Five Simple Steps to Getting Started with Scrivener

You're looking for a better way to write your novel

You want to write your novel, but it's hard to keep track of all your notes.

Maybe you have separate documents in Word for your manuscript, for your character questionnaire, and for your plot notes.

Perhaps your scene analysis chart is in Excel and your research documents are PDFs.

And then there are those image files in various folders on your computer that aren't connected to your notes.

It's driving you crazy to jump between the various programs.

You're wasting time trying to figure out where you put a crucial piece of information. Or did you forget where you put that idea and can only rely on your fuzzy memory?

(Sorry, Scrivener can't help with that last bit. Though I'm not the only writer who wishes Scrivener had a way to download directly from our brain!)

What if you had a personal organizational superhero so you wouldn’t have to jump around between programs searching for the information that you absolutely MUST have to complete your next bit of writing?

That's what Scrivener was created for!


With Scrivener, you write your book with all your notes, charts, and images in one place.

Whether you're an outliner who wants to have your scene-by-scene plan open in a second pane as you write or you're a completely freeform writer who wants the freedom to jump between non-consecutive scenes as you follow your muse, Scrivener allows you to work on your book in the way that works best for you.

How Do I Know?

Because when I started writing I kept all my story notes in Word, Excel, and PDFs. Everything was so messy. It drove me nuts.

Next, I tried several writing-specific programs, but as my writing process evolved none of them could keep up with my needs. 

Then glitches in one of the programs caused me to lose pieces of my writing. I wasted so much time recreating what I'd lost. 

My frustration level was through the roof.

I wanted to work on my book but felt stymied at every turn.

I switched to Scrivener and I haven’t regretted a single moment.

With Scrivener, all my critical information is right there at my fingertips. Scrivener keeps me organized and gives me more time to write, whether I’m seat-of-the-pants writing or *cough* trying to follow an outline.

In addition to using Scrivener for both my fiction and non-fiction writing (yep, I drafted this sales copy in Scrivener), I teach Scrivener.

This Course Is For You If:

You're Ready To Step Into a Writing Program That Works For:

  • Any Genre

    Fiction. Non-fiction. Or a combination of both. Scrivener has templates to help you stay on track.

  • Outliners

    Keep your outline, character profiles, and research notes all in one place.

  • Discovery Writers

    Figuring it out as you go? No problem. Write out of sequence then drag and drop scenes or chapters around when you know how everything fits together.

Instructor

I’m Vanessa Kier, novelist, and Scrivener and tech coach for writers at The Writer's Tech Stop. I write my action-packed romantic thrillers using Scrivener. I firmly believe that learning Scrivener can be fun, especially when the steps are delivered in bite-sized pieces and manageable chunks.

Vanessa Kier

In This Course, You'll Learn

  • How to get writing with Scrivener right away

  • How to set up your scenes, character profiles, research, etc. in a way that works for your writing process

  • How to make Scrivener meet your visual needs

  • How to set up word count tracking so you can be inspired/motivated by your daily progress

You May Be Afraid

That Scrivener is so hard, that you practically need to be a rocket scientist to use it!

Nope!

Here's the Truth

You can create a new project in Scrivener, and then start writing. It takes less than five minutes. 

Honestly. 

And I’ll show you how.

You really don't need to know all the bells and whistles just to start writing. But if you're committed to writing a novel in Scrivener, then at some point you’ll need to know about separating out scenes and chapters. Maybe you’ll want to track your writing progress using word count targets. You’ll definitely want a place to store research documents, character profiles, and all the other pieces of data you need for your project.

Whether you like to organize items using colors and icons, or you prefer your working environment to be clean and simple, this course will show you how to set up your novel in Scrivener to match your preferences. So the writing process will feel easy and comfortable.

“I was terrified, but my curiosity about writing with Scrivener won out. I'm so glad I chose Vanessa, who makes Scrivener as easy as painting by numbers.”

