S vs. W

How'd you guys like Monday's post? I'll tell you, I had a lot of fun writing it... 

Today though, I'm talking about something that applies to me every day of my writer life.

Why?

Because I still haven't decided which one I like better.

Scrivener vs. Microsoft Word

If you've been reading my blog for any significant amount of time, then you've seen how often I talk about Scrivener. It's great. I've been using the software for about two years, and I haven't looked back... except when it comes time to edit.

Which is when I start to wonder, which one really is the better software?

Being the little nerdy girl that I am, I made pro/con lists.

Scrivener

Pros:

• Organized interface
• Easy (one-click) to jump between book sections and/or chapters
• Built-in character and setting sketches
• Auto-formatting for manuscripts and eBooks
• Ability to export from .scriv into practically any format
• Easy to maintain formatting throughout manuscripts

Cons:

• No built-in thesaurus
• Infrequently updated (and British) dictionary
• No ability to track changes while editing
• No ability to insert comments on specific phrases while editing
• Less powerful spell-checker

Microsoft Word

Pros:

• Simple easy-for-beginners interface
• Built-in thesaurus
• Frequently updated dictionary
• Ability to track changes while editing
• Ability to insert comments on specific phrases while editing
• Powerful spell-checker
• Ability to grammar-check

Cons:

• Unnecessary and distracting features
• Unorganized interface
• No easy way to jump between book sections and/or chapters
• Less comprehensive export feature
• No built-in character and setting sketches
• No auto-formatting for manuscript or eBook
• Difficult to maintain formatting throughout manuscripts

See what I mean? 

While Scrivener is amazing for writing, in my deductions I've determined that Word is better for editing. But if I'm editing in Word, I can't easily jump between sections in my book to make sure I'm maintaining style or plot points. Instead, I have to use the search function to find them.

So what's the answer here?

Or is there an answer at all?

Today's lesson of the day: there is no real answer. Until or unless someone puts together a software that combines the editing and grammar processing functions of Word with the interface and writer-designed tools of Scrivener... There may never be a winner in this battle.


Nobody wins, and we'll go on using both softwares.


Sheesh. 


[love]

{RD}