By Evan J
Photo by Evan J
Scrivener vs. Word. Who cares? You do! You’re the writer, the genius with that masterpiece idea bouncing around upstairs. But along with your brilliance comes responsibility. You must consider how best to transfer your knowledge from brain to digital page. The question then becomes: what word processing software is best for you?
For those who don’t already know, Scrivener is word processing software designed specifically for novelists. It launched in 2007 and has become a preferred writing software because of one major feature: organization. The program houses all of your files—from chapters to setting descriptions to research—in one accessible workspace. Navigating between files is simplified by having a list of files and folders directly beside your primary writing screen. The rearrangement of scenes and chapters is drag-and-drop easy. The interface is not littered with endless formatting options that you’ll never use. The entire program is visually clean.
The downside? Unlike big tech companies that offer in-house cloud services (OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive), if you’re using Scrivener and want to flip-flop from computer to cellphone, you must save your files to a file-hosting service such as Dropbox. While this extra step works seamlessly for most users, the use of an additional external program has confused some of the less tech-savvy users.
That’s Scrivener in a nutshell. Then there’s Microsoft Word, the word processing monarch.
Word has been around for over thirty years, is the world’s leading word processing software, and is designed for handling nearly all text-based projects—essays, cover letters, pamphlets, you name it. And that’s probably Word’s best quality: versatility. It has a feature for everything.
If we’re talking about purchasing cost, you probably already own Word. It’s that popular. You’ve also probably been using it for years. There will be no learning curve here, no time dedicated to finding a comfort level in some new software.
Word is also the preference for poets. Of course, Scrivener can be used for all creative writing, including poetry, but the reality is that most magazines and book publishers still want your poems formatted with Word-specific guidelines. By just sticking with Word in the first place, you'll save time by avoiding the task of reformatting.
However, organization is key to novel writing and it can get pretty difficult to keep track of all the Word files you’re using. It’s by no means impossible to do this, but since your scenes, sketches, and research are often saved as single Word files in various folders, there will inevitably be writing sessions where you spend more time trying to find the correct file than actually writing your book.
Finally, it’s worth noting that both of these programs cost money. If you’re starting with a new computer and can only afford one word processing software, the everyday utility of Word is the way to go. But if you’re a dedicated novelist and are willing to give Scrivener a shot, you’ll likely be impressed with the investment. And if neither Word nor Scrivener float your boat, you can always give the Ulysses software a shot. Or a typewriter.