Scrivener Update

So, if you’ve been reading here for a while you’ve probably read about Scrivener on an occasion or three (1, 2, 3) and you know that I adore the program.  Guess what, folks?  Yep, you guessed right.  The update is even better!  I’ve been using the new version for about a month.  I wanted to give it a thorough testing before I reviewed it.  And yes, I still love it.  Since I love the update so much I’m writing a review.  Here’s a link to Scrivener 2.0.  I’m going to do a run down on some of the things that make me really happy about this new version.

First and foremost, it updated the format of my projects to work with the new Scrivener flawlessly and quickly.  I was concerned about my work losing all of it’s formatting since I have some tricky types of formatting in the trilogy-now-a-series.  Turns out, I didn’t need to worry.  There was no problem at all.

I love the corkboard feature.  I have always loved the corkboard feature.  But now they’ve managed to make it even better.  The integration between Outliner, Corkboard, and Editor really is smoother.  Corkboard can now be freestyle as well as in a grid.  You can even stack cards in grouping if you want. There are more options for the cards that you use with coloring and format too (which I love since I am a color-coding fiend).

I really like pageview mode because it lets me see what a chapter will look like in a published format.  I’m a visual person, so that’s a good thing for me.

The Inspector is even better.  I can see notes, comments (which can also be color-coded), footnotes, keywords, snapshots, the notecard associated with that document, and metadata all in the Inspector.  It is is also all collapsible and customizable so that I can look at what I want and need when I wan and need it.

I can also compare different revisions with snapshots and see what has changed.  The changes are color-coded.  (Anybody else notice how much I’m using that word?  It makes me happy!)

Visually, the other thing I love is the customizable icons.  I can set them to whatever I need and make templates in program.  So, I now have a separate icon for a place background sheet versus a character background sheet.  Notes in research has a different icon from pictures in research or from snippets that are in my research files.  With a glance, I’m able to find exactly what I need and want.

There’s also a Name Generator.  Here’s the thing about this feature that is awesome.  I can upload my own collection of names too.  I can look at names that are very common or way out there and not common.  I can look at first names.  I can look at last names.  I can look a both.  I can look at double-barreled names.  I can look at names that are alliterative.  As a collector of names, the databases that they have are great but the fact that I can upload ones that I like and want into it as well is amazing.  It’s seriously helpful.

This new version even backs everything up to Dropbox automatically if you have Dropbox (which I do).  And if you have a problem with something, they have clean, clear, and concise video tutorials that you can view online.  Also, as always, customer service is great and they are happy to help with whatever is needed.