I am a visual person. That also goes for when I am writing. A clean desk, a flower, and a notebook tell my brain it is safe to start creating. I also like when the writing software has an appealing setup that is why I tried out the writing software Dabble ( read more here) and why I used some of my precious “time for writing” to customize Scrivener in my favorite colors and hues.

Personalize Scrivener according to Genre using Icons and emojis

1

The first step I took with Scrivener was to change the Icons to fit with the genre I am writing in at the moment. My WIP is a thriller called “Matter and Flutter” and when I choose Icons and emojis that resemble danger and life and death it makes me remember the beats that must be in a thriller. It sets the tone and atmosphere even though they are somewhat cartoonlike.

I think the ideas would also work well for romance and nonfiction and perhaps fantasy.

2

So one way is to choose the icons according to a genre but I also choose the ones that inspire me to write and organize my project. For example, I use the clipboard icon for multiple scene chapters. I use the light bulb for the idea folder. I haven’t decided if I want to use the pen icon for scenes I first wrote in hand and then typed in or if I am going to use it for the scene I am currently working on. A third option could be to use it for a folder for my journaling during the writing process of this WIP. This is just examples of the many ways to build plot and work processes with icons.

3

The third way I use icons is for planning. Especially the ticked and unticked box is useful for keeping track of my writing to-dos and then I use the calendar icon for important dates. But this way to customize Scrivener is still something I am working on to optimize. I think it would be ideal to have it all in one place instead of jumping back and forth from other planning and organization apps to Scrivener.

Video for Getting Started at Scrivener

If you want to give it a try I created this video on how to change Icons and emojis in Scrivener. (The Video will open in Pinterest.)

Hope this encouraged your writing and made it fun in the process.