BEEING THERE  Is there some reason this app does not allow users to type directly on the index cards? It seems a waste - those beautiful index cards lined up on your screen, begging to be filled with text - but you can't type directly on the index cards.

Instead, you must move your focus away from the cards, and type into the skimpy side window, or the big klunky window underneath. Only then will your text display on the card.

--Why not just let users type directly on to the index cards?--

We tried every option and setting in the user guide to enable the cards for text, to no avail.

*You CAN type one title and approx. one line of text on the index card, but if you try to type full sentences or paragraphs, your cursor will jump to the top of the card, and you'll be typing over everything you just typed in....

(changing the preference setting for the 'return' key does not solve this issue).

Please....If anyone knows of an app with a superb interface -- like this one -- with index cards that can be typed on (and resized), please post back. My team was all set to agree on Scrivener, until we discovered this text limitation. Thanks....  
(Version 1.53)

GRDLOIZAGA  My favourite writing app BY FAR.  
(Version 1.53)

WHITEMERE  I've used this product for a while and have tested a number of the other varieties around and found Scrivener by far the most user-friendly and intuitive of the products out there. Not that the others were bad - I tried Story Mill for a long while but just didn't find it as easy to work with as Scrivener.

Only reason that I'm prompted to post a review now is that I had the problem with the post Snow Leopard 'esellerate' crash and was impressed with the speed of response from Keith. That kind of excellent, responsive customer service really is worth mentioning.   
(Version 1.53)

SIMMAN  This is really the best app for writers!  
(Version 1.52)

F451  Brilliant!  
(Version 1.51)

LORD LIGHTNING  Scrivener plays merry hell with a reviewer's superlatives. What do you say after, 'the best just got better'?

Scrivener 1.5 sets the benchmark to the aspirational level where all we can say to Keith Blount is, 'I wish for this, or I wish for that?' There simply is no other writer's application for the Mac that comes within coo-ee of Scrivener.

If you have any hesitation about trying Scrivener I strongly suggest watching the movie on the product page.  
(Version 1.5)

LONDONSKATER  This is a swiss army knife for serious writing. But, this isn't an application to try out for an afternoon and then discard. You'll be doing both the app and yourself a disservice.

I use Scrivener for two things: contributing write-ups for a online magazine, and writing academic papers for my MA.

The write-ups are short, but require lots of info and shuffling around, while the academic essays are obviously longer, require references and the like. All these papers are output through LaTEX, anyhow, so I require a program that works well with LaTEX.

Scrivener does compile the draft out to LaTEX, but I've not found it particularly good, and as I keep my references in Scrivener as actual BibTEX/LaTEX markup, the compile tends to mess these up. Scrivener does open BibDesk up so I copy references straight in, so that's fantastic.

If I had any time to spend with the LaTEX templates in Scrivener, I could probably figure out how to make it all work. I'll bet it can be done.

The whole process of writing is different to what one might expect from Microsoft Word or the like, and one should follow the tutorial videos to understand how the folder/editor/notes system works, and then how best to make it all work for you.

The developer and the community are excellent, the app has never once crashed on me and it's a veritable bargain.  
(Version 1.5b3)

LEO SPILL  This fascinating application has nothing but praise lauded over it.

I would like to officially ask the developer, if he would put this app up

as a MUPromo.

Anyone else agree - please press the little smiley icon on the right...  
(Version 1.5b1)

RANSKY  Outstanding for novel writing. I've tried many, and Scrivener's simplicity and ease of are great. Handles chapters and scenes well through project folders and documents. Allows me to focus on writing, not software. Highly recommended.  
(Version 1.12b1)

BARAK BRUERD  As a writer moving away from using multiple tools to create a composition (usually a combination of omnioutliner, MS Word, and a folder full of clippings) I started researching writing tools with some enthusiasm. Scrivener and StoryMill were the most obvious choices and both seemed to have a solid set of features. Most challenging however were the range of very mixed reviews. Scrivener by far had the most positive, while StoryMill ranged from exceedingly high marks, to very frustrated and disillusioned users.

Rather than repeating a great many other feature comparison reviews I'll summarized with the key features unique to each:

StoryMill: Timeline, characters, locations, and specific breakdown of chapters and scenes.

Scrivener: Cork board, outline, scratch pad

There are other unique features however these have been the most significant in my use of the two applications. By and large, StoryMill has a longer learning curve and is more complicated, but once learned the applications allows writers to create very complex narratives. If you write fiction and non-fiction StoryMill is probably the best fit.

Scrivener on the other hand has a sleek, easy-to-use interface that allows for easy gathering and re-arranging of information. While it can be used in a similar fashion to StoryMill for narratives through detailed outlines, it is a more flexible program for research and writing of more technical or informational pieces (anything non-narrative in nature). For those with more flexible needs or who want to be up and running faster, scrivener is probably the best option.

