Oh, @Wreybies, you went to so much trouble but it's not 'compose' that I'm talking about. Under 'Novel Format' in the outline on the left column while I work on my chapters, the next line down is "manuscript" and under that "chapters". If you click on manuscript you see the whole novel as one file. Even though I'm using Courier 12, the default font for every new chapter is Cochin 14.
No worries. Someone was bound to ask eventually. That's bizarre. What are the chances of you giving us a screen shot of just your binder. Feel free to collapse the scenes within their respective chapter folders. Your mention of using the Novel Format as a top tier of your project is making me wonder because that's really just an informative document about the details of this particular template and not really a part of the template itself. I've got mine set to Cambria 18 and all my new documents within the project pop out in that font.
I wanted to write a poem. In all lower case. I typed the first line, hit enter and as I started typing the second line, the software capitalised the first letter. I write software for a living. I write it with the following attitude in mind: do what the user tells you, nothing less, nothing more. Clippy and its insistence to do things for you is one example of Microsoft's opposite attitude. Nobody liked that guy. There is no way of turning off that capitalising first letters and a search on google turned up nothing. When your first experience with software is that frustrating, it seems understandable to me that it would colour your overall impression of the product.
I believe it is as simple as going to the preferences and unchecking the box that says something like "Fix capitalization of sentences."
Exactly. In software parlance there are three basic levels (terms will be wrong, bear with me): beginner user expert Software should always be tailored to the beginner/user level, and allow experts to modify the app to their liking, depending on how often people use it. A rarely used utility should have the most basic UI to start. Something being used all the time means people become experts in it, and the interface should be customiseable to suit the experts. But for the most part, people end up at the middle "user" level. The UI should reflect that fact. I would far rather the app started at the bare minimum and let you get used to its basic function and then show you how to add all the bells and whistles later. I am not bashing Scrivener, this is just good UX 101.
I don't know how the novel format line gets there or is removed, I just ignore it. No worries about screen shots. I've been playing with a test binder so I don't mess up my manuscript. The first image is the chapter I changed the font, the second image shows the default font when I open a new folder.
@GingerCoffee Go into Tools, Options, then then click on Editor. See the window with the text in it? Those are your default settings for when you open a new project. If you don't change those, changes you make will only apply to your current project. On the little text window that shows when you click on Editor, click on the letter A at the top left (it's a blue, italicized A in the Windows version). That let's you choose a default font for new documents.
Ok, well that actually looks pretty normal. My concern was that you had subordinated your Manuscript to the Novel Format, but it doesn't appear so. There would be a little triangle to the left of Novel Format like the one next to Manuscript if that had happened.
And, again, what Jannert mentions is exactly what Scrivener does. sigh.... Most people don't know about that toolbar customization thingie. It's never, ever presented as something you must do first before you can get to a blank sheet of paper. Whenever I mention it to people, it's nearly always a revelation. And, again, it's totally an extra, it's not a requisite.
There is no "Tools" menu on Scrivener for Mac. The window in question is accessed via Scrivener> Preferences. "Tools" as a menu option is a very Windows-ie term.
But on preferences I have courier 12 chosen. (see the 2nd image) And I don't see anywhere else I should choose it, nor can I find where cochin 14 is even the default.
Click the A on the left, just under "Main Text Style," in the first image and see what it says there.
Wait a minute! I found it! Yay! Found it just before your post, @Steerpike but it was both you and @Wreybies that led me to it.
As a complete aside and total non-sequitur , the texture I use for the editor in my personal use of Scrivener is this: I like a parchment and leather look. It's easy on the eye for me. Most textures I found online tiled poorly and you could see the joins across the editor and that was super distracting. Made this one myself in GIMP. It tiles really nicely with no distracting edges.
Does anyone know how to change to indenting in Scrivener? mine indents an inch and that seems a bit excessive to me.
