When I talk to people about what the best writing software is, I always get the same question. “What is Scrivener and should I use it?” Scrivener is, in my opinion, the best software for planning, organizing, and writing a book, and yes, you should use it—but only if you’ve already written a lot of words. Read on to find out why Scrivener is such a great writing tool and why I have such a strong caveat to recommending it.
What is Scrivener?
Scrivener is a piece of writing software designed specifically for long writing projects. As the developers say, it’s like a typewriter, ring binder, and scrapbook in one. It lets you research, organize, plan, and write your book in one place, with everything easily at hand.
I LOVE Scrivener. I use it almost every day. I’ve used it to write 13 books, along with countless blog posts and pages of web copy. It makes my writing life so much easier and more enjoyable.
To really understand its magic, click here to find out more. There’s a nifty video that demonstrates how the writing software works.
(And yes, all the Scrivener links in this post are affiliate links, because I really do love Scrivener and use it all the time, so I’m psyched to get a commission if you buy it via my link—especially because it doesn’t add any extra cost for you. Win-win!)
How much does Scrivener cost?
As at March 2023, Scrivener costs $84.99 CAD. That’s a one-off payment, not a subscription. Scrivener also has a free 30-day trial. It’s available for Windows, Mac, and iOS.
Compared to other software subscription prices these days and given how useful Scrivener is, I think that’s an amazing deal.
When should you start using Scrivener?
You should start using Scrivener when your other writing software isn’t working for you any more.
In this post, I wrote about starting your book using whichever piece of writing software you’re most comfortable with. If you’re familiar with MS Word or Pages for Apple or Google Docs, start using that. If you like the Notes app on your phone, start writing your book in there. Seriously. Read more about why this is an excellent plan here.
But when you’ve been working on your book idea for a while, you’ll find yourself getting frustrated with your software of choice.
This happened to me. I’ve written 14 books, and I’m a full-time writer and book coach. It’s how I make my living. Somewhere along the line, I found writing in MS Word (my precious program of choice) was getting a bit unwieldy. I was spending a stupid amount of time scrolling through tens of thousands of words, trying to find the one time I used that one phrase I was hunting for, or looking for that one idea I noted down in my thirty-page outline.
I don’t remember exactly when that was, but I remember the feeling of frustration. I remember being ready to throw my laptop at the wall.
I remember thinking, I have too many words to handle.
When you start feeling frustrated with the bajillion chapters and outline points and research notes you have, that is when it’s time to upgrade your writing software.
Not a minute sooner.
Why should you wait to use Scrivener?
The only writing challenge that software can solve is organizing a large volume of ideas and words.
Sure, there are apps to help with spelling and grammar, but those are about editing. For the actual writing part of writing a book, software can only help organize large amounts of stuff. When my frustration with all the stuff became too much to handle, I bought Scrivener, and I haven’t looked back.
Scrivener has a big learning curve, though. It has a ton of helpful functions but they can be a bit overwhelming, so I don’t recommend it for newer writers. You will know when you’re ready for something like Scrivener. Until then, the best software to write a book in is whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Questions about Scrivener?
Do you have questions about Scrivener? Are you unsure if you’re ready to buy this writing software? Email me and ask. I’d be happy to chat it over with you. I love geeking out about this stuff.
And if you have a bijillion words that are impossible to organize and feel ready to give Scrivener’s free trial a go, click here.
Thanks,
Liz “Scrivener for Life” Green
Book Coach, Green Goose Writing
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