So I've been writing using the 'scenes' as chapter divisions because it was easier. Now I want to make the final draft and the guide says the manuscript will divide the scenes with #s. But I want chapter divisions, not # divisions. Is there a way to simplify the format to dispense with the scene divisions and just have chapters? I've had trouble because I couldn't seem to move scenes from one chapter division to another. Or if I treat the scenes like chapters will I be able to edit the MS format Scrivener is going to create and change the #s to chapters? I suppose it explains this somewhere in the guide so I'll be reading in addition to asking. Thanks in advance.
A quick question, Ginger: When you started this project in Scrivener, did you use one of the templates or did you start with a complete blank?
The novel template. It worked fine for the working draft but now I am getting closer to the final draft I plan to create a file that will end up as the MS. The novel template will format the MS. I did figure out how to make multiple chapters instead of scenes but it still seems awkward compared to just adding the next scene.
There is a way to change the # to chapters, but since my trial expired (and I haven't been able to purchase it yet) I can't look it up. I know it tells you in the tutorial provided, though. Hope you figure it out!
So I can't find 'change scene to chapter' but in the meantime I tried working with chapter files. In the 'manuscript' it shows double lines between chapters and single lines between scenes. Perhaps I'm expecting more than I needed to. Instead of 'add' which defaults to 'new scene' (they call it text), I just have to use the drop down menu for 'new folder'.
Alright, so I was able to open it and I'll give you what I found. Working with chapters instead of scenes: By default, this project is set up so that you write each scene as a separate text document. If you don’t like to break things up quite that much and would prefer to write an entire chapter in each text document, make the following changes: Rename the “Scene” document to use your chapter title and move it so that it is directly below the “Title Page” document. Move the “Chapter” folder to the Trash. Create a new text document for each chapter. In the “Separators” pane of the Compile sheet, change the “Text separator” setting to “Page break”. So. Once you do that, looking at the Manuscript, it will show the single and double line separation. But those lines won't appear in the final compilation. If you want it to say Chapter One instead of #, here's what you do. Make a folder for each chapter. If you would like to name your chapter (something other than Chapter 1, 2, 3, etc.), change the folder name to what you'd like your chapter name to be. If you don't want a chapter name and just want it numbered, delete the folder title and it will be renamed as "Untitled." Next. Go to Compile (either at the top of Scrivener or in the File menu). If you have the small version (Format As: and Compile For: ) click the little blue down arrow to expand it. On the left, there will be a menu (Contents, Separators, etc). Go to the Separators section. Here it will give you all the options for separations. Since you don't want the #, where it says "text separator," you can change that to whatever you want. But if you're using folders, the "text separator" is basically the scene separator. To make it look more like a chapter, just change the "Custom: #" to single return or empty line. At the bottom, where it says "Compile For:" change it to preview and take a look at it. If it's not what you were wanting, let me know and I'll try to help out more. Hope that helps!
It also looks like I will need professional help to create the final MS. There are so many things on that menu that I don't know which should be used, like converting italics to underlines. We had a long discussion about that in the 'italics for thoughts' thread and it may or not be the convention of the publisher given modern computers have replaced typewriters. But I can definitely see that Scrivener will be worth much more the small investment I made in it.
This is why I don't use scrivener. it seems so complicated!!! I tried a free version but never even used all of the free days. I got stuck in figuring out how to do the simplest things that shouldn't even be an issue. In the end I went back to word.
I can understand your reaction to it, @Tesoro. I find most guides for complicated word processor software to be inadequate. There's always some instruction to click on X and there is no X on the page. What I did with Scrivener is just use it despite it not doing what I needed. So I started using the chapter folder as the book and the scenes as chapters. Later I figured out how to make new chapters and decided to divide two main sections of the book, before the city after the city. But then I changed altogether and I'm blending the two using flashbacks. But when I tried to drag and drop scenes from one chapter to another they don't go. Meh, I cut and pasted them. Anyway, now I have most of the scenes and it's time to clean things up. So it seemed best to create a new final draft document and that's where I'm at now. Suddenly all of the benefits of Scrivener are showing themselves. Wow! That's a whole step I'd have to do manually if I only had a Word doc.
I wish you the best of luck with your project. I've found that the same thing (dividing ms into scenes and chapters that you can move around) is possible even in Word!!! I'm happy for that, because it was one of the features I was most exited about with scrivener. I like the whole idea about it, but I guess I'm not very good at the technical issues, . Plus I absolutely LOVE doing the planning, the outlining, the character notes and stuff in my notebooks! Hand writing those parts is perfect for me as it release my creativity.
Yes, that's kind of what I was saying, I was using Scrivener in a similar way I might use Word. But now that I'm closer to creating that final draft, I can see why Scrivener is so much better than just a word processor. It's an MS producer.
