Additionally, they offer discounts if you buy it for one platform and add another one. I don't know how much if you buy separately, but it was there in the past. Also, there's a bundle of one macOS+one Win licence of $75. Also, they're currently switching from version 2 to version 3. Mac has almost completely switched over, Win is in beta for 3, but you cannot buy it yet. There are slight format changes between the two versions, but you can still switch projects from one version to the other (say, share a Mac with version 3 with a Winbox with version 2). Though I don't have any experience with that, and do not know how buggy it is. They have a nice and helpful support and forum for questions like that.
Okay, so the answer is yes. I’m assuming the idea is that you want to be able to access the same MS file from either machine, whichever is most convenient at the time. To do this, I save my scrivener files to Dropbox and all my machines access the same file. That way if I’m on my laptop and finish a scene, I have scrivener auto-sync the file when I close the program, and later, when I want to use my desktop, I open scrivener, and vióla, the scene I wrote in my laptop is there on my desktop. There is a little bit of setup when you do this. You’ll want to make sure you have all machines auto-syncing on close of application, and it’s super, mega, ultra important that you let scrivener run through that save and update process before you close the laptop or shutdown the desktop. Interrupting the sync part way through is like opening a portal to hell.
They have a per person/platform licence. You can use it on any machine, as long as you yourself is the only one using it. You only need additional licenses if you need more than one person, or a different platform (they are very generous and include all family members living in one household in this one person). So, for two PCs, both running Windows, you'll only need one license. Syncing, as said, works best via Dropbox.
I've just started using scrivener. I'd never heard of it until last week. It makes sense so I hope I get on with it. You could just use MS Excel but this seems better laid out. Will let you all know how I get on with it.
Reply to ChickenFreak, post: 1642599, member: 16328"]I'm befuddled. You would write a novel in Excel? Not to write a novel but as an outliner and for notes on characters etc.. Most people will already have a word processing program and perhaps can't justify spending the money on Scrivener. I can see this being a struggle already. The reply option seems to put everything in quotes even my reply
I've written three books in open office for that reason (well two books and a novella) - now that i'm working on a non fiction project i've gone to scriv for that, and i'll probably write future book in scriv since ive got it.
You've probably got a broken tag - if the forum software can't see two quote tags open and close it automatically inserts one at the end of the post. Its annoying but you can usually find the problem easy enough
Keep in mind that they offer a 30-day trial (as in, every day you use it counts as a day, so use it one day a week and it will last you 30 weeks). So give it a go first to make sure it's right for you!
and they don't actually check too hard if you download it more than once - you need a different email is all
tbh i can take it or leave it- i use it for non fiction and for writing reports in my day job, but all my novels have been written in libre office
I'm kinda interested in this Scriviner gizmo, although going by this thread it does way more than my thick head can comprehend. I'm still trying to find posts on here that'll help me learn to outline. Which brings me to Scrivener. Through some questionable decisions my girlfriend is also my editor (I'm obviously not an actual writer, so I don't have an actual editor) and I would like her to be able to look at my documents as well, possibly mark bits for me to review. What we do now is I write my drivel in Google Docs and share the Drive folder with her. Easy. Does Scrivener sync to Drive as well? Because I really don't like Dropbox. And before you start: Yes, don't start a band with your girlfriend, I know. ;o)
i think it can, but your girlfreind will also need scrivener to read the files... better to wait til you've finished writing, then export a word file and email it to her
You can sync using something like Google Drive assuming you have the sync client installed on your computer (Scrivener doesn't have a built-in option to save directly to a cloud service). However, since Scrivener uses its own format for the save files (basically a folder contain tons of files) your girlfriend will need her own copy of Scrivener to open, read and comment on your works. And there is no simultaneous working like you can do in Google Docs, btw.
Do you need her to see the entire Scrivener layout, or is she just editing? If she's just editing you can export as a writable file and just share that with her. Then whatever changes she makes you just import that file in and work on it.
Hm. That seems like a drawback for our way of working. Though probably not a dealbreaker. What we do now is I work deep into the night, she'll read it the next morning, highlight bits she wants to discuss with me and by the time I drag my carcass out of bed and had coffee we sit down and work through the file together. She is absolutely positively very feckin' definitely not allowed to make actual edits or change words. She can aim at my darlings, but I'll begrudingly pull the trigger and hate that she was right.
Well, you can always try it out. They have a 30-day trial (30 days of use, not "30 days from the moment you start the trial").
1) Don't worry about Scrivener having more than you comprehend. You can start simple and learn only what you need. 2) They do have a "household" license, as they call it, so you may not need a separate license for your girlfriend. Or just a trial version first (30 non-consecutive days) to see how it works. 3) Scrivener works with various cloud services, though the 'standard' is DropBox. Even so, reading their FAQs, it does not do live-updating or working with the same project on two different computers at the same time, and some cloud services may be more dangerous to data loss if you violate that. I would just close the project and make a copy. But that does not seem to be a problem for you if I understand your procedure correctly. 4) Since you only want your girlfriend to read, and not edit, you could always just use the compile function to generate a separate manuscript file (of the whole, or just the latest writings) in a format of your choosing at the end of each writing session. (Which is how it's done with a professional editor, proof-reader, publisher anyway.)
"Works with various cloud services" only means that "You can put your project in a cloud-synced folder and access it on multiple computers." And that, of course, applies to pretty much every program in existence. There are zero integrations between Scrivener and cloud services. This means that there is no guarantee that your project will sync properly. If you open the same project in two computers at once you will have issues. If you shut down your device before it has finished syncing and then open the project in another computer (or if you open the project while it is in the process of being synced from the cloud), you will have issues. I have personally worked with Scrivener projects over Dropbox and been perfectly fine, but would not do so without having regular back-ups (which can be set up inside Scrivener itself).
I think if or when it comes to me using Scrivener as a complete writing tool, I'm just going to go the route @Martin Beerbom suggested in his fourth point. I work for TV, I'm used to improvising around software other people thought would work and a couple of extra clicks before bed probably won't be a problem for me.
Which is all perfectly fine, since Scrivener is almost completely intended for being used by just one author on different machines at different times, not for collaboration. I use Scrivener with DropBox to access it from my Mac, or from my iPad. Exclusive or. And this works fairly well with not much caring of mine about closing projects or such. Reading L&L's FAQs, with other cloud services I would just run it with a locally saved project, and then shoot off a copy into the cloud every once in a while. Yes, this is nothing special, and can be done with pretty much every app. Would work for me, though.
