I use Scapple for brainstorming and basic outlining. For me, it's a great piece of software to shift around ideas and have them connecting to other ideas. Eventually I have my notes in Scapple end up in a rough plot order with sections or chapters defined. After that I hop into Scrivener. I like Scrivener because I can write everything in sections and easily move them around quickly or find parts. I get a breakdown of my word count per chapter, so I can make sure I'm fleshing things out as evenly as possible. Then there is the research organization in Scrivener—I can keep all of my research in one place. I can put my world-building notes in Scrivener too along with my character profiles.
Lately instead of going from Scrivener straight to an eBook format I've gone to MS Word, so I can publish at Smashwords with their converter which will convert to many different formats.
Honestly it depends on what makes you comfortable. I used to be happy with a simple text editor called WriteMonkey, and there was a time when I tried Dramatica Pro too. There's no right way. What's convenient for me might be totally a hassle for someone else.
Lately instead of going from Scrivener straight to an eBook format I've gone to MS Word, so I can publish at Smashwords with their converter which will convert to many different formats.
Honestly it depends on what makes you comfortable. I used to be happy with a simple text editor called WriteMonkey, and there was a time when I tried Dramatica Pro too. There's no right way. What's convenient for me might be totally a hassle for someone else.
