to have some nifty screenshots to share soon!
I guess I am rather plain jane in my screen set up. I like a color scheme that is easy on the eye and doesn’t make for too much visual… loudness.
I write my stories first in English and then I do my own translations into Spanish for my local writing group here in Puerto Rico. The split screen with different documents comes in rather handy for that bit of work.
I am very intrigued by the image I saw a few posts back that seems to be a screen-cap from an unreleased version of Scrivener with new root icons.
This is my very first post and just wanted to say that I love Scrivener. There isn’t a day that I don’t use it with pleasure.
I use standard layout most of the time, but make a couple changes which others might find interesting. Different colors for different elements, or for different sorts of files, or for relative importance, help enormously to sort and arrange and re-structure. But when it comes to plain old writing, I find the colors distracting. (Most of my photography the past few years also has been B&W.) So I use a free applet (Nocturne).
The move-stuff-around layout:
Two clicks later – on Inspector and Nocturne – I have the word-wrangling layout:
Makes life easier for old eyes which weary of over-stimulation.
<Whistles and hopes nobody notices the 2.0 beta testers breaking their agreement not to post 2.0 shots in public>
Before someone calls me on it: Yes, as you may have noticed from a couple of the screenshots in this thread, there are some users currently testing a very early version of 2.0, but I have enough beta testers for now, so please don’t e-mail me asking to join the beta group just yet. When I need more testers I will post on the forums asking for volunteers.
Note to beta-testers: please try to avoid posting screenshots showing 2.0-only features. For a start, I haven’t announced all the new features yet; but mainly, it leads to me getting lots of support requests from users understandably wondering why they can’t do x or y with their version. You can still post screenshots - just try to make sure they only include stuff that can be done in 1.x for now.
No need to remove anything already posted.
Right, that out of the way (and please no one derail this topic with talk of 2.0), let’s see some more (1.x) screenshots! And - aside from being the third person in this thread to break an informal NDA - thanks to Phil for keeping the thread going, as I am really enjoying seeing the various setups.
Thanks to everyone who has posted here. I hope to have some nifty screenshots to share soon!
Nice try… 