MS Word or OO Writer is fine. Just make sure you break it up by chapters or you'll have a slow mess on your hands. Those two pieces of software use heavy amounts of resources to operate so huge documents will slow Word and Writer down bigtime.
I'm sure it is. A blank doc w/ OO Writer takes up > 54MB. Add a multimeg or multigig file that you need to scroll and search and replace and change font or line spacing, it'll get bogged down. Another reason I recommend separating by chapters is to simply isolate the scene or text. Scrivener works beautifully for this, which is why I draft in scrivener.
It also exports perfect fdx files, but the one thing I hate is importing back into scrivener. Scrivener is a draft tool at best, at least as screenplays go.
I've never used it for screenplays, so I can't speak there, but I've been using it so long (since when it was a Mac-only app) that importing to it is not a thing I really deal with. I create everything within it and then export it when needed. I have it running on all my Macs (I have a few) and all of them synced via Dropbox. There's never a need (or a wish) for me to work outside it's environment. But that's me.
i dont know what copy of OO you are using, but on my computer a blank doc is 19k and a 40,000 word doc is 30k
I've started checking out dropbox too. I started with amazon's cloud drive, but the lack of interface with a kindle made me question the value. While I get less space with DB, it's still much more than I utilize, so I'm still good. Ubiquity, it's the word of the day.
Scrivener gets a lot of support here. I'm wondering though, does it have any advantages over word? If I buy a license can I use it on more than one computer?
Yes, you can. If you already own MS Word, and you're on a PC, what Scrivener offers you is organizational features and better syncing across computers and platforms. Many of us who dig Scrivener are also Mac users. MS Word for Mac is criminally poor. You know how you hate how hinky iTunes is on your PC? That's how Mac users feel about Word... times 10. Also, if you already own Word you won't care about this, but if you don't, MS Word and the rest of the Office suite takes up an amount of drive space that can only be described as truly American. Super sized with extra fries, three meat patties on that burger, and four apple pies.
I have it on my desktop and laptop on one license. I believe in proper capitalism, on both sides, so I would say that if you're the only person going to use it, then you need only one license. I would say each person needs a license, if they will use it at the same time. It's only $40. A real bargain for what it can do. It's binder system, seamlessly interfaced with its outliner and index card system is way above anything a WP or screenplay writer can or does do. It's more oriented toward novelistic type writing, but it does great on drafting a screenplay by letting me isolate scenes. I would never use it for a finalized screenplay, but for drafting and laying down the skeleton, it's awesome.
I use Scrivener on a PC. Look back through this thread and other writing software threads, and see how many people using Word are keeping chapters in separate documents, etc. Some of them are complaining (albeit mildly, in most cases) about how awkward the backup process is and how much of a pain it is to keep the scenes and chapters organized. I used to use Word and I know about these problems. I have whole folders of my work dedicated to unscrewing up my old Word docs so they finally make sense. Scrivener keeps all your chapters and scenes and character sheets (if you use them), outlines (if you use them), research materials, notes, and everything else you need to create a piece of prose (from haiku through short story through novel to series of novels, also nonfiction works of various kinds (I love Scrivener for technical writing)) all in one project file. That's right: All of your revisions of each scene and chapter are all there in the same project file, easily accessible. You can label each version with any label or number you want ("First draft", "Draft 2", "Obsolete draft", "Experiment that didn't work", "Final Version", etc. - you decide your own labels), and you can select which versions get compiled into your final manuscript. You can even type your work in whatever format you want - fonts, margins, etc. are all up to you - and when you compile your manuscript, it will output standard Shunn-style format (or any format you desire). It's incredibly flexible and handles everything you could want, and makes everything slick and easy. And it handles its own backups - it even saves your work for you if you stop typing for two seconds. Sure, Word does everything you need, but it does some things badly. It also does lots of things you don't need as a fiction writer. Scrivener does everything you need, too, and does all of them well. It's easy (do the tutorial!) and it's slick. It outputs standard .doc files, so don't worry about compatibility. And, as @Robert_S pointed out, it's only forty bucks. It'll be the best forty bucks you'll ever spend as a writer. Try Scrivener. Download the trial version and do the tutorial. Leave all those Word pains-in-the-ass in the rear-view mirror. It's the 21st century - get aboard!
@Wreybies Oh okay. Those are some pretty convincing terms. My biggest concern is being able to transfer it to another computer on one license. I've had considerable computer trouble and have needed to transfer my MS Word license to a new machine, but every time I do, I have to call them and have them remove it from the old one. It's pretty annoying. I'll have to try Scrivener's free trial when My current computer comes back from maintenance... (touch screen malfunctioned on me. :/) And I agree with you @Robert_S everyone should have their own license. I just end up with multiple devices. Another question I have is can I transfer files that I already have into Scrivener?
I have Scrivener running on no fewer than 5 Macs right now. One license. The great thing with Scrivener, as Minstrel mentions above, is that you can use it for 30 days for free and it's a complete trial version, not stripped version where half the features don't work. Like anything, your decision should be made based on what makes sense and works for YOU. It may not make sense for you. You may try it and think "I pretty much write from page first to page last, so this isn't really something that seems like a value for me". You may open it up and marvel like a child with the wonderment of a word processor designed for you and only you, not for your sister who wants to make scrap-books or your teacher who wants to print awards, or your accountant who wants to make pretty charts. No, not for them. They can have nothing and like it. Scrivener is for you and only you, my brother of the pen and prose.
It can import a lot of file formats, including doc, xdoc, fdx, html/htm, etc. Including pic files, like gif, jpg, png. You can import and split by defining a string of characters that delineate the sections. As much as I complain about its limitations with script writing, it is still a very good writing tool and for scriptwriting, it's great for organizing before laying down the final draft.
No less than 5??? That's legit! You're right, though I should be sure to use the trial. In all honesty, I've been looking for a replacement for MS Word. Word is nice, and I love all of the features I use, especially for school projects. But when it comes to my fiction, I am getting tired of having to separate everything into different documents and open this and that. I get the feeling that this will be similar to eclipse (for programming). And if I find the program that's just for me, I will sing the praises of Scrivener until the end of days ha ha. One more question though. Do you have to keep up with any updates or upgrades? MS Office has an upgrade every couple of years and you can't just get the latest version on a PC. Of course you don't always need it, but it's nice to keep up with the latest version of a software.
Allow me to clarify in case this was referring to the following: ALL 5 MACS ARE MINE. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I have two MBP's an MBA, a Mac Mini and an iMac. All mine.