Multiple Manuscripts in Scrivener

christopherdschmitz · Oct 25, 2017

I'm a new user to Scrivener and I'm wondering about the best way to write multiple books at once?

The main reason I am using it all is the ability to have my research present as one pool. I'm writing a 5 book arc, each in a different time period but with different elements happening in one book affecting what happens in subsequent books. Scriveners tools should help me keep track of it all. However, I'm not seeing an option in my project to make a second manuscript to keep the books separate. I'm using a slightly older version of the software--is this an easy option in newer versions (if so, I'll just upgrade)?
Am I overthinking it--maybe there's an easy way and I'm just not seeing it?

Old Hack · Oct 25, 2017

I just start a new project for each book, even when there's some overlap. It gets far too complicated to keep more than one book in each project.

lizmonster · Oct 25, 2017

What Old Hack said. I understand wanting to keep your research for multiple books in one place, but multiple books in a single Scrivener project is a huge PITA (although possible). I've got a project for short stories, and I nearly always get the compile wrong the first time because I forget to set something up the way I want it.

You might consider a separate project that's only research, to make it easy for you to find no matter what book you're working in. Scrivener has no problem having more than one project open at a time.

AW Admin · Oct 25, 2017

Yes. Start a new Project for each book (select New Project from the File menu in Scrivener).

If there are notes that you want to keep available across all five books (say a list of character traits) so that you always have the most recent and identical version in any Project, use a Reference. This is a way to point to an external file in Scrivener.

See: http://gwenhernandez.com/2013/10/23/references-in-scrivener/

See this Scrivener video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYtgtvxMqTc

Sophia · Oct 25, 2017

You could also maybe copy the Research folder (or anything else that contains information needed for every book) and paste it into the project for each new book, if you don't want multiple projects open at once.

muse · Oct 25, 2017

I agree with the others, much better to have separate projects for each book. You can always drag and drop your research folder into each new project you make, so you always have it on hand.

lizmonster · Oct 25, 2017

AW Admin said:
If there are notes that you want to keep available across all five books (say a list of character traits) so that you always have the most recent and identical version in any Project, use a Reference. This is a way to point to an external file in Scrivener.

See: http://gwenhernandez.com/2013/10/23/references-in-scrivener/

See this Scrivener video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYtgtvxMqTc

This was not a thing I knew and I am a happy person now.

Multiple Manuscripts in Scrivener

christopherdschmitz

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen

AW Admin

Sophia

muse

standing on head, typing one-handed...

lizmonster

Possibly A Mermaid Queen