Scrivener Templates For Windows
To import the entire project template, go to File-Import-Scrivener Project. Importing a Scrivener Project The Finder window will open, find the project in your files, and hit import. Once it loads, the entire file will be located under the Trash Can.
How do you create characters that are compelling and full of life? And is there a tool that will make creating character sketches really easy, not to mention fun? Why yes there is! Read on to learn how writers use Scrivener to develop better characters.
Photo by Kevin Dooley. Modified by The Write Practice.
- Scrivener – The Great American Novel Template This is a Scrivener template created by Michael O’Bryan. His stated purpose is to help with the writing process itself. Or at least give you a vehicle to help you get together everything you need in order to write your book.
- Double click on the KM Weiland Template.scrivx file to import it into Scrivener. To get the template to show up in Scrivener as an option the next time you start a new project, you’ll need to save it as a template (File/Save As Template).
- Every Scrivener project is based on a template (i.e., a pre-set layout and formatting). Scrivener comes with quite a few to get you started—all based on the Blank template—but did you know you can create your own? A project template can include files, folder structure, references, keywords, Label and Status values, and more.
- A cool feature Scrivener offers is the templates. If you select Add New from template Character sketch, it gives you a character sheet where you can fill in various bits of information. If I am honest, I was more than a little disappointed with these character sheets.
- A cool feature Scrivener offers is the templates. If you select Add New from template Character sketch, it gives you a character sheet where you can fill in various bits of information. If I am honest, I was more than a little disappointed with these character sheets. Although the idea of having them there is nice, they are very basic.
Nothing is born in a vacuum. Characters don’t emerge fully formed. Character development is a process of getting to know your characters and working to make them come to life. They’re developed through character sketches, through the writing process itself, through lots feedback, and diligent revision.
When you’re going through the character development process, it’s helpful to have some tools at your disposal, and one of the most helpful tools for writers, especially when it comes to working on your characters, is Scrivener.
What is a character sketch, what is Scrivener, and how can it help you create compelling characters? Read on to learn more!
Full disclosure: some of the links to Scrivener below are affiliate links. That means if you order Scrivener and use it to write your books, I will earn a few dollars to help me keep writing. That being said, this didn’t affect my opinion of Scrivener (which I personally use in my own writing).
What is Scrivener?
Scrivener is a writing program and word processor designed specifically by writers, for writers. If you’re working on a book, I’ve found that Microsoft Word and other word processors just don’t cut it.
Having a tool like Scrivener that’s designed specifically for books can save you hundreds of hours and help you write a better book.
If you’re interested in learning more about Scrivener, read my Scrivener review here.
Or you’re ready to purchase scrivener now, you can get the Mac, PC, and iOS version all here:
What Is a Character Sketch?
Think of a character sketch as the rough draft of your character. It’s a place where you can freely experiment, where you can tell yourself (or your writing partner) who your characters are, how they look, and where they come from.
You can type out their whole backstory, or just the parts of the timeline that inform your character’s identity. Their inner and external conflicts will be crucial to your story, so be sure to include those, too.
/how-to-install-hindi-font-in-openoffice.html. Most importantly, use character sketches as a tool to discover your characters’ key motivations and goals, because those are the engine that drives your story forward.
How to Use Template Sheets in Scrivener
Scrivener has a template sheets function that makes building out character sketches easy. If you started using one of their document templates, like the novel template that comes with Scrivener, there should already be a Template Sheets folder in the your project document that looks like the screenshot to the right.
If not, you can make a Template Sheets folder by creating a new folder in the Binder (the left hand column), and then from the top menu selecting Project > Set Selection as Templates Folder.
Once you have the folder, you can add as many templates as you like!
Sidenote: I reference Scrivener’s features and include screenshots of the software, but you can still use these methods without Scrivener. Simply create a separate text file for each character and keep them in a folder named “My Story – Character Sketches.” If you’re interested in Scrivener, Joe reviewed it here.
Visualize Your Characters Using Scrivener’s Corkboard
Scrivener Templates For Windows 7
Now that you have your template sheets folder, you can generate character sketches by creating new files from the template sheets you have.
Fortunately, we live in a digital age and Scrivener’s digital corkboard interface gives us the power of notecards in a way that allows us to drill down from the card view into the character sketch itself.