Price points on both are fairly aggressive for both programs and a mere $5 between the two should not drive a purchase decision since you will be spending many hours in front of the computer and should be choosing the best program for your work, not the cheapest. Both are outstanding apps.   
(Version 1.12b1)

LEV  "See this as my review"? It's no more a review than the person you're attacking. This ad hominem snarling does nothing for anyone. Bear in mind that the plural of "opinion" is not "data". You've not justified one of your assertions, which makes them worthless.

To the bemused:

DevonThink Pro is a heavyweight information manager designed for collecting, annotating, categorizing and retrieval of info such as text notes, pdfs, webarchives and so on. Its interface is a little outdated and it lacks more recent functionality like tagging. Devotees overlook that for its speed, stability and clever "AI" retrieval functions. It is NOT a writing environment nor is it intended to be.

Scrivener is the equivalent of an infinitely-expandable three-ring binder. It offers storage and manipulation of research material though not with the heavy-lift capabilities of DevonThink. It is, however, a comprehensive writing environment complete with a functional outliner, non-contiguous text selection, concatenation and editing, footnoes and comments (RTF/Word compatible), system-wide clippings and annotation services, and a wide range of manuscript export formats. It sits, for most writers, between something like DevonThink and a formatting app like Mellel or Nisus.

Hope that unmuddies the waters a bit.  
(Version 1.12b1)

GLOBETROTTERDK  Scrivener 1.12b1? Seems like a long time since this software was updated. Is development still active? Seems like that posting on the Scrivener forum really slowed the past half year as well.  
(Version 1.12b1)

BOBBY DELGATO  Reviews?

Someone called "MACUPDATE-USER" is telling us:

"DevonThink is too complicated and cluttered. It is good for what it does... but for instant ease of use, simplicity, yet jam-packed with features... SCRIVENER IS THE WAY TO GO. There is just no questions about it. I have used many word programs, and I LOVE SCRIVENER THE BEST!!!"

What a complete farce.

Shouting out loud: "I don't understand Devonthink" is a good recommendation for Scrivener?

Why don't you bash "Photoshop CS 4" for being more difficult than "Picturetwirl 1.0b24"?

Devonthink goes far beyound this little app.

It's a complete solution for information managment, if you ever work on bigger, comprehensive projects you maybe understand its superiority.

Till than stop bashing quality to promote inferior things.

Your term "instant ease of use, simplicity, jam-packed with features" is the exact description for: Devonthink.

You individually may prefer for example Pixelmator or GraphicConverter for your minor tasks but that's no reason for bashing the original Photoshop.

Your adulation for Scrivener in combination with bashing the better competitor is very transparent.

I have no other relationship to Devonthink than using it for years for my professional writing projects, what about you and Scrivener?!!!

See this as my review, I think my recommendation is clear.

I don't use the star rating, think of it as fairness.  
(Version 1.12b1)

HAUNTEDTAPEDECK  If have little to say other than that this has become an essential and trusted piece of software which i use regularly to write essays and assignments. Each update brings a significant number if fixes and new features, and, as mentioned, the forums and lively and informative. Highly recommended.  
(Version 1.12b1)

ORANGEHB  Admittedly, it took me a time or two to really get Scrivener. It wasn't until I saw the quicktime movie for the program that it "clicked" for me. Now, Scrivener has opened up an environment that is wonderfully conducive to the writing process.

Though I (slightly) prefer WriteRoom's options for writing in full-screen mode, Scrivener's capabilities for organizing & composing material is unmatched. The full-screen mode is not at all bad either.

To top it all off, the forums on the developer's site are active and full of great advise & perspectives. I'd recommend all current & potential users pay it a visit.

At the minimum, it's worth a download, but to get the most out of it, watch the developer's movie!  
(Version 1.11)

BOBEMBRY  Take a look at the main Scrivener page with its link to the screencast:

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html

Then download and give it a test drive.

Be sure to visit the active and helpful forums.

The above justify a five star rating!!!

Hope you find Scrivener as useful as I do.

Bob

Adventures in time: http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/free/

Blog: http://homepage.mac.com/bobembry/iblog/  
(Version 1.10)

NONTROPPO  Scrivener has the perfect balance of simplicity and feature-set. It allows you to manage your research items without clutter or undue complexity; dynamic search, smart-folders, item notes, keywords etc wrapped up in an elegant UI. Writing allows split-pane mode to keep another document in view, and additional notes to be be always present. Outlining and corkboard give you semantic overview of your writing and research. And you can easily strip it all out into a minimalist page to just write. The elegant writers-apps space is pretty full on Mac, but Scrivener seems to be top of the bunch for my needs.  
(Version 1.09b)

MACUPDATE-USER  Here's a quick review/comment... I am a writer and find all of SCRIVENER'S features indispensible. It has everything you need... places for notes, pics, files, etc. Love the full-screen modes. It just works! It's tru WYSIWYG GUI and makes sense.. no need to read a manual. It's looks just like what it's supposed to do, and it's so uncluttered. I want to write, not look at a million adjustment icons.

