How to Use Scrivener's Corkboard Feature

Edited 2 months ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Scrivener is a versatile tool for writers that combines various features to assist in all stages of writing. Among its useful tools is the corkboard feature, which is helpful in organizing ideas, plotting stories, and structuring articles. This tutorial will guide you on how to understand and use Scrivener's corkboard feature in a comprehensive way.

What is a Scrivener corkboard?

Scrivener's corkboard is a virtual pinboard that helps you visually organize your writing project using digital index cards. Each card, much like a sticky note, represents a section or chapter of your project. By arranging and rearranging these cards, you can structure your content in the way that gives the best flow.

Why use a corkboard?

The corkboard feature is valuable because it allows you to manipulate your project outline without diving into the text. It helps plan the structure, simplify complex ideas, break down large pieces of writing into manageable sections, and see the progress of your work. It is especially useful for organizing non-linear narratives and seeing relationships between chapters or scenes.

Access to the corkboard

To use the corkboard in Scrivener, you must first open an existing project or create a new project. The corkboard view can be accessed from the 'View' menu at the top or by clicking the corkboard icon in the Scrivener toolbar. This switches your current editor view to the corkboard.

Creating and managing index cards

Adding new cards

To add a new index card, just click the “Add” button or use a keyboard shortcut. Each new card appears immediately on your corkboard. You can title the card by typing on it and add a summary. These cards can represent a chapter, section, or scene from your writing.

Card editing

Double-click on any card to edit its content directly. You can change its title or add more details to the summary. It helps you to write down the main points or ideas for that particular part of your writing. Clever use of summaries helps in efficient story structuring and content development.

Organizing the corkboard

Reorder cards

Rearranging cards is simple. Click and drag a card to reposition it within the corkboard. This is especially useful when you're rethinking the sequence of chapters in your novel, rearranging points in an essay, or reorganizing any type of writing project.

Grouping of cards

Scrivener enables you to create stacks of cards that represent a hierarchy of ideas. For example, each stack could represent a chapter, and individual cards could represent scenes within those chapters. Use the “group” function to create stacks of cards or drag one card on top of another, giving your writing a nested structure.

Using labels, statuses, and keywords

Label

Assign color-coded labels to your cards to create visual markers that indicate different themes or categories. This can indicate narrative viewpoint, character, timeline, or any custom label you find useful. Set these by right-clicking on the card and choosing the desired label from the menu.

Situation

Mark the status of each card to track your progress. Whether a section is complete, needs editing, or remains as a draft can be managed by assigning a status. This feature helps you maintain a clear overview of your progress throughout the document.

Keyword

Keywords provide a way to attach detailed descriptions to your cards, available for advanced organization and searching within Scrivener. You can add keywords by opening the Inspector on the right, where you'll find options for managing your keyword metadata.

Customizing the corkboard

Scrivener allows you to personalize the corkboard display to your liking. Adjust the size of index cards, control the overall look or change the distance between them through the settings available in the Scrivener Preferences panel.

Examples of corkboard use in various writing projects

Novel

Novelists can use the corkboard to visualize the order of chapters and scenes, ensuring a coherent narrative structure. By adjusting the sequence of cards, you can experiment with different plot arrangements and identify pacing issues more easily.

Screenplays

When writing a screenplay, each card can represent a scene and include notes about dialogue, key actions, or scene elements. This helps screenwriters manage the flow of scenes and ensure that all elements are contributing to the overall story vision.

Academic papers

For academic writers, the corkboard helps to outline complex research papers or thesis. Each card can be divided into different sections such as introduction, methodology, analysis, and conclusion. This ensures a logical progression and comprehensive argument in the document.

Conclusion

The corkboard feature in Scrivener serves as a dynamic organizational tool that goes beyond the usual linear outlining methods. Its adaptability to different writing styles and needs makes it a must-have for writers who want to increase the structural clarity and efficiency of their project. By personalizing this feature according to their needs, writers can organize their creative clutter in a manageable and visually aesthetic way, leading to a more productive writing process.

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