Scrivener has the excellent Compose mode, which I use a lot. The thing is, though, I tend to flit between documents in the Binder quite a lot too – comparing, cutting and pasting, that sort of thing. This means I’m frequently switching in and out of Compose. But I’ve found a handy alternative.
To get a super-clean look without going into Compose, do the following:
- Use CTRL+CMD+F to expand Scrivener to full-screen.
- In the View menu select Hide toolbar.
- Use SHFT+CMD+R to hide the formatting bar.
- Use CMD+R to hide the ruler.
- With OPT+CMD+I hide the Inspector.
- And with OPT+CMD+B hide the Binder.
Viola. This approximates Scrivener’s Compose mode, but I find it’s a little snappier and more convenient to use OPT+CMD+B to reveal the Binder when I need to, rather than dipping in and out of Compose mode when working on shorter documents. And as we already know the team behind Scrivener has already thought of everything, so simply positioning your cursor at either edge of the screen will result in the Binder and Inspector sliding into view when hidden – handy if you want a sneak peek.
You can find my other Scrivener posts here.
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Martin Sketchley 