Being a writer is a job which continually tests the limits of both my endurance for learning and my patience. In the beginning of this writing odyssey Microsoft Word fulfilled all my needs. When I began collecting numerous chapter versions and research for my third novel, things soon got out of hand and I started losing my mind. I could not keep track of what I had done, what I wanted to do and what I should be doing. When Pat and Bev mentioned Scrivener, it piqued my interest.
Because my mind is a snarled trap of barbed wire, fly paper and Teflon coated memory banks, I need organization like I need air to breathe. I pulled up a couple of YouTube videos on Scrivener and searched the web for reviews. I discovered LiteratureandLatte.com offers a trial version of Scrivener and even though most reviews stated it had a high learning curve, I felt brave that day and purchased it outright.
self-publishing, Scrivener pile
The beginning is always the good place to start, unless you are me. The beginning of Scrivener is an interactive tutorial. Sounds simple, right? One hour with the Scrivener Tutorial and it was clear I needed the short-yellow-bus version. While I could follow the tutorial and have success while doing it, I wasn’t retaining any of the information. A quick trip onto Amazon and Scrivener for Dummies was two long days from arriving via UPS.
It would be satisfying to say Scrivener for Dummies brought me out the Scrivener fog. That would be a lie. Low hanging clouds and heavy mist continued until Bev, Michelle and I sat down on a Saturday morning, armed with our Dummies books, tag-teamed the tutorial and raided a few YouTube videos. Nothing boosts my confidence like discovering I need a tutor to help me do an interactive tutorial.
While I am still light years away from being a Scrivener virtuoso, I find it to be in line with what I need as a writer even though it seems my questions are too basic to be covered in either the tutorial or the dummies book. In a couple of days I will tell you what I like about Scrivener and why I think it works better than Microsoft Word for me.
Susan Korich
In The Kitchen Again cookbook author
Paddle Creek Writers 
The tutorial took me a few re-runs to use before I retained quite a bit of it too. I’m glad you’re still trying it out and learning as you go! I’ve been using it for a few months now, but I still write my actual manuscripts in Word or Google Docs (depending on how accessible I wish the manuscript to be whilst on the move). I figured out the bits I needed, but I have to have it in front of me to be able to explain them (like adding a front cover). I like it for converting my manuscripts to all the different formats, and in particular to tweak the ebook typeset etc. I would be happy to help you too 🙂
Thank you for the offer of help. I will keep it in mind as I venture forth. I like the format conversion too. Write on!
You could write it once you’ve conquered the beast!!!