So it's great for all-in-one research, and for writing from it. There are small quirks and improvements that are needed, but none to detract. It does need to be more Word and Final Draft compatible and have more export features, but that's okay. I have tried many programs, and this one has it all. And for $35 it's a deal! It's a sure win. I will write my next book with it for sure! I loved Word 5.1 because it was SIMPLE. Now Word is a BLOATED MESS!!!

Scrivener goes back to simplicity.

I just wish the name and the website was easier to spell!  
(Version 1.09b)

MACUPDATE-USER  DevonThink is too complicated and cluttered. It is good for what it does... but for instant ease of use, simplicity, yet jam-packed with features... SCRIVENER IS THE WAY TO GO. There is just no questions about it. I have used many word programs, and I LOVE SCRIVENER THE BEST!!!  
(Version 1.09b)

SMKSENSEI  I've been trying hard to be content without this app but it keeps getting better and I keep getting more frustrated with other methods of writing. (Word, etc.)

It won't be long and I'll be completely under its control and reaching for my wallet..... can't.... resist.... must..... have.....  
(Version 1.09b)

LORD LIGHTNING  Scrivener is almost at v1.1 with this beta release. It is a pure shining gem among the best of the writing applications and it stands out from all of them.

Try it and see why it is some applications win devotees not just users.

Brilliant!  
(Version 1.09b)

RICHARD RATZAN  The following is what I wrote in May for MacWorld review (of 1.03 - i have not tried subsequent versions) and see no reason to reword it (but shall soften comments on Mindola's Supernotecard in spirit of generosity):

Scrivener is a good program and a standout amongst the many "creative" wordprocessor/project managers (I've tried them all - from Ulysses to Avenir to Jer's Novel Writer to Z-Write to CopyWrite to WriteRoom to Smultron and TextMate; steer clear of Supernotecard - too buggy) and combo wordprocessor/sketch-outline programs (like Curio, OmniGraffle, NoteTaker, VoodooPad, and NovaMind) and sui generis apps like Tinderbox, a uniquely powerful pluripotential program with an equally daunting learning curve.

But if you want a creative wordprocessor/organizer app, and if you are like many creative writers - at least I am such an one - then you are probably making connections with existing texts, pages of notes, web pages, snippets of information and images from your own personal toolbox. Which is why I do not use Scrivener any more but rather DEVONthink (I actually use DEVONthink Pro, DTP). At $39, DT is roughly the same price as Scrivener. Although DT is a few dollars more expensive than Scrivener, it is unfair to compare the two costs as the price of two wordprocessors since once you own DT, you have a lifelong, smart, scriptable repository of virtually infinite capacity (10,000 files for DT and much more for DTP) within which one can dump virtually any text format of any length (I've put entire books into DT), any web page format, any image format - and then later access, arrange, and cut and paste them into one's creative effort. (I have not done any screen writing so cannot attest to its use for such). Full screen editing is also a feature. If one wants multiple windows open and in a certain arrangement, a la Scrivener or Ulysses, one can open as many windows as one wants, place them in desired spots on screen, tick off "Open windows that were open on quit" in Preferences and they will open in same location you left them when you reopen DT. One of the many additional advantages of DT/DTP are the incredibly powerful search, classify, "see also" (for similar passages or items in database), and other properties of this unique program. And the word processing is clean and simple but all you'll want or need for writing most genres. There is also an accessory web-searching program, DEVONagent, to complement DT/DTP. The user forum community and program admins are quite responsive, helpful and polite.

For smaller "quick and dirty" projects I prefer Smultron (donationware, with almost hourly upgrades) and TextMate, using its "project" feature (a little more pricy than Scrivener at 39 euros). The bad news is they have fewer bells and whistles than Scrivener. The good news is that they have fewer bells and whistles than Scrivener and are therefore, for me at least, much easier to use. (I find corkboard options in Scrivener cute but of no utility - clearly personal preference.) Smultron also sports split windows. And of course for writers/programmers - their primary audience - these two programs have many, many other features.

By the way, the best version-comparison app (since DocuComp in the old pre-OS X days!) I have found is Mariner Write, using the Window->Cleanup feature which allows one to tile many open files (in their own windows) horizontally or vertically, quite useful for texts in which the actual physical layout/appearance is important - in my case, sections of poems with word/line arrangement at stake.

The more I write, the more value I find in having and learning one program, like DT, that combines my own unique growing "library" of various source materials/data/images/notes, et cet., with my research or creative drafts and texts, with easy searching of both and easy transfer back and forth from one to the other.

