Spooks + Scrivener
I just have to boast about this.* I've been enjoying the excellent sixth series of Spooks on BBC1 (Tuesdays - MI5 in the US) - I've been a big fan of the show since the second series, and would get around to renting the first season on DVD were it not for the thought of seeing Lisa Faulkner getting her face burned off with boiling oil. It's a great spy show with interesting characters (though Adam has got to be the most obvious spy ever - his "disguises" as a gardener, builder, phone company man or whatever tend to be somewhat undermined by his perfect hair, cut-glass accent and the giant microphone protruding from his collar), a healthy dose of cynicism, 24-style split-screen shots and more tension than the Humber bridge.
All in all, Spooks has consistently been one of the best home-grown BBC programmes over the past few years, and you never know who they're going to kill off next.
But I've been getting an extra thrill from series 6 because the over-arching story was drafted in Scrivener and some of the episodes were scripted in Scrivener, too, by author Neil Cross (whose new novel, Natural History - which was also mostly composed in Scrivener! - has been getting some great reviews).
Now, if Neil has used Scrivener to kill of Zaf, I am going to be most upset - talk about turning your tools against you...
* Yes, I know: technically I have nothing to boast about, as it's a bit like saying, "I have to boast that I loaned this bestselling author my pen and he used it!" But it still gives me a warm feeling inside (and it's not the wine, this time).
posted by kayembi at 12:17 pm
12 Comments:
Rock on. :)
You have the right to boast if you're a pen-maker, especially with a shortage of really good pens :)
As a fellow admirer of Spooks, I say, well done that man. Let's just hope, during tomorrow's episode, one of the stars isn't stabbed with your pen. Because I'll now have, at least, one avenue, where I can vent my frustrations. ;O)
Of course you have the right to boast! Just think, if the writing profession goes any more rockstar, you can make big money by having an endorsement from the right author on your advertising. But don't worry, when I become a famous Rockstar Author, I'll endorse Scrivener for free! ;-)
(BTW, I finally upgraded from the Macbook to the MBP a couple of weeks ago, and OHMYGOD I love it!)
Spooky. I dreamt that MI5 was written using Scrivener just a few nights ago. I say MI5 because I was watching it with my Uncle Keith across the pond in said dream. Anyway, Goa is nice. You should have made it to Kerala. I'll leave this browser on www.literatureandlatte.com too!
You really should add an auto-complete to Scrivener that automatically changes "Nucular" to "Nuclear" and underlines it. It's hard to take Adam etc. seriously when they pronounce it the George Bush way.
You're a fan of the BBC, I see. So, whatever happened to Jonathan Creek? I loved that show! (sob)
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And if he hadn't used your pen, it might not have been so beautifully written. Eh?
I adore Spooks... and knowing it was recently written on Scrivener is just too much wonderfulness to take. Whew.
FWIW, over here in Alabama the first season of Spooks has finally hit the public TV airwaves. Because of the unwritten law that British cultural products must be renamed when transferred to America, the series is called "MI-5." I agree that it's quite good, but the split-screen business doesn't occur during the first season.
You have a right to boast. Your software is more than just a mere pen. The design decisions you have made, I believe, must have a tangible impact on a writer's final product. In Scrivener, the writing process is less daunting, more structured, more organized. This application promotes a thinking that is similar to the way architects and engineers approach large projects: in small, manageable pieces. If a writer's working habits weren't already prone to this approach, then they are dramatically changed by Scrivener. If however, they previously worked in this fashion, then Scrivener reinforces this in a disciplined way. Your software affects the writer's cognitive processes. This is why I love it. Here's to a long future of fruitful boasting.
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