I’ve been writing for a long time. It was in sixth grade that I remember first really getting into words, so that was around age 11 for me. Seventh grade was when I got really serious about it, and in the thirty years since then, I’ve tried a fair few technologies. I’ll briefly talk my history, but the bulk of this post will be about my current uses.
So back in the 90s (ow), I was just a kid/preteen, so I was really just using pen and paper. I might get a chance to type up something on a basic word processor like Microsoft Word, but it was handwritten all the way. I’m pretty sure most if not all of my writing is long since trashed by now, which sucks, but it’s fine.
By the time I went to college in the early 2000s, I had my own desktop computer, and I switched fully to word processors. That would have been Microsoft Word again, and I was on that for quite some time.
When I graduated college and moved into the workforce, I did a lot more writing in simple word docs, like Word Pad and even in an email browser. Probably not my smartest moves, but in downtime at work, I’d write on my work computer and email myself whatever I’d written. By then, I’d discovered WordPerfect and got very attached to it. I think the only reason I had that was because I’d gotten a new laptop and Microsoft Office suite was unreasonably expensive and I wasn’t needing it, so WordPerfect became my go-to. Again, that lasted a few years.
Then things changed.
This would have been… 2009. It’s hard to say when, honestly, but it was somewhere in that summer or MAYBE early autumn, that I started doing NaNoWriMo. I’m sure I’ll talk about that sometime in another post, but the point is I started seriously outlining and needed tools to better manage that planning. It was also around that time that Groupon started, and I was in that “searching for deals” mindset.
Enter some sort of promotion for like 75% off Scrivener software.
I bought like 3 licenses at the time, thinking that it would last me my next three computers. This program looked like everything I needed.
I was correct, which was great. I still use Scrivener to this day, and I’ll talk about that in a moment. What’s funny is that that first license lasted me a VERY long time. After a few years, I finally did upgrade computers, but when I went to activate my second license key on the new laptop, it didn’t work. Cue contacting support. Idiot me didn’t actually properly redeem the codes I’d purchased, so I was out those other two license keys. Not a ton of money, and long past time to be able to do anything about it, but the great news was Scrivener’s license keys are for HOUSEHOLD/LIFETIME. I only ever needed the one. I could put Scrivener on multiple computers of my own so long as I was primary user/owner, and anyone else in my household are the users.
Well, my cats don’t know how to type, but it’s perfect for little old me.
I still have the support email saved with all my info, so I should never have to worry again. Apparently this license/computer switch happened in early 2019.
So yes, I still use Scrivener as my primary writing software. In fact, I’m typing in Scrivener now. All of my novels published to date have been written in Scrivener. I organize my blog posts in it. I organize my short stories in it. When I was running The Melting Potcast, everything was organized in Scrivener.
Oddly enough though, my Dungeons & Dragons work is organized in Obsidian Notes. I bought a single license for that for D&D, but long term, I might end up just putting D&D in Scrivener too. Time will tell. But Scrivener is definitely my go-to word processor and main writing software. Love it.
As for HOW I use Scrivener… honestly, it’s pretty basic. Folders and files. I don’t really cross-reference or link things in it, but I probably should. For a good decade and a half now, I know I’ve been underutilizing what this software can do. But I’ve been very happy with it.
I’ll say right now that I’m not a paid promoter for Scrivener. I’ve just been a user for a long time. It’s inexpensive and a great tool. If you’re interested, here’s their pricing page.
As a side note, I'm still on the original Scrivener, which stopped getting updates a few years ago. Scrivener 3 is the current supported version.
https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener
So back in the 90s (ow), I was just a kid/preteen, so I was really just using pen and paper. I might get a chance to type up something on a basic word processor like Microsoft Word, but it was handwritten all the way. I’m pretty sure most if not all of my writing is long since trashed by now, which sucks, but it’s fine.
By the time I went to college in the early 2000s, I had my own desktop computer, and I switched fully to word processors. That would have been Microsoft Word again, and I was on that for quite some time.
When I graduated college and moved into the workforce, I did a lot more writing in simple word docs, like Word Pad and even in an email browser. Probably not my smartest moves, but in downtime at work, I’d write on my work computer and email myself whatever I’d written. By then, I’d discovered WordPerfect and got very attached to it. I think the only reason I had that was because I’d gotten a new laptop and Microsoft Office suite was unreasonably expensive and I wasn’t needing it, so WordPerfect became my go-to. Again, that lasted a few years.
Then things changed.
This would have been… 2009. It’s hard to say when, honestly, but it was somewhere in that summer or MAYBE early autumn, that I started doing NaNoWriMo. I’m sure I’ll talk about that sometime in another post, but the point is I started seriously outlining and needed tools to better manage that planning. It was also around that time that Groupon started, and I was in that “searching for deals” mindset.
Enter some sort of promotion for like 75% off Scrivener software.
I bought like 3 licenses at the time, thinking that it would last me my next three computers. This program looked like everything I needed.
I was correct, which was great. I still use Scrivener to this day, and I’ll talk about that in a moment. What’s funny is that that first license lasted me a VERY long time. After a few years, I finally did upgrade computers, but when I went to activate my second license key on the new laptop, it didn’t work. Cue contacting support. Idiot me didn’t actually properly redeem the codes I’d purchased, so I was out those other two license keys. Not a ton of money, and long past time to be able to do anything about it, but the great news was Scrivener’s license keys are for HOUSEHOLD/LIFETIME. I only ever needed the one. I could put Scrivener on multiple computers of my own so long as I was primary user/owner, and anyone else in my household are the users.
Well, my cats don’t know how to type, but it’s perfect for little old me.
I still have the support email saved with all my info, so I should never have to worry again. Apparently this license/computer switch happened in early 2019.
So yes, I still use Scrivener as my primary writing software. In fact, I’m typing in Scrivener now. All of my novels published to date have been written in Scrivener. I organize my blog posts in it. I organize my short stories in it. When I was running The Melting Potcast, everything was organized in Scrivener.
Oddly enough though, my Dungeons & Dragons work is organized in Obsidian Notes. I bought a single license for that for D&D, but long term, I might end up just putting D&D in Scrivener too. Time will tell. But Scrivener is definitely my go-to word processor and main writing software. Love it.
As for HOW I use Scrivener… honestly, it’s pretty basic. Folders and files. I don’t really cross-reference or link things in it, but I probably should. For a good decade and a half now, I know I’ve been underutilizing what this software can do. But I’ve been very happy with it.
I’ll say right now that I’m not a paid promoter for Scrivener. I’ve just been a user for a long time. It’s inexpensive and a great tool. If you’re interested, here’s their pricing page.
As a side note, I'm still on the original Scrivener, which stopped getting updates a few years ago. Scrivener 3 is the current supported version.
https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener
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