- Writing Programs Can Make or Break This Challenge -

I am guilty of using different programs and bouncing between them for writing. Whenever I write or want to jot down notes or ideas, I use Google Docs, Pages, Word, and Notes. I used to write on Google Docs for all my stories, but from time to time, I would switch to Word or Pages because Google Docs made my computer lag. Some of my stories have a lot of pages, and they would make writing a pain in the because of how long it would take for the entire document to load. One of my stories has over 100 pages (full of notes, ideas, and a couple completed chapters), and there is only so much Google Docs can handle before it starts lagging.

Word and Pages kind of made writing better. I did not have to worry about my computer lagging since I was not using WiFi, but the problem I had with them was organization. I cannot write the scenes I am actually interested in writing without having to copy and paste my work (this happens to me when I am using Word or Pages) or dragging one page at a time to where I want it to be (this happens when I use Pages; I have yet to do that on Word).

As for Notes…

I would like to mention that no one in my private life (minus one friend who knows that I write but is unaware that I read and write fanfics) knows that I am on AFF.

I use Notes to jot down ideas and write scenes whenever I am away from my computer. I don’t like using Notes for writing, but I do find it more convenient than Docs when I’m writing on my phone. It was easy for me to AirDrop my notes over to my laptop for safekeeping, but over time, I realized how dangerous it was for me to use that app for writing.

There was a time in which my AFF life was nearly discovered. My sister was hovering over me when I opened up my Notes app to jot down an errand list. When the app opened, the first note to pop up was one I had created for a story I wanted to write. Because she was hovering over me, she saw the title and some of the notes I had jotted, and that led to her asking me what she was seeing.

This is me panicking (on the inside).

I lied to her and told her it was for my writing class, which fortunately worked because I was taking the writing class at that time. That event was a close call for me, and it led to me using Notes less frequently for writing and plotting.

Google Docs, Word, Pages, and Notes were not going to work for the story I wanted to write for this challenge. Before starting this challenge, I told myself to use a program that catered towards my writing style and habits. My writing habits are:

1. Writing things out of sequence (e.g., write the most interesting chapter/scene), which typically leads to me bouncing back and forth between chapters/scenes
2. Moving and shifting scenes and chapters to where I see fit

For this challenge, I tried the NaNoWriMo version of Scrivener (this is known as the “extended version” of the free trial). I found out about this program last year from thecafewriter through her blog post (it explains Scrivener pretty well, in my opinion, and is straightforward). The price for the full version is different depending on the operating system you use, and the software can be purchased through their site (their site is the only place where you can use promo codes at checkout) or the App Store (for Mac users). After reading thecafewriter’s post, I did some research on the software to see if I should use it for the writing challenge. I looked up videos on how to use the program and read reviews from novelists, journalists, producers, etc. I even watched videos of people documenting their experience with it. I have to admit that I spent at least an hour researching Scrivener, but it was worth it because it made me go with Scrivener as my main writing program for NaNoWriMo.

Below is a screenshot of Scrivener when working on a project (this project is not the one I worked on for NaNoWriMo; it’s a different one). I have to admit that Scrivener has a lot of features, some I don’t have any use for (yet), but they make writing chaptered stories less daunting since they cater towards my writing style. When I write, I write scenes rather than chapters. I can then rearrange them to wear I see fit without having to copy and paste my work or move one page at a time. When a chapter has multiple scenes, I can compile the scenes into a folder and label the folder with the chapter’s title.

Some parts are blurred because I do not want to reveal what I’m working on.

The screenshot below is of Scrivener’s corkboard feature. I like this feature because it allows me to create index cards, full of notes and ideas, for the scenes I want to write. It definitely keeps me on track since it appears on the right side of the window.

Looking at how I used the program and how I had organized my story, I would have to say that Scrivener made the challenge less intimidating and turned me into a more organized writer. It also made me wish that it hadn’t taken me this long to find out about it. If I had come across Scrivener when I was in high school, writing research papers and revising drafts would have been less stressful. Storing and organizing my research would have been a breeze since Scrivener allows you to import articles, photos, videos, web pages, almost anything. I wouldn’t have to open multiple windows to do research and make my laptop lag and crash. Creating drafts within the same document would have saved me lots of space on my drive, too. Drafts would be kept separate from one another, so if I wanted to locate a specific draft, I could just find its title/label and click on it. I wouldn’t have to locate another document and open it on another window or tab.

For NaNoWriMo, there was a special template for me to use. What makes this template unique is the progress bar, which features the daily word target and records two things: the document’s total word count and the number words you’ve written for that day. Because the daily word target changes whenever I met or failed to meet it, I held myself accountable for reaching my goal. That feature definitely made me more motivated to complete the challenge. I found the green bar (which meant that I had reached today’s target) to be a major boost for continuing the challenge. I burned out many times this past month from writing, but whenever I saw the progress bar get closer to my goal, I became more determined to reach it. I don’t know why, but seeing that bar become green made me feel happy and proud of what I had written to get to that point.

Also, getting Scrivener for half of its price may have been an incentive to complete the challenge. I don’t know about you, but I feel more driven to complete something when the reward is something being offered at a lower price. (Imagine getting a writing software for $25 instead of $49 after writing 50,000 words. That is a pretty good reward, in my opinion!)

Note: Scrivener can be used to write essays, research papers, scripts, anything!

Coming Up: (Lack of) Privacy and Quietness