The notecard system is well documented and has been made famous by a dead author, a living author, Writer’s Digest, and teenagers writing research papers everywhere. Scrivener simply digitizes this time-tested method.
In the screenshot below, you’ll see that I have several characters in view. They’ve all been generated from the Character Sketch template sheet we created previously.
What’s great about this is that you have a card for each character, with optional visuals or text description.
I go for visuals out of the gate, as it helps me ground my character in an image. Having a visual on hand makes writing about them easier, at first, because the photos jog my imagination. Once I’m really entrenched and know my characters (i.e. about twenty-five percent of the way through the first draft), I don’t need to look at the visuals at all.
You’ll notice that some characters don’t have photos—I added those characters during the story and didn’t bother going back to find photos for them. That’s OK. One of the most important things to remember about your planning or pre-production phase (to borrow a film term), including character sketches, is that none of it is set in stone. Your story will evolve, and so will your characters.
For the images I’ve picked a few actors and photos I found on Google Images.
To add a photo to a Character Sketch in Scrivener, click on the character’s card, open the Notes column on the right hand side, and drag your image into the image area where the instructions are:
Pokeno cards download. To insert a photo inline with the text, first click where you want the photo, and then go to Edit > Insert > Image from File…
Individual Character Sketches
Here’s a screenshot of an individual sketch of one of my characters:
This sketch was created using the character sketch template that comes with Scrivener. I’ve since abandoned Scrivener’s defaults in favor of my own compilation, which follows.
An Alternative Character Sketch Template
As you learn more about character sketches, you’ll probably want to customize your character sketch template and make it your own. Personally, I find Scrivener’s default sketch sheets superficial. When sketching characters, I like less structure, and less prescriptive fields around the character’s physical appearance and personality.
If you’re just starting out and you don’t have a character sketch template, here’s one I put together based on my own experimentation.
This is what my character sketch template looks like in Scrivener:
And here’s the full text, which you can feel free to use or modify as you see fit:
[photo]
FULL NAME
One Sentence Synopsis This character in a single sentence.
Summary This is a paragraph summary of your character. Include physical attributes, habits, mannerism. Sketch your character.
Motivations & Goals What do they want?
Conflicts What makes them human?
Narrative What happens to them in the story? What else is important?
Why Character Sketches Work
There are practical reasons to do character sketches. For one, developing characters is a process. Paving the way with character sketches, along with setting sketches in the following article, are a great way to give the gel of the story time and space to set.
Yes, they’re extra work, and yes they can be difficult. But that’s part of the process.
If you feel like you really know the character and can write the story, run through this checklist to make sure before you move on:
- What is your character’s primary motivation? What are their hopes and dreams?
- How does your character change in the course of the story?
- What does your character look like? How do they act around their parents? Their friends? Their boss?
- How does your character act under stress?
- What is your character’s weakness, their kryptonite?
- What will your character die for?
- What is your character’s biggest hypocrisy?
If you can answer all of these questions with confidence, congratulations, you’re probably ready for setting sketches, which we’ll cover next week.
Ready to Develop Your Characters With Scrivener?
Now that you’ve learned how to do character development in Scrivener, put it to use!
You can get the Mac, PC, and iOS version all here and start creating your character sketches now:
Or if you’re still wondering if Scrivener can help you finish your books, read my Scrivener review here.
Then, continue to the practice section for a writing exercise to help you get started.
Does your method for sketching characters line up with how I do things? What are your tricks for helping bring your characters to life?Share in the comments section.
PRACTICE
Scrivener Templates For Windows
Here’s a creative writing prompt to help you get started with character sketches.
Set aside a block of time (no more than thirty minutes to one hour) to sketch some characters in your latest work of fiction, whether it’s a short story, a novel, or a ten book series.
No characters coming to mind? Try sketching some of these characters and see how it goes!
- A disciplined, medal-winning Jui Jitsu practitioner whose sister just died
- A mother of three on a Thursday morning
- A soldier who has returned home after being a prisoner of war in Iraq
- A journalist covering the derailing of a local train that killed four passengers
Naming them is just the beginning. Don’t be afraid to get personal with the characters you create. When you’re finished, share a few paragraphs about one of your characters in the comments section below. We’d love to see who you come up with!
Happy writing!
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