Rich Ratzan

September 10, 2007  
(Version 1.08b)

ALEXWEIN  Scrivener: an exceptional value!

This program continues to evolve, and amaze! The developer is listening and has already introduced needed features such as integration with reference manager software and the ability to import footnotes. There are lively discussions about these and other issues addressed here (such as PDF annotation), not all of which will be addressed, I assume, but which are definitely given voice and explored fully by the very active user base.

This program is far and away the best software package I've ever come across for writers, and that's saying a lot given the number of excellent programs that have been developed by top-drawer developers. But Scrivener was and continues to be a dream-come-true for me and many of us who have discovered it. I encourage all writers of every ilk to at least give Scrivener a try and utilize the very clear and enjoyable tutorial, though keep in mind it has yet to be updated to include many new beta features (which won't change I assume until the developer is ready for an official release of the new version).  
(Version 1.055b)

CHRIS REED  After years of struggling with word processors etc finally an app that makes preparing workshops, lessons and tutorial a breeze.

Scrivener not only makes this easier but makes for better delivery as you can work with detail and overview simultaneously, bring all your resources together, make a task list and prep a script with cues and commentary for printing and use working face to face with clients.

Great stuff and not just for writing.

It's good for performance too.  
(Version 1.03)

JOHN F.  Simply a dream app. I've been longing for this app to come out since moving to Mac OS X in 2002. And here you are. An app for writers and written by a writer - who knows the meaning of Mac aestheticism.  
(Version 1.03)

FAKE IT  Program is great for writing, especially for those who don't write in linear form, everything else is great, i love the linking feature, where you can link text to other part of your paper.

But one thing i would want to see scrivener implement is link text in pdf format, or be able to annotate pdf or highlight pdf text. We live in the world of digital notes, most of the research is in PDF form, if i can't highlight pdf or annotate pdf, it be useless. Maybe implement something like Skim, for annotate notes within Scrivener  
(Version 1.03)

MACTHEGREAT  Great software for writing but with the lack of reference software, it is a pain in the butt, Mellel is much better than scrivener for that reason, the notecard management is great for those who don't like writing in linear process, just write about anything, then rearrange it. two thumb ups  
(Version 1.03)

JIM K  I had been using Jers Writer as I liked it's simplicity, but liked Scrivener enough to buy it. Scrivener added much clearer ways to organize and manipulate chapters and research, yet could be unobtrusive in full screen mode much as Jers was. The level of development and backup from the developer seemed more consistent than Jers which appears still in beta form though quite usable. All in all, the best fit for me in novel writing. I haven't found it as useful for technical papers where I'm more used to Word, but Scrivener frees me to jot notes, characters, settings, and develop chapters without distraction. A boon.  
(Version 1.03)

MACSTERDAM  Very impressive indeed, and close near perfection. Just missing one thing: captures web archives. Give me that, and you've got another customer :D  
(Version 1.02)

SLOB  Quite a review from Lord Lightning but I agree. Scrivener is easy to use from the get-go but there's also a lot under the surface. Just follow the instructions included with the 'extras' folder and install them - you'll get an example of how comprehensive this app is.  
(Version 1.02)

LORD LIGHTNING  Version 1.0 was perfect.

Version 1.01 begged superlatives that reached beyond perfect.

Version 1.02 ruins the whole English reservoir of descriptors. There are no words up to the task.

Features: What else is there to add? Yes it's possible to pillage the other competitors for ideas - but why add bloat when Scrivener does everything a writer can ask of it to real, day to day work?

Ease of Use: There is no competitor that even come close. Brilliant gets close but it doesn't describe Scrivener. Outstanding ease of use - doesn't do it either. Try it for yourself and then have a go at describing just how easy it is to do so much.

Value: Ha Ha Ha. Anything that even does a few of the things that Scrivener does is at least two or three times the price. Scrivener really should sell like hot cakes on a cold rainy day - and give you the same warm feeling of satisfaction. You will never feel any regret that you paid a measly $35 to $40 for Scrivener. You can buy Scrivener for the price of one or two Moleskine note books. (http://www.moleskine.com/eng/)

Stability: Like a rock. If your computer hard drive is healthy then Scrivener will be the last application to fall. It is quick, responsive, obedient, and perfectly behaved.

The perfect writer's companion - even better than caffeine.  
(Version 1.02)

NEURON  Outstanding.

Just wrote a book chapter for a medical text using scrivener.

Awesome. The writing tool I've finally been looking for!

I write scientific articles.

Try it out, you'll love it.  
(Version 1.0)

F451  A first edition application masterpiece!  
(Version 1.0)

JT_XIII  This piece of software can on its own justify the switch to the mac for any aspiring writer - it's that good.

I was quite the skeptic when I heard about the application, and I doubted what I read.

