I’m going to pause my regular programming to tell you about Keith Blount. You may not know Keith, and—guess what?—neither do I.
But I love what he’s done.
Keith has created a software application called Scrivener, which is, sort of, an amalgam of a word processor and a project management tool.
Why is that important?
Because I used Microsoft Word to write The Net Present Value of Life and, as I was writing it, a few things came to mind.
The first was, no one writes a novel chronologically. At least I didn’t. No, the fact is I jumped around a lot, writing a chapter that gave me an idea for another chapter. I’d then create a draft, based on that idea, that I’d later squeeze in somewhere between the book’s beginning and end.
Did I mention revisions?
I often made changes in one part of the manuscript (keeping a backup of the original file, in case I changed my mind), only to find, soon after, that my changes impacted on a later chapter that I had written much earlier.
Confused? Well, so was I, all because it really wasn’t an efficient way to work. Even worse, it was a process rife with minefields—I was always afraid, as I searched and edited blocks of text, that I’d delete, unnoticed, some crucial dialog, some character development, or something else entirely.
Which is why I kept backups. Lots and lots of backups.
The other thing I noticed? I was accumulating a big pile of supporting files containing research, weblinks, story-development ideas, statistical information, outlines, notions, mindless ramblings, and the occasional grocery list.
I kept backups of all that too.
It was, at times, hard to manage. And, as I look back, I’m puzzled that I never wondered whether there was a better way.
Which is why I’m thrilled to have, only recently, discovered exactly that—a better way. Scrivener truly is a one-stop, no-fuss-no-muss software application devoted to one simple task—writing.
Not only am I over the moon about Scrivener, but I’m equally impressed by Literature & Latte, the company that publishes it.
First off, let’s face it, Literature & Latte is an intriguing name for a software company. Turns out that Keith chose that name because he always wanted a bookshop/cafe. Hey! I love coffee. And I love books too. You see? A connection…
But that’s not the real reason I’m intrigued by the company.
What intrigues me (and what I identify with) is their history, and their philosophy.
The company’s history is right there, on their website. As it happens, Keith was (is) a writer who (like me) wasn’t thrilled with the available crop of word processors. Unlike me, though, he did something about it. He created Scrivener.
Now that’s what I call innovation in action.
As regards philosophy, they programmed Scrivener to work on Macs. Not Windows, just Macs. Why? Because the folk that work at Literature & Latte (both of them) prefer Macs. That’s it. No other reason. They like Macs.
Now how refreshing is that? A company creating something because that’s what they felt like creating? And not because some business metric like ROI (return on investment) or market capitalization suggested they do it. And certainly not because some focus group, or strategic-planning consultant, or leading-edge indicator implied that’s what they should be doing.
Then there’s the price point, which is much too reasonable—a steal in fact. Why is Scrivener priced so low? Because, as stated on their website, they “didn’t want to price out struggling writers.”
C’mon, how can you not be a fan of such a company?
There you have it. Scrivener. I’m a fan and I bet you will be too. So go ahead and try it. Right now.
But remember, you’ll need a Mac. Now how great is that?
