How to Set Up Your WIP in Scrivener

I'm not going to make this a "real" series (or maybe I will haha), but there will be a few more posts with some tips and tricks to work with Scrivener.  Just because it really overwhelmed me at first, and I'd like to help folks get comfortable with using it themselves.

If y'all have better ways to do it, let me know!

Yeah, that's my desktop background...

Step One: Create Your Scrivener File

Open up Scrivener.  If you've been playing around with it and saved a file or two, it'll open up with the most recently opened document.  Don't worry, just click File and then New Project.

You'll see this screen pop up:

Pick the Blank option, provide a title for the file, and then choose where it will be saved.

Step Two: Import your WIP

Once you've opened your new Scrivener file, you click File, then Import, then Files.  A new little window will pop up, and you can import your current WIP into Scrivener.

After the document has been imported, it'll look like this:

It'll have the same title as the original WIP document.

Drag and drop the imported WIP file to the Drafts Folder so it looks like this:

You can delete (or move to trash) the "Untitled" file there by right clicking on the file there and selecting the move to trash option.  It just moves it to the trash folder, so I usually go there and actually delete it.

Step Three: Divide Your WIP Into Chapters or Scenes

This part is up to you.  I would at least divide into chapters first, so you have somewhere to start.

Start going through that WIP file, and when you get to the end of a chapter or scene, click right where you want to split the document.  Then click Ctrl+K.  (Or right click with your mouse and select Split at Selection.

Now you have two files there under the Drafts Folder.  The first chapter/scene, and then everything else...

Continue to go through the document until you have everything split up to where you like it.

Then go through and rename the files - either by chapter order, or a simple number, or a quick description.  Nothing too fancy.

I hate this step, but my OCD can't stand it not looking like this.

Step 4 - Simplify

Yeah, there are TONS of features here, but I'm talking about very basic and simple setup here.  Once you're comfortable with the new layout, you can start trying these new features.

First off, change to one window.  The little icons to the right of your screen control how you view your documents.  You are able to view two at a time, but for now, let's just stick with one.

Yeah, those little box icons by the arrows.

Kinda obvious how they split the scene, right?

Second, hide that right sidebar.  That's useful, but only if you have information to put there, and we're not going to worry about that now.  The blue circle containing the "i" hides or shows that sidebar.  So click that "i" and hide the sidebar.

The blue "i" at the top right there...

Now you should just have one document up, with a sidebar on the left containing all the chapters/scenes you've split up.

Yes, I did just whip up a little prologue just so I could show the whole screen and not spoil the first couple paragraphs of the book...

Step 5 - Setup for What's Next

What are you going to do next with your WIP?

Continue drafting?  If you're a plotter, add new files for each planned chapter or scene.  You can do this by clicking on the chapter/scene file above where you want to create a new one.  Then click that green button across the top bar.  Up pops a new file, and you just need to title it.  Continue to do so until you've finished.  Then start writing!

If you're more of a panster, follow the above instructions, but just for one new file.  Start typing away, and just hit Ctrl+K whenever you want to break for a new chapter or scene!

Start editing?  On an upcoming post I'll give some tips and tricks and whatnot for using some of the extra features.  But for now, editing is still easier - you can easily jump around from chapter to chapter or scene to scene!

Worldbuilding?  I'll probably do a post on this too, but I have already done a post on creating characters, and you might find that useful.  :)

I hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful.  Any suggestions?  Things that are better/easier than how I do things?  Scrivener posts you'd like to see in the future?