9/13/2022 UPDATE!
ProWritingAid has released ProWritingAid Everywhere for Windows. This brings the power of ProWritingAid to all your Windows applications. With this app, you’ll get PWA suggestions in Scrivener! PWA also words in Word, PowerPoint, Evernote, LibreOffice Writer, Slack, Discord, Slite, and WhatsApp.
Original Post
I love using Scrivener to write my novels. It’s a fantastic tool to help me organize characters, settings, and research as well as give me all the tools I need. I’ve also started using ProWritingAid to help with editing. ProWritingAid (PWA) is the most robust and full feature grammar and language editor I’ve ever used.
While PWA has great integration with programs like Microsoft Word, Open Office and Google Docs, using it with Scrivener is less straightforward. Today’s step by step guide will show you how to use these two powerful tools together to make your writing the best it can be.
I’m going to start with the assumption that you’ve got both Scrivener and and subscription to ProWritingAid. The first thing you’re going to do is make sure Scrivener is closed. If you’ve got the Scrivener project open, the changes you make with ProWritingAid won’t be saved. That’s no fun for anyone.
Install ProWritingAid Desktop
Go to the ProWritingAid site and log in. Near the bottom of the webpage, you’ll see several icons.
When you put your mouse over the Scrivener icon, it will turn white.
Click on that icon and it will bring you to the ProWritingAid Desktop site.
Click on the button that says Download for Windows.
This will take you the download page. ProWritingAid Desktop will automatically download. You should see it in the lower left hand corner of your screen.
Click on that. You may get a warning from your antivirus software. Double check it to make sure its warning you about PWA Desktop and then click Yes, or Okay or Accept (it varies depending on your antivirus vendor).
ProWritingAid will start to install. The first screen you’ll see popup will be the license agreement.
Click the checkbox next to “I accept the terms in the License Agreement.” You can read the entire agreement if you want, but few people do. If you want to use the software, you have to accept the agreement.
After you click the checkbox, click on the Install button.
ProWritingAid Desktop will begin to install.
You may see a screen asking you if you want this program to make changes to your computer. If you do click yes.
Once its finished, you’ll see a screen telling you its done.
Click Finish.
Open ProWritingAid
Now we need to start ProWritingAid Desktop. You could have clicked the checkbox next to “Launch ProWritingAid” in the finish screen, but that would only work right after installation.
Press your Windows key in the lower left hand corner of your screen.
Tbis will bring up a list of programs in alphabetical order. Scroll down to the “P”s and you should see a folder called ProWritingAid.
Click on the folder and you should see it open up and show you the ProWritingAid icon.
Click on the ProWrtingAid icon.
The program will open and ask you to log in.
Fill in your Email address and password in the appropriate boxes, just as if you were logging into the ProWritingAid website.
After you login, you’ll see a screen like this one:
Make sure you Scrivener project is closed.
Is it closed?
Okay, then proceed. Click the open link.
Navigate to the location where your Scrivener project is stored.
Click Open.
You’ll see your Scrivener project folders displayed.
Open the folders, just as you would in Scrivener, and you’ll see your scenes. Click on one of the scenes and it will open. ProWritingAid will conduct its analysis.
Start making changes as suggested by ProWritingAid. Once you’re done click Save in ProWritingAid.
Close ProWritingAid Desktop and open the project again in Scrivener. You should see the changes you made reflected.