Tech Tuesday: Templates in Scrivener

March 30, 2010Gwen Hernandez25 CommentsWriting LifeScrivener, Tech Tuesday, templates

UPDATE: For the Scrivener 2.x templates post, click here.

If you've been working in Scrivener for a while, you probably have it set up exactly the way you like it. You've modified the labels, opened the Inspector, created your own extra folders and files for things like unused scenes, research, productivity tracking, character sketches, and saved searches. Maybe you like to have twenty chapter folders all formatted correctly, ready and waiting to fill.

However you like to set it up, you'd probably prefer not to have to do it again every time you start a new project. As always, there's a fix for that. Scrivener allows you to save templates. If you use Scrivener to write both novels and screenplays, you can create a template for each.

To get started, you can open a new project and set it up, or take an existing project that's set up the way you like it, make a copy in Finder, and then open it in Scrivener. If you use an existing one, strip out everything that's specific to the existing project (labels, text documents, research documents, etc.) and then save it.

Once you have your blank shell you're ready to proceed.

From the File menu, choose Save As Template…
Enter the Template Name and a Description

Now, you're ready to create a new project using your template.

From the File menu, choose New Project (or choose New Project next time you open Scrivener)
Select the template you want to use and click Next.
– Note: The Templates… drop down box at the bottom will allow you to import templates from other people, export your templates to share with others, delete existing templates, and choose to make the selected template the default.
Enter your Project Name and you're done.

Need more help? Sign up for an online class, read more Scrivener articles, or schedule a private training session. If you don't already have it, you can download Scrivener here.

And, I'd love to hear suggestions for future Tech Tuesday posts. Write on!

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25 Comments

Sybir St. John

Reply
30 / Mar / 2010

Love it…want to cross blog on Tech Tuesdays? LOL. I just posted up about reality fighting techniques because I was inundated with it tonight.

I love SCRIVENER. I would resell it if I could. I would put it on my PC and my PC laptop rather than logging in remotely to the mac every time I want to write. 😀 That’s how much I love this application.

And, it was the only way I got book 3 written for the Elemental Goddesses. I think Glacial was trying to kill me.

I have a certain way I like to work, so this is going to be a huge help! Thank you 🙂
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  31 / Mar / 2010
  
  Glad it will help. I can’t say enough about Scrivener either. I’m always hawking it to people. Not sure how I ever wrote without it!
- David E.
  
  Reply
  28 / Apr / 2011
  
  There is now a PC version of Scrivener.
  - Gwen Hernandez
    
    Reply
    28 / Apr / 2011
    
    Thanks, David. This post is from over a year ago before they announced it. I think most of my PC friends are now on the beta. Thanks for stopping in!
Christine

Reply
31 / Mar / 2010

Is the existing project already a Scrivener project, or can it be any other WORD project as well?
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  31 / Mar / 2010
  
  Christine, a Word project wouldn’t work because it’s all about how you have your folders and Scrivener settings, not about the text that you’ve written.
  
  Now, you could create a template based on an existing Scrivener project that’s set up the way you want. Then open a new, blank project based on it, and import the Word document. Then, just split it into scenes like we talked about before.
alarob

Reply
31 / Mar / 2010

Templates don’t include documents, do they? If I left a document in my Research folder and saved the template (like, say, a PDF guide to the university library), it wouldn’t appear in projects created with that template — or would it?
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  31 / Mar / 2010
  
  Actually, Rob, it will totally include any documents you have in the project you use for the template. I tested just to be sure. Pretty handy, eh? 😉
  - Curtis
    
    Reply
    31 / Mar / 2010
    
    Very handy. I think Scrivener and Journler together becomes a writing software pair that can’t be beat. At least for me.
Heather

Reply
4 / Apr / 2010

Are there any sites with pre-existing templates you can download? I have the extras that came with the install (with about 4-5 templates, including the novel template).
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  4 / Apr / 2010
  
  Try the Tips & Tricks forum on the Scrivener site at: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18. Some people have posted theirs. You could also put out a call for anyone with XX type of template that might be willing to share.
  
  Otherwise, if one of the existing templates is close, you can open a project based on it, modify it to fit your needs, and then save it as a new template.
  
  Good luck!
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Tony McFadden

Reply
14 / Jun / 2011

I too love Scrivener. Would marry it if my wife allowed polygamy.

I used some of Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering tips and build a 4 part novel template you are all free to grab.

http://tonymcfadden.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/scrivener-template/
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  14 / Jun / 2011
  
  Thanks for sharing, Tony!
noelgama

Reply
11 / Apr / 2012

Looking forward to the Dummies book! In the meantime, would you know where I could buy some good templates for nonfiction books?

Thanks,

Noel
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  11 / Apr / 2012
  
  Thanks, Noel. I’m not sure of anyone who sells nonfiction templates. Do the built in NF templates not work for you?
  
  A good place to check is the L&L forum page, under Scrivener Tips: http://literatureandlatte.com/forum/
  
  Good luck!
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Stephen Martin

Reply
9 / Mar / 2016

Hi Gwen,

I love Scrivener for Dummies. Thank you so much.

Is there a way to change templates once a project has been started?
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  10 / Mar / 2016
  
  Glad to hear it, Stephen! There’s no direct way to change the template once you’ve created a project, but you can create a new project based on the template you want to use, then import the current project into the new one.
  
  You can either import via File–>Import–>Scrivener Project, or you can have both projects open side by side, select the desired files in the Binder from the current project and drag them to the Binder of the new project.
  
  The latter option is especially helpful if you want to “clean house” a little bit and not bring over everything you’ve already accumulated into the new version.
  
  Hope that helps!
  - Stephen Martin
    
    Reply
    10 / Mar / 2016
    
    Thanks, Gwen It does help.
Lizzi Tremayne

Reply
20 / Oct / 2016

Awesome, thanks Gwen,
Found the template answer… Do you know if it works with Joel’s templates? http://www.bookdesigntemplates.com/
?
or are they even necessary?
thanks!
L
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  20 / Oct / 2016
  
  Lizzi: These types of templates are those you’d have to either apply to a Word document later (if they’re set up that way), or where you’d have to open the template and then copy/paste your own text in.
  
  I’ve been able to make my print books look very professional without one (Mac), but it depends on what you’re looking for. As I’ve said before, Scrivener doesn’t support drop caps or word wrapping, so you may prefer a book template. This post might be helpful if you are trying to export to a PDF for one of the POD companies: http://gwenhernandez.com/2016/08/29/using-scrivener-for-mac-to-compile-a-pdf-for-print-on-demand/.