# Does anyone recommend something faster than Scrivener?



## TKent (Jun 9, 2014)

I am using Scrivener to write and organize my work.  It is very slow for me--delays when typing, moving the index cards in corkboard view, etc.  Also, when moving things around from the left menu folder view, it is almost impossible to move something without accidentally making it a subfolder instead of moving in front of another folder.  I have really fast computers with 8 GB of memory, so I don't think it is that.  And I only have 1 average size pdf file saved in the research folder.  

My question is whether anyone knows of a similar product that is really fast like Word but has many of the features that Srivener has such as the index card view, folder structure for organizing your work, etc.  Any recommendations would be appreciated!


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## garza (Jun 9, 2014)

If you have Windows, you already have the two best writing programmes at no extra cost. In other posts I've explained how Notepad can be organised to allow you to have everything you need available instantly - from outline to background information to whatever you need to keep handy next to the page you are working on. When you are ready to do some basic formatting you have WordPad. 

If you have any version of Windows you already have both of these. I write non-fiction professionally and Notepad is all I ever use for writing. I often have Notepad open in five or six partly layered implementations so that I can use one mouse click to look at a reference or check on the outline or pick up a piece of information. It's fast and if you run any version of Windows it's free.

And that's one of the reasons people don't like it. The other reason people don't like it is its simplicity. It's easy to use, unlike the kinds of programmes that have their own brand of clutter that's out of your control. Notepad never tries to do anything for you. You are always in control.

If you are running Linux I recommend Vim. Apple has a similar programme - the name slips my mind for the moment.


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## InstituteMan (Jun 9, 2014)

In Mac, TextEdit will work admirably for basic word processing. Then again, most recent Macs include Pages for free if you want more bells and whistles.


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## garza (Jun 9, 2014)

TextEdit is the programme I was trying to remember. It's a basic text editor, as is Notepad, as I understand it.


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## Skodt (Jun 9, 2014)

I like to use word. It makes everything very easy. No need for any of the other stuff in reality.


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## garza (Jun 10, 2014)

My personal preference is not to use any sort of word processor for  writing but to stick with a text editor until the words are written, then  'process' those words with a word processor to achieve the kind of page formatting the job requires. Writing with a word processor like Word feels clumsy to me. I prefer the simplicity of the text editor until all the words are lined up the way I want them.

Most of what I write requires no formatting, only the writing itself, so I can submit a text file straight from Notepad. If a basic level of formatting is needed, such as indented paragraphs or slant-face type for titles and such, I can use WordPad. I use Word when I need to format an article to put in illustrations, bullet lists, and so forth. When page formatting beyond the capabilities of Word is needed I use Adobe Pagemaker which allows a complete book to be assembled camera ready for the printer. An example is _Your Social Security Handbook_ published by the Belize Social Security Board. I wrote the text with Notepad, used Word to try different page formats, put everything together in its final form with Pagemaker, including the front and back covers, loaded it on a cd, took the cd to the printer, and said 'shoot it and print it'. So three different kinds of programmes, from text editor through word processor on to sheet assembly were used. The computer made it possible for the job to be completed by one person from initial composition through editing to page layout and final sheet assembly. What a difference from the days of the typewriter and constant arguing with lower level bureaucrats over page layout and such. 

Oh, it should be _four_ different kinds of programmes. Adobe Photoshop was used to design the front and back covers and to process the illustrations inside the book.

No one programme can do everything. My Dad taught me to use the right tool for the job. He was talking about using socket wrenches instead of pliers, but the principle holds true with any sort of craft.


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## ppsage (Jun 10, 2014)

I use Schrivener on a very slow (1 gHz, 2mb) Windows (7) machine and have none of the problems you describe. It takes a few seconds to close down, and quite a few to open. It also hangs a process that closes eventually on shutdown. I am a semi-advocate for the Garza methodology and find Schrivener makes the text editing part so much simpler with the in-program directory tree and notes sections. (edit: also the functions for combining and dividing 'files.') I don't use much else in it. No formatting. Limited spellcheck. Does this happen on every project, or just a certain one?


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## Kyle R (Jun 10, 2014)

TKent said:


> I am using Scrivener to write and organize my work.  It is very slow for me--delays when typing, moving the index cards in corkboard view, etc.  Also, when moving things around from the left menu folder view, it is almost impossible to move something without accidentally making it a subfolder instead of moving in front of another folder.  I have really fast computers with 8 GB of memory, so I don't think it is that.  And I only have 1 average size pdf file saved in the research folder.
> 
> My question is whether anyone knows of a similar product that is really fast like Word but has many of the features that Srivener has such as the index card view, folder structure for organizing your work, etc.  Any recommendations would be appreciated!



I use Scrivener and haven't encountered any lag issues like you mentioned.

However, if you have a PC (Windows), you can try YWriter5, which is very user-friendly (I used it myself for a time when I had a PC). (http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html)

It's a free alternative to Scrivener. :encouragement:

I haven't tried alternatives on a Mac, since my Scrivener works fine, but I'm sure there are Mac alternatives as well.


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## TKent (Jun 10, 2014)

Great feedback.  I am on a windows PC, so I may start with contacting support since it sounds like this may be an issue with my particular installation.  I am going to give a few of these suggestions a try.  I have a hard enough time writing that the last thing I need is to be frustrated with the software!!


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## garza (Jun 10, 2014)

I simply don't believe you can do with those programmes what I can do with a text editor. I've tried both of the programmes mentioned, and a couple of others, and don't understand why anyone would bother with them. I want to spend my writing time writing, not fiddling about with how someone else believes I should organise my material. There's certainly nothing to slow you down with any text editor. They open and save faster than any word processor or writing programme because they are not cluttered with any extra baggage. 