Well, after tying it out, I must confess that 35$ are gladly paid for after looking at the tutorial and seing what it can do (novels, screenplays,...).

It's hard to summarize the killer features in this app, so I strongly recommend trying the demo, following the tutorial, and then see for yourself.  
(Version 1.0)

ARDBEG  Like the best of Mac apps, Scrivener combines simple and intuitive with powerful and flexable.

First, with the index card cork board, ideas are easily captured without having to go to another program and lose thought flow. This makes brainstorming a breeze (gale?), especially when the storm hits while writing on something else.

It gets out of the way when I'm writing, especially with the full screen mode (which get everything else out of the way also -- better than other writer apps. Ideas flow without having to work their way around user interface oddities or distractions.

Amazingly simple and intuitive interface with lots of power under the hood to organize and refine what I've written.   
(Version 1.0)

JEAN5  I have only been testing Scrivener for a couple of days but just 1 comment: amazing, outstanding, just the best in its category, 5 stars is an understatement.

I write technical books using other softwares I will not mention to be nice to them and finalizing them in MS Word. Scrivener is way ahead of all of them regarding features, interface, stability, and the price is just amazing.

Scrivener will change my writing method by making it so much easier !

Long life to Scrivener  
(Version 1.0)

ISTARA  Scrivener is just a brilliant piece of software. I have been using it for some months now to write a novel, and it makes writing easier and more of a pleasure.

If you have been trying to write your novel in Word, and are starting to got lost in endless pages of text, scrolling up and down and losing your place all the time, then Scrivener will save you. Even if you only use its most basic features, you will find it worthwhile.  
(Version 1.0)

MARDAV  Scrivener is the most perfect writing tool that I have ever used. The interface is a model of clean, functional design and the program has so many features, I can't begin to describe them. If you want a whole new approach to writing, Scrivener is it. This is the way software can and should work.  
(Version 1.0)

LORD LIGHTNING  Perfect, Just perfect.

The vertical splits and notes panels are to die for functions. Much more versatile than they first appear. In fact, just about every function surprises you as you discover new - even thrilling - ways to use this brilliant application in your work as a writer. It is a perfect partner for other top of the tree professional applications such as Screenwriter Pro and Final Draft.

There is nothing even remotely comparable.

I can see hordes of writers finally having a reason for using their Windows computers as ships' anchors and buying a Mac. Apple should pay Keith Blount a licence fee on every computer sold to a writer from now on.

New, groundbreaking, stunning, superlatives just don't measure up to Scrivener's competencies.

Every five star review is an understatement. The best breakthrough software for writers in a decade.

I just deleted five other dedicated writing applications and replaced them with Scrivener.

The price! Can you believe the price?

Truly amazing!  
(Version 1.0)

AMBERV  Every once in a while you come across an application that changes the way you think about the integration between creativity and software. For many years, creative people have been shackled to technological solutions which, for various reasons over the decades, have forced us to work in ways that are constricting to inspiration. The past five or so years have seen a great boom in creative software, across all doctrines of expression. Artists can now sculpt in a manner not too far from sitting at the clay, and they can paint right onto that sculpture with pressure sensitive digital pens. Musicians can go from inspiration to publishing using a few pieces of integrated equipment and a computer. Until a few years ago, writer's had a lot of tools that they could combine together, but precious few that really understood the process of taking something from start to finish.

Scrivener is one of those seminal applications that changes the way you perceive the process of digital/mental integration. You might think you have a pretty good system already, but give this application a few weeks and you just might suddenly see a whole world of possibility open up!

§ Writing, especially the authoring of books, is unlike many other creative trades in that it involves a great quantity of organisation. Without a smart system, it can be impossible to stand back and see the big picture, while being able to get right into the details a moment later. An effective writing tool needs to be on top of organisation for you. Gone should be the days of synchronising overviews and summaries, cover sheets and sticky labels on manilla envelopes, or searching through directories with hundreds of text files. Scrivener features a rich, intuitive interface for organisation that lets you drill down into the minute detail while still grasping a conceptual hold on the big picture, via its innovative use of synopsis visualisation. And explorations are not where it ends. Those inclined to keep things tidy via tags or keywords, networks of cross-referenced documents, saved searches, chronology, or many other of the organisational doctrines, will find that Scrivener has a way to intelligently handle the method you prefer.

