One reason many people like Scrivener is that, unlike most word processors, you don’t have to constantly scroll back and forth to see different parts of your work. When you’re writing chapter 17, and need to see what a character did in chapter 5, you don’t have to scroll, scroll, scroll, but just click the folder or document for that chapter in the Binder. (Read this article to learn how to leverage the full power of the Binder.)| Literature & Latte
As you certainly know, it’s essential to back up your Scrivener projects so you don’t lose any of your hard work. Scrivener makes automatic backups to your computer, but it is important to also back up your files to an external drive or cloud service, in case you have problems with your computer. See How to Back Up Your Scrivener Projects for more on backing up projects.| Literature & Latte
Your Scrivener project is a container for a lot of things. It contains your manuscript, with its files, folders, and sub-folders, but it also contains elements like character and place documents, research, front and back matter, and more. Rather than thinking of it as a file, you should think of it as a package.| Literature & Latte
Sometimes, as you write, you want to add notes to your work that aren’t part of the text. These can be reminders to check something, parenthetical comments about how you plan to develop a scene, or footnotes to cite references.| Literature & Latte
The Scrivener window contains many elements. In addition to the main Editor, where you compose your texts, there is the Binder, which gives you an overview of your projects, and the Inspector, where you can see notes, comments, snapshots, and more. Above and below these three main elements is a Toolbar, a Format Bar, and more.| Literature & Latte
Are you a planner or a pantser*? Do you meticulously flesh out the details of a story, novel, or screenplay, or do you just wing it? If you write non-fiction, do you itemize each chapter and section before you start writing?| Literature & Latte
Scrivener offers three ways to organize your projects: the Binder, the Outliner, and the Corkboard. We’ve looked at how you can Use Folders and Texts to Power Up the Scrivener Binder, and how you can Plan Your Project with Scrivener’s Outliner. We have also examined how you can outline with just the Binder.| Literature & Latte
Note: This blog post pertains to upcoming features in Scrivener 3, which will be released on macOS later this year and will follow on Windows during early 2021.| Literature & Latte
The Editor is the section in the Scrivener window where you do your writing. While the Binder and Inspector are important, because the former helps you structure your projects, and the latter lets you store additional information about your texts, the Editor is where you probably spend the most time when working with Scrivener.| Literature & Latte
When you’re working on a project in Scrivener, the Binder is your organizational tool. You create folders and texts, and use them to structure your work. You could just have a single text, and write like Jack Kerouac on a scroll, but then you wouldn’t get the benefit of being able to rearrange chapters, sections, and scenes in the Binder. Understanding how to use the Binder is the key to working with a Scrivener project.| Literature & Latte