Hi, I just bought Scrivener and Scapple this week. I was using another writer’s suite that included timelines, mindmaps, and storyboards which Scrivener doesn’t include, but the things you do you do very well. I’m happy with my choice. Scapple is working well for me for a timeline app, but it would be nice if a Scapple file could be opened in the split window. I read the post that was referred to as an official explanation for not integrating a timeline.
I’m OK with buying the app seperately without integration with the Scrivener system. I guess being a little ignorant about the nuts and bolts of how this works I would just like to say that even just opening it and viewing the timeline like I do a jpg file would be helpful. I don’t necessarily need to edit or work with it in a split pane. Just display and maybe scroll it down.
Have you tried exporting from Scapple as a PDF and then dropping that into Scrivener, instead of the .scap file (or maybe in addition to it)? I agree that something along the same lines that is more automatic would be nice to add at some point, though. It’s just a bit of a technically difficult thing to do given the present technology. There are certainly options that we could pursue given time (or main priority right now is getting Scrivener for Windows caught up with Mac).
Glad to hear the programs are working out well for you!
I was just thinking about this while working on a project in Scrivener. I didn’t realize there was an actual “writer’s suite” out there somewhere. Microsoft has MS Office; Adobe has Adobe Creative Suite, Scrivener should have an LL Writer’s Suite" to dominate the market like the first two.
I’ve looked at other programs similar to Scrivener, and none of them compare if you really want a powerful and flexible writing management system.
I’ve tried other Mind Map software in the past and hated them because they require so much left-brain thinking to use them. A Mind Map is supposed to focus on the creative, right side of your brain. You can’t get in the zone, if you have to keep switching to figuring out a specific algorithm for what you want to do. Scapple is freeform and after learning the basics, you can just stay in right-brain mode, and you can brain dump, just throw it all on there, and then organize it afterwards.
Literature and Latte should create a Timeline program superior to Aeon Timeline 2 that integrates better. Aeon Timeline integrates somewhat, but not good enough.
And maybe a Bibliography type program similar to EndNotes or Zotero. Most of these type programs don’t seem visually designed very well. I don’t really like them.
I don’t like having to buy separate software from different places. I would like to be able just to buy a Writer’s Suite that could do everything a writer needs.
