StoryO2 software and Movie Magic Outline 4D both have a Time Line mode which is very handy for planning and working out individual scenes - especially working on Film/TV projects. Have you given any thought to adding such a component to Scrivener?
Hi,
Yes, it’s been thought about but ruled out because it wouldn’t fit - it would be tacked on with no integration with the other features, in which case it would be better to use a dedicated software package. Aeon Timeline has good integration with Scrivener.
A full explanation of why a timeline is unlikely to be added to Scrivener can be found halfway down this blog post:
literatureandlatte.com/blog/?p=104
All the best,
Keith
Here are some previous threads:
-
A “storyboard” feature?: of note, my first response, which links to the Big Long Explanation from the developer on just how and why this idea isn’t compatible with Scrivener’s flexible design. Update: Or actually, what Keith just said above.
- How to do a Timeline in Scrivener: this tip was posted to show how timelines can be worked with using existing features.
- Aeon Timeline: it’s another program entirely, but a favourite around here, as it has Scrivener integration built into a very comprehensive timeline program.
- If you use Tinderbox, it’s also worth noting that it has a timeline view, and supports loading Scrivener projects directly into its format. It’s a huge program though, so it might not be the best if you’re just looking for an easy timeline view, or even merely just want to track dates.
Can’t beleive that L&L’s people didn’t mention their own Scapple. It’s not a fully-fledge time line system but it can be used for that purpose and integrates with Scrivener.
Although such a component could be useful to those who write screenplays it would languish unused for those of us who use Scrivener to write non-fiction documents.
Well, actually, I write history and I have used both Scapple and the custom meta-data in Scriv to track date-based information.
In Scapple I have set up a grid with subjects across the top and months along the side to keep items of research (newspaper articles, archival records) in proper chronological and subject order so that as I write I don’t forget things. I also colour-coded the Scapple items to provide a second level of categorization.
In Scrivener, my manuscript is divided into chapters and then sub-sections within each one. A custom meta-data field for “year” and “month” means that each chunk of text can be dated: e.g., “1942” “June” for June 1942, or even “1942” “6-7” for June 7, 1942. (I have alternated between names or numbers for months; numbers mean you can sort.) This means that the outline view of the manuscript can show the dates alongside each chunk, so I can immediately see if the historical narrative is in chronological order, or if sections overlap, and if they do, I can then check if there is a good reason and if the reader might become confused.
I have also used Aeon Timeline to organize events prior to writing, and that works well too.
But all of this is a lot of work and i can’t claim that my working methods have always been consistent.
–Simon
Interesting. Shows the myriad of ways in which we use Scrivener and supporting tools.