Perhaps the problem is that using a text editor gives the writer no excuse for wasting time. It's like a blank piece of paper sitting there waiting for you to add words. You can't spend time doing housekeeping that those programmes demands and then claim you've been writing. 

I have always loved a blank piece of paper waiting for me to use my pencil to add words. Every time I face that blank piece of paper I feel like Kerouac setting out across the country. It's beautiful.


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## ppsage (Jun 10, 2014)

Might want to try checking out compatibility issues with other things you run. Also matters if it always worked this way or only lately, like since that last update. I feel like Schrivener for Windows is not the most elegant programming, nor is the user base large enough to have yet weeded out all potential snags.


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## Morkonan (Jun 10, 2014)

TKent said:


> I am using Scrivener to write and organize my work.  It is very slow for me--delays when typing, moving the index cards in corkboard view, etc.  Also, when moving things around from the left menu folder view, it is almost impossible to move something without accidentally making it a subfolder instead of moving in front of another folder.  I have really fast computers with 8 GB of memory, so I don't think it is that.  And I only have 1 average size pdf file saved in the research folder.
> ...



What sort of grahics card are you using? Also, sometimes programs can have difficulties with fast processors, especially if they're legacy programs or haven't been upgraded in a long while. 

I generally use MS Word. But, lately I've been using OpenOffice's Write, because Word has been bugging out on me, lately. I like OpenOffice, but there's something you need to know - Word Counts are often counted differently across applications. OpenOffice will NOT come up with the same word-count that MS Word does, due to how the counting algorithms and variables work out. That means that if you're getting paid to write 3000 words and that's you limit, if you count with OpenOffice and your Editor counts with MS Word, you'll have some 'splaining to do...


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## Skodt (Jun 10, 2014)

It is visually more appealing to me. I hate the format of wordpad or note. Both make the text hard to read, and takes me out of my element. Word is so easy to use and looks so much cleaner while writing. No distractions at all for me. I open it up and just start to write. My preferences are already saved into the document and it just feels better to me.


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## stevesh (Jun 11, 2014)

I'm with @garza on this one, but I mostly write short fiction, which doesn't need a lot of 'formatting'. Notepad and Wordpad do the job for me 99% of the time, and I also have Open Office installed. When I'm feeling nostalgic, I boot from a USB drive into DOS and use a Wordstar clone called VDE. 

I've never seen the need for all the ancillary 'tools' in Scrivener (or Word, for that matter).


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## Kyle R (Jun 11, 2014)

Scrivener's definitely for a certain kind of writer—one that values versatility and functionality over simplicity.

I find the cork board and compile features especially helpful when writing a longer piece, such as novel or a screenplay. When I'm working on a story that has 30 or more individual scenes/chapters (and especially since I like to write scenes out of chronological order), I like Scrivener's ability to help me organize, edit, and rearrange sections visually.

It's the same process I'd be doing otherwise, with a white board and notecards, except I can do it on a virtual work station in a fraction of the time. So, for me, Scrivener helps me work faster. :encouragement:


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## TKent (Jun 11, 2014)

Okay, so I downloaded this YWriter5 to my PC and it is fast as lightening, and I actually find it a bit easier to use so far.  I've transferred my work and so far so good. I'm going to give this one a try for awhile as I think it may do the trick. I don't do much formatting, but really want the outline view of chapters / scenes that both Scrivener and YWriter5 provide.



KyleColorado said:


> However, if you have a PC (Windows), you can try YWriter5, which is very user-friendly (I used it myself for a time when I had a PC). (http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html). It's a free alternative to Scrivener. :encouragement:



It was happening on the only two projects I have, pretty much from the start.  Wasn't super duper slow, just a little bit, but enough to drive me batty.  And since most of my work to date has been spent on creating an outline of the scenes for a novel, I was moving stuff around like crazy.  This was really easy on the corkboard view with Scrivener but hard in the actual tree view from the left menu since it is so easy to drop them as sub-folders if you don't line it up just right.



> Does this happen on every project, or just a certain one?



Very cool!  Had fun ziplining in Belize a few years back   Yes, I like my tools as well.  



> An example is _Your Social Security Handbook published by the Belize Social Security Board._



There is so much truth to this statement!  I am a serious procrastinator, so I need to quit messing around 



> Perhaps the problem is that using a text editor gives the writer no excuse for wasting time. It's like a blank piece of paper sitting there waiting for you to add words. You can't spend time doing housekeeping that those programmes demands and then claim you've been writing.




Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback!


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## garza (Jun 11, 2014)

Now you apparently have software that works for you, so there's no longer any excuse for not writing. No more procrastination. 

Happy you enjoyed your trip to Belize. Write it up so we can all enjoy. Did you go cave tubing as well? That's very popular now.


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## TKent (Jun 11, 2014)

We only did the ziplining, but read about the cave tubing. It looked like it would be a lot of fun too!


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## saoir (Oct 5, 2014)

I use Scrivener on a 2007 iMac. It is instantaneous. Scrivener is clearly not your problem.


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## KellInkston (Mar 23, 2015)

The updated word online's taken a turn for the best. For a monthly fee of around $6 you can have it for yourself. I've really been enjoying because you can pass files between computers using one drive, and since the new word is designed for one drive, you never have to worry about losing work again, even if you're using the non-browser version. I also like the speed- they've optimized it a good deal.


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