I compose in Scrivener.
Way back in the early Jurassic, when computers were still relatively new-fangled things in the workplace, I used to write correspondence in longhand and then type the stuff up! These days I am barely aware of the process of typing; it’s a smooth transition of ideas onto a virtual page – they may not be brilliant ideas, but that’s a different matter.
Hand on heart, I long for the Jurassic era again. (That's a whole other thread!) I do love to type. But, there's something to be said for the days of handwriting and typewriters. They afforded more time to consider your word choices between the time they came to you and the time it took to get them on paper. But, at 51, my hands appreciate being able to type!
It’s generally easy to import documents into Scrivener. Though IMHO Scrivener works best for composing something from scratch. If you are trying to import a large novel length document, you may encounter some difficulties in splitting it up into chapters/scenes.
I suggest you play around with it as much as possible, read the manual, and look up the how to guides on youtube. It’s a lot to get one’s head around, so I would suggest you start off by concentrating on the core features.
If you definitely want Scrivener you can buy it now and use it on your shiny new computer, PROVIDING you don’t change platform i.e. old and new computers are both Macs/Macs or Windows/Windows. Once you buy, you will be given a Key to activate. You can use that key on something like 5 computers all using the same platform.
Thank you for one of the best answers I've received to any question so far! You touched perfectly on every niggling concern and subquestion I had. Concise, thoughtful and intuitive, almost as if you read my mind. Many thanks! In all sincerity, I could live without Scrivener. I love manually organizing, charting, and piecing bits together! But I absolutely cannot refuse the option to have my work formatted automatically into different printing styles. (eBooks, Kindle, etc.) That alone is worth the $45.
I just have to decide which computer I'm buying first. I have an 11 year old iMac that needs replacing. I want to stick with Apple because I love it, but I'm having a very difficult time justifying the egotistical expense of another one! Especially since I now want a laptop for the portability. I
can justify the expense for another iMac (desktop) because this one lasted so long, but laptops always seem to have more problems and don't last as long. I want a Chromebook, but that means
NO SCRIVENER. And I hate Windows 10, so... I have to get this figured out so I don't buy Scrivener in the wrong format!