§ The environment should be transparent and adaptive. For many years, writing tools became a glut of features, all presented in toolbars and cluttered palettes. Getting things done became a task of squinting at icons and searching through menus. Around three or four years ago, the writing market underwent a renaissance of minimalisation. For a while, applications practically boasted on how many features they *did not* have. Many great ideas came out of this phase, and most of these applications have themselves since evolved into more complete ideas in their own right. Scrivener builds upon the many Good Things that came out of this era, and even manages to throw in a few completely new ideas while its at it. You will find all of the staples of a modern Mac writing application: Full screen; slick interface; short cut keys for mouseless usage; simultaneous document viewing; and so on. Everything amped up just a bit more than before -- just a little bit more integration between concepts to make for a more cohesive tool. You will also find some things that nobody else does. Archive full web pages for research; play and pause audio dictation files as you type; select a range of documents and edit them all together in a single window as if they were one file; and access important notes and ideas from within a full screen environment. I've only scratched the surface. In summary, Scrivener offers a wide range of *tools*, not systems. You bring the system with you; whatever type of writer you are, whatever methods you prefer, Scrivener is there to take up the tasks that you need done. It isn't the type of application that tells you how to write a book, it is the type of application that lets you forgot about all the grunt-work that goes into writing a book. It is, in a way, the peerless secretary.

§ The application should be adept at the three important phases of writing: Planning, authoring, and editing. There are many applications out there that focus on one or two of these phases, and some that try to focus on all three, but in my opinion Scrivener is the first that gets them all right. When it comes to those initial exciting phases where everything is fluid and ideas are forever changing the entire structure of a book -- Scrivener's rapid outlining and synopsis handling are superb. Research from a wide variety of media can be collected, annotated, and sorted. As this process gradually evolves into the seemingly endless crush of writing, the application gracefully transitions into a stable platform for your ideas. It helps you open up by disappearing. All of that power is still there, just below the surface, but you can completely ignore it and let inspiration take you. There are a few apps out there that excel at this phase, but not many. Finally, editing, where the need to be able to find anything you wrote comes into play. A whole new set of features come in to use. Snapshots, the ability to tuck away a version for safe keeping, giving you the freedom to edit all you please, and easily revert if you do not please; inline annotation puts your thoughts right into the text, making it easy to search for them and act upon them; split window editing letting you reference old versions right beside the current version; and a set of meta-data oriented tools that help you keep track of what you have and have not fixed. Work through your book in as many phases and stages as you please. Work-flows can be split and merged. View your book along artificial axis that you establish, such as being able to collect every scene including a certain character, and edit all of those scenes as a single document regardless of their position in the novel -- then close the session and everything snaps back to where it should be in the book -- all of your edits retained. When it comes to editing with the power Scrivener affords, there are very few programs out there, even those costing hundreds of dollars, that can approach its ease and strength.

§ There is perhaps a fourth important phase of writing that is coming into prominence these days, and that is publishing. It used to be that handing off a stack of papers was all you needed to do, and then as time went on, a document file on a disk. Times are changing, just as they are for the musician, and people are finding that distribution of their own work can be a fun and affordable alternative to formalised publishing. While Scrivener was originally intended to address only the *writing* process itself, during its lengthy development, it evolved a set of tools that make it one of the more powerful publishing applications on the market. Besides the usual rich text exporting, it allows you export using entirely different visual expressions than what you used to input. The advantage here is that you needn't work in a constricted format that is optimised for a publisher's manuscript demands, or even book formats if publishing on demand -- you can work in whatever fonts you please. And that is only the half of it. Scrivener has integrated support for the simple to learn text format, Markdown, via the MultiMarkdown export system. Using this, you can export to nearly any text based format in existence, and through that, many binary solutions as well, such as PDF. Want to print your own books using LaTeX? No problem, Scrivener does that right out of the box. Publishing manuals for UNIX tools? No problem, the export interface is scriptable and expandable using easy XSLT transforms and Perl. In short, Scrivener can export a drop-dead simple manuscript with very minimal configuration, all the way to extremely complicated exporting. Whether you are handing someone a stack of papers, publishing a book yourself, or distributing high quality PDFs on the Internet, Scrivener can handle it.

There is much more that could be said, but I have gone on long enough. I have had the privilege of seeing this application develop over the past year and a half, from private beta, to freeware, to re-invention, to public beta, and now final release. The developer has put years of work and thought into every aspect of this program, from the menu arrangements to the way things react when you click on them. He's always there to give a detailed answer to any support problem or question; is open to suggestion, but firm to his vision of what a writing program should be. This is, as they say, a lean mean writing machine. You'll find no bloat or kludge here, but you won't find a featureless application pawning itself off as "simple being better," either.

If you are a writer of any creed, I suggest you download the trial and give it the generous thirty days to see how it works for you. You just might find that, like me, you'll see a whole world of possibility open up that you never even knew existed. Scrivener embodies the Macintosh ethos of efficiency, simplicity, and strength, oftentimes in ways that even Apple seems to misunderstand. Best of all, being designed and executed by a writer, the application has a fundamental knowledge of a writer's needs. In this varied world, it would probably be impossible to a create a tool for everyone, but I dare say Scrivener comes awfully close to that grail.

