Through the years, as I began and continue my writing journey, I’ve tried multiple software applications, programs, and routines when writing my books. Even going so far as to watch numerous YouTube videos on a regular basis, searching blindly for ideas, thing to be more organized and the best way to get stuff arranged, established, and accomplished, if that makes sense. Some of them I have tried are the obvious word processors such as Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Apache OpenOffice, to name a few and none really seemed to excite me, even the famous and well-known Word.
Then I discovered Scrivener. For those of you who don’t know what Scrivener is, it’s a writing software with multiple features installed within the program, such as a word processor, outline, corkboard, timeline features, even formatting the project once it’s done! This is only a few of the features. It can organize your book down to chapters, scenes, Acts, and makes it so easy to rearrange and organize those scenes. It contains character templates and a research folder where you can insert WHOLE websites into that folder and once all your research is conducted and completed, you never have to leave the program! A writer can literally do all their brainstorming, outlining, research, and writing without ever leaving the software and to an organized writer such as myself, it has been a blessing and god send. It is diffidently worth the $50 bucks to purchase it BUT still on the fence about it? (This is NOT sponsored or endorsed by Scrivener. All views and opinions are my own.) You can even try out the program for 30 days but that’s not concurrent. You have thirty days of USE. That means if you open it up for two days but then not for a week, you STILL have 28 days left to use and try it out. Believe me, I don’t usually purchase software, but this was an investment I don’t regret. And do you compete in NaNoWriMo? Where you write 50k in 30 days? If you successfully finish, the software is actually 50 percent off! You honestly can’t beat that price for all you get!
Now there is another software I am about to try and it has a free trial as well.
When I’m writing, there is an issue I always have.
Timelines.
Do you ever write a story, and the timeline of events gets screwy? Does something happen or you mention something and then never mention it again? Or an event happens that should have repercussions and you completely skip over it? Yeah, I am extremely bad at that. In fact, that’s the problem with over half of my WIPs (works in process) and I’m extremely excited to try this one out. Remember the beginning where I said I was constantly watching YouTube videos? Yeah, I wasn’t lying about that. LOL
It’s called Aeon Timeline, a software where you document the events of your novel and it pulls it all in a timeline. Again, excited much? This could change my whole routine, my inability to complete projects, my confusion over the events that transpire within my story, etc.
I will diffidently update this on my thoughts!
Everyone, please stay sane and stay!!
Thank you all so much for reading my ramblings! 😊
Author Desiree L. Scott 