Get the writing tool pros swear by

I've written six nonfiction books about Apple, and every time during the writing process, I'd grind to a halt because I had no idea how to organize all the material I'd gathered.

So I'd do what every writer has done since time immemorial: I'd take reams and reams of notes, cut them up into small pieces, and then tape them together in an order that made some kind of sense.

The trouble is, it rarely did!

Little did I know, there's a much easier way: Scrivener.

Scrivener is a writing tool for Mac or Windows that helps with big, complex writing projects.

A ton of professional writers I know swear by it.

Clive Thompson, Steven Johnson and Charlie Stross are just three scribblers who have written bestselling books using the software.

“I use Scrivener to organize most of my nonfiction research and writing,” says Clive Thompson, a technology journalist who writes for The New York Times Magazine, Wired and others, and who wrote Coders, a highly praised book about programmers.

“It's a terrific database and writing tool," Thompson said.

Thompson uses Scrivener for the entire writing process: research, organization and writing -- and even uses it as a kind of external brain.

"When I’m at my desk, someone asks me a question and I’ll go oh, I think I have something on that,” he said. “It really helps me come up with new ideas, to reaccess things I vaguely remember but can refresh myself on the details. The searchability is really fantastic."

Thompson's such a fan, he’s written about how he uses Scrivener for note-taking, conducting research and for handling the writing process itself.

Likewise, bestselling nonfiction author Steven Johnson is a dedicated Scrivener user. Johnson says the software can be complex and has a learning curve, but the fundamental architecture "changes everything about the way you navigate from the early stages of the project to a completed manuscript."

He adds: “My Scrivener-based workflow seems to fit the way my mind works better than any approach I’ve employed in the past.”

Charlie Stross, a Hugo-winning sci-fi author, wrote his novel, Neptune’s Brood, entirely in Scrivener.

He describes the software as “a creator’s workbench, and as such it offers a panoply of tools to assist you in composition.”

Scrivener is especially useful with plotting, Stross writes.

"I’ve used it before in writing several novels where the plot got so gnarly and tangled up that I badly needed a tool to manage all my plot strands, an area in which Scrivener excels.”

Dozens and dozens of other writers also rave about the software. There are several pages of testimonials on the Scrivener website.

So, if you’ve got the itch to pen the great American novel, we have Scrivener on sale now for only $29.99 — that’s half the normal price of $59.99.

P.S. If you don’t yet own MS Office — which includes Word, another essential writer’s tool — we have a sweet deal that’s expiring soon. Get a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for Mac or PC for just $29.99.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Scrivener: An app tailor-made for writers

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds when looking at a long document or starting a big writing project. If you want a powerful tool that can organize your writing, and let you rework it the entire time you’re composing, here’s your chance to get a lifetime subscription to Scrivener for Mac or Windows.

This feature-packed writing app gives you much more than a blank page to work with. When you create a new project in Scrivener, you’ll be presented with templates and options for customizing your workspace. It might look a little overwhelming at first, but a detailed tutorial will show you how to use everything.

One of the standout features of Scrivener is its organizational tools for writers. Instead of hunting through your folders for a file or document you’ve saved, just attach it to your project sidebar. If you need it, click on it, and it will open instantly. Fill your sidebar with folders for chapters, outlines and anything else you need quick access to.

With Scrivener, you don’t even need to leave the app for quick research. And you can easily integrate your research into your project. One verified buyer said Scrivener offers “many ways to customize my digital writing workspace so that I can focus on the writing at hand. Also, lots of ways to store information, maps, websites and images so that reference material is always easy to access.”

Revising a long document in traditional word processors can prove exhausting, especially if you want to move large sections around. Instead of taking your scroll wheel out for a spin, use Scrivener’s bulletin board to click and drag sections of your project around as easily as you’d move cards on a corkboard.

This subscription gives you a lifetime of Scrivener on one device. Unfortunately, it’s only available to new users.

Save on a lifetime subscription to Scrivener 3

Whether you’re an author, student, journalist or lawyer, this writing app will help you keep your long documents organized the entire time you’re writing. For a limited time, get a lifetime subscription to:

• Scrivener 3 for Mac, on sale for $29.99 (regularly $59.99).

• Scrivener 3 for Windows, on sale for $29.99 (regularly $59.99).

Buy from: Cult of Mac Deals