This is, I feel, one of those software gems that people will be fondly remembering and using for decades.  
(Version 1.0)

BUNGALOW  I have been using Scrivener in its prior (free) versions, including Scrivener Gold and beta since v. b4. It is an outstanding tool for people writing small or longish projects. I used it in writing 56,400 word novel during National Novel Writing Month and its intuitive features, convenient interface, and helpful tutorial really pleased and surprised me.

There is a very active user community on the developer's site ("literature and latte") and the developer is incredibly responsive to user questions, suggests and complaints. Oh, wait - I have not SEEN any complaints.

This is great software for the serious or casual writer of short stories, longer fiction, etc. I also understand that play and screenwriters are using it effectively, but I have not used those formats.

Well worth more than it costs. It's Mac-specific, it's constantly being improved and it's very, very stable. Are you listening, Mr. Gates?  
(Version 1.0)

SHERMAN  Excellent writer's tool. Try it, grok it. If you're a writer, you'll love it.   
(Version 1.0)

LEV  Scrivener is late to the party, and a good thing too. The developer, a writer himself, has listened to what writers want, watched over the shortcomings of other offerings, worked out where his app fits in the workflow (between data-gathering in, in my case, DevonThink and Tinderbox, and final drafting in Mellel) and produced a superb environment for organising information, stitching together the plethora of drafts and rethinks that make up the process, providing a toolkit which is nothing short of extraordinary for a v1.0 product and generall making at least this old scrivener a very happy man.

The app is rock-solid; getting stuff in and out is a snap; the interface is elegant (and the fullscreen mode drop-dead gorgeous) and although there are the inevitable few quibbles the only one I can think of that's particularly significant is the project-wide notes section -- but at least it's got one.

Full outlining, hierarchical structuring, card-index views, a nifty screenwriting module and excellent versioning make this the perfect writers' toolkit. It's a masterly piece of work. As I wrote to the developer during beta testing, any dope can wrie a book (and many of us do) but it takes cojones to build a writing environment like this one. You owe it to yourself to try it.  
(Version 1.0)

BLULOO  I have been using this since it was an early beta and it has only improved over time (I never experienced a single crash, even when using the betas).

It is an absolutely fantastic piece of stable, responsive software. It's beauty lies in the apparent simplicity with which it allows the user to write.

The writer is unencumbered by the myriad formatting and style options present in most modern word processing programs.

This program helps you structure, organize and visualize your writing in a user friendly environment. Full-screen mode provides a distraction-free environment as well.

The learning curve is minimal, compared with most similar programs. The developer is top-notch and was highly responsive to user feedback during development of this app.

Despite it's apparent simplicity, it provides many options to tailor the writing environment to the users needs.

It is also future-proof because text is stored inside the application bundle as .rtf files and can be opened in OS X and shared with other applications. In addition, Scrivener offers several options for exporting including latex, rtf, rtfd, txt, html and multi-markdown.

The user forums are also quite helpful, with more than one expert regularly present to offer assistance to less than proficient users. I cannot recommend this application or it's developer enough.

For academics, researchers, writers, journalists or anyone who needs to collect information, it also shares files with DEVONthink Pro via drag and drop.  
(Version 1.0)

DARKENTRIES  I'll have to add my Ditto to the rest of the critiques below. I jumped on board with Scivener Gold then transitioned throughout the open beta program. It's met all my needs so far: stable, quick, flexible and aesthetically appealing.

Scrivener has several features that I never thought would be useful to me until I actually used them. The corkboard and outline features, and the Edit Scrivenings feature. The Snapshots feature was a requirement for me. I like to have built in version control. Rich Text and the Multi Markdown option is a bonus.  
(Version 1.0)

THINC  This is the one. Like many of the other reviewers here, I've been searching for an app that supports my writing style for many years. I've tried them all (at least I think so). If you're a writer, you know that standard word processors just don't cut it. They are either too directive (with spurious "help" resources) or they've been designed to be everything to everyone or they bog down on long documents. If you're a power writer, you know what I mean. Most WPs just get in the way.

Then there's a breed of outliner/database/clipping apps that have appeared. Some are excellent. Devon, Mori, OmniOutliner, among others. They're not bad for collecting and organizing data, but they're not robust enough in the text handling department to be really useful as writing tools.

Finally, there are a bunch of folks (almost all of whom are writers themselves) who threw up their hands and realized if they were going to get the apps they needed, they'd have to write them themselves. The best of their output are Jer's NovelWriter, Avenir, CopyWrite, and Ulysses. All are dramatic improvements over what went before. But none can hold a candle to Scrivener. (For me, Jer's comes close, and I recommend giving it a try, but Scriv is just more my style.)

Scriver is rock solid. I've been using it since beta 4 (usually 3 to 5 hours a day on a complex project), and it hasn't let me down yet.

It has some blow-away features such as Edit Scrivenings, Snapshot, Annotations, integrated outlining, Corkboard, an outstanding full screen mode, and excellent import and export capabilities.