Writer

Kathleen Casey

Grab Your Courage with Both Hands

Make Friends with Scrivener

This course is taken from a live webinar I taught in October 2018 that was hosted by Beth Barany from the Writer's Fun Zone. 

The webinar ran for almost two hours, so I've broken the video down into manageable parts. Most of the videos in the course are less than fifteen minutes long. 

Not only do you get my training, but you get to hear me answer questions from the live attendees. 

READY?

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome

    2. Thinkific Student Tour

    1. Part 1 - The Five-Minute Scrivener Setup

    2. Part 2A - Getting Familiar with the Binder

    3. Part 2B - Getting Familiar with the Editor

    4. Part 2C - Getting Familiar with the Inspector

    5. Part 2D - Getting Familiar with Compile

    6. Part 3 - Simplifying the Look of Scrivener

    7. Part 4 - Learning How to Use the Binder

    8. Part 5 - Tracking Your Progress

    1. BONUS: Scrivener 3 Q&A

    1. The Start Your Novel with Scrivener Cheat Sheet (PDF)

    2. The Start Your Novel with Scrivener Webinar Slides (PDF)

    1. Next Steps and Q&A

    2. Please Leave Me Feedback!

About this course

  • $47.00
  • 15 lessons
  • 2 hours of video content
  • 2 PDFs for download

You Deserve This!


Whether you're looking for increased organization or a more robust way of tracking your writing goals, Scrivener is a tool that can work at any stage of your writing process. 

READY?

Sign up now to jump into Scrivener with both feet and say, “Yes! I’m finally a Scrivener writer!” 

I'm looking forward to seeing you inside the course. 

Vanessa


Don't Just Take My Word For It

“Highly recommended! Scrivener is a fantastic program for writing manuscripts and such but is hard to get to know. Vanessa helped me to figure out how to best use Scrivener in my writing.”

Photographer | Writer

Cindy Bajema

“I was stuck and couldn't figure out how to use Scrivener. Vanessa is a fantastic teacher! She explained everything slowly and patiently.”

Author of The Can Do Duck series and The Mood Squad And The A.T.B.

Ducktor Morty

“Vanessa teaches her Scrivener course in a clear, understandable and insightful way.”

Writer

Kirstine Call

Get Started Now!

Enroll Today for $47

Bonus Material

In addition to the regular lessons, you'll get

  • Downloadables

    2 downloadable PDFs, including the original slides from the live webinar.

  • Scrivener 3 Q&A

    During the live webinar, I answered questions about Scrivener 3. You get access to these answers in this course. PLUS, you get FREE access to the Scrivener 3 version of the course once it goes live!

  • Interaction

    Not only do you get access to me via the course's discussion group, but other students can chime in. Making this a truly interactive experience.

FAQ

  • Which version of Scrivener is shown in this course?

    This was recorded in Scrivener for Windows v1. This was, at the time, very similar to Scrivener for Mac v2. The basics haven't changed all that much with Scrivener v3 for Mac and Windows. So, you can apply these lessons to any version.

  • Why is this course labeled as Legacy?

    This webinar was recorded while I was demonstrating Scrivener for Windows v1. Which was, at the time, very similar to Scrivener for Mac v2. Those are older, aka Legacy, versions of Scrivener.

  • What About Scrivener 3?

    Scrivener 3 was a big upgrade. The Windows and Mac versions are now nearly identical. I'm in the process of re-recording all of the lessons for Scrivener 3. You will receive free access to the Scrivener 3 course once it's live.

  • When does the course start and finish?

    The course starts as soon as you sign up! It's a self-paced online course, meaning you decide when you start and when you finish.

  • How long do I have access to the course?

    How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access for the lifetime of the course. Don't worry, I currently have no plans to shut this course down. If I do change my mind, I'll give plenty of notice.

  • What if I am unhappy with the course?

    We would never want you to be unhappy! We offer a 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.