Scrivener and Why I don’t

So, I took a look at Scrivener, it’s a program designed to let writers work in a more non-linear way. Scrivener is available from Literature and Latte and you can get a free trial for yourself there on Mac or PC.
It is well written and a good concept in general, but I won’t be buying it.

“Why?” you may ask, and I’ll tell you, as it will kill a few minutes.

Basically the app lets you build your text in small discrete pieces, which is great, it means you can jump to any part of the text and modify it, simply and easily. Unlike most Word Processors that are designed around starting at the beginning and working to the end. You can view these ‘Scrivenings’ as separate files, as synopses on a cork board or merged into a single text. Which is Innovative and I’m sure very helpful to some folks. But not for me.

For some reason my dyslexic brain can make no progress with the system. I just can’t see how it can help me, if I start trying to use it to manage my thoughts my brain melts, it’s like the way I end up stuck when trying to work with pen and paper. For some reason while I can make notes and draw mind-maps with a pen and paper if I try to write like that my mind goes blank. And that’s exactly what scrivener does to my brain. It’s too much like working with old fashioned pen and paper for me…