Scrivener's author is responsive, smart, and a joy to work with. The community that's developed around Scrivener is helpful and knowledgeable (not only about the apps, but about the world of professional writing).

I could not recommend this piece of software more highly. When I drive, I drive a BMW because I love its power, its safety, the way it handles the road, and its responsiveness to my every driving need. When I write, I write with Scrivener. Take it our for a spin. Put it through its paces. You won't want to write any other way.  
(Version 1.0)

ALBERTSEN  I was looking for a software that would allow me to better structure my writings. I then discovered an early beta of Scrivener and have been using it ever since. It is very well-designed and has never crashed once. Plus Keith, the creator, is very responsive and hosts an incredible useful (and entertaining) forum.  
(Version 1.0)

BOBM  Who'da thunk we needed another word processor. In fact, who knew that word processors are not really what we needed. Scrivener breaks new ground in providing an integrated writing environment for projects of all sizes—separating the writing process from the typesetting process, and thereby making writing the focus of what you do when you, er...write. The product is easily exportable to WORD or your favourite word proc for advanced formatting etc.

This is an amazing app, especially for a v 1.0. Absolutely stable, as bug-free as you can get, inexpensive. The developer is responsive, and obviously has a vision for what writers really need to get their work done.

Unlike other apps, what you write is still accessible by other apps after the 30-d trial period, in the unlikely event that you don't actually love working with Scrivener.  
(Version 1.0)

P_T_LONDON  Don't look at any other word-processor before you've tried Scrivener. It's a Word-killer – unbloated, fast, intuitive and flexible enough to suit any writing style. The outliner functions are especially wonderful: they allow you to structure a piece of writing rapidly and monitor your progress in all areas at all times (it has the smoothness of OmniOutliner, and represents the final nail in the coffin for Word's pathetic outline view). Also invaluable is the "edit scrivenings" button, which allows you to work on multiple elements of large jobs, no matter where those elements are situated, via a composite view. Other features include a great full-screen mode, a "typewriter" view that keeps whatever you're working on in the centre of the screen (so obvious, so helpful), and the ability to view text elements as index cards on a virtual corkboard. Finally, writers have the means to write in the same way that they think. Brilliant.  
(Version 1.0RCb5)

RADDLE  Truly phenomenal. I've been waiting years for something like this. I've been using it throughout the beta period, and Scrivener has already made my working methods *so* much simpler, faster and more productive. It combines great sophistication with never getting in the way of the process - and is stable as a rock.

If you're a writer of any kind, you need this.  
(Version 1.0RCb5)

AHC  This application is AMAZING. It is beautifully designed, rock solid (as of b5 and probably well before), and has all the best features of its competition.

The developer is ultra-responsive on the forums, and while he has been up front in saying that there will not be lots of updates in the near future once it reaches 1.0, at this point I can't imagine ever needing more features.

A truly splendid application--I haven't been this excited about an app since, oh, Google Earth. But Google Earth does not help you write a book.  
(Version 1.0RCb4)

ALEXWEIN  I discovered this program right around the time the first beta was released (it existed in an earlier form as Scrivener Gold) and I have never looked back. I had been looking for a long while for a true writing progam that brought together all the features I needed for bringing information together, researching, and developing a project, not to mention writing it! Scrivener has all of this and more. I've been using it for months now, and I still find it to be such a pleasure to use. It's rock-solid in terms of stability, which it has been through all of its beta incarnations. I have been using Scrivener since the first beta release and had two crashes the entire time. Considering these have all been beta releases and I use Scrivener about 6 hours or more a day, I think this is pretty remarkable.

The developer is a delight to work with. He has integrated countless user suggestions, often when he initially disagrees. The feature set is now locked, since he is aiming for final release. But it is already amazing as is without feeling bloated. And the user interface is intuitive and a delight to interact with.

I can't say enough about this program. At least give it a whirl and see what you think. I doubt it will fit all writer's needs completely, but for many of us, it has been the answer to a lot of searching.

Alexandria W.  
(Version 1.0RCb4)

LORD LIGHTNING  Scrivener 1.0RCb4.1 is now at their site along with some template downloads.

Scrivener 1.0RCb4.1

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=626

The templates are at:

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=625

This is quite astonishing software for writers.

READ the documentation and get across the forum threads. The returns for a little effort are in the realm of Zen for writers.  
(Version 1.0RCb3)

ERICB  This has got serious potential-- I haven't run across any glitches, yet. Not bad for version 1 beta! Nice work.  
(Version 1.0RCb3)

MJEDI  Even in its current state, its better than most of the other writing apps out there. Outlining, exporting, overall general layout is extremely user-friendly. I know the developer didn't want his app out to the public this early. Lucky for me I saw Scrivener referenced in another review of a writing app.   
(Version 1.0RCb2)