I converted to using Scrivener (from Word) more than two years ago and have never regretted it.  It's a wonderful dedicated platform for writing.

Today I want to talk a little about how I use it to track loose ends that I'll want to fix later.  I'll start by talking about Scrivener scenes.

A typical structure for a Scrivener novel project is to organize it by chapters and scenes, with scenes being the smallest unit.  For my purposes, I have created a scene template which I use for each scene that has a Notes structure already in place to help me remember what's important in each scene.

Once the scene is done, I copy the material above the dashed line into the Synopsis box as a description of the important parts of each scene.  That's what's visible in higher-level views when you're rearranging scene order.

Let's go over each of these items in detail.

• POV – Identifies the point of view character.  I also have a special Label (above) for scenes by POV character.
• SUMMARY – A couple of lines about the scene.
• SPECIAL MENTIONS – anything crucial to the plot, like clues or back stories
• GOAL OF POV – What the POV is trying to achieve in the scene.
• CONFLICT OBSTRUCTING – What is standing in the POV's way.
• STAKES (WHAT-IF FAIL) – What will happen if he fails.
• FORESHADOW – Explicit foreshadowing of some future event.
• LOOSE ENDS – Something that needs to be cleaned up.

Of course, not every scene uses all of these notes, but they're a helpful reminder as I plot the scene out — if I don't know what's going on, how can I expect my reader to follow along?

So, what's a loose end?  I use this bucket for anything which needs to be cleaned up that I don't have time to deal with while I'm writing.  Typical entries include:

• Need a name for the bad guy
• Didn't I already say that Rush's father was dead?  How can he be alive now?
• What was the name of that town?
• Expand the bit on how to make gunpowder.
• Need to add some foreshadowing for this in some earlier scene.

Naturally, I want to track the scenes that have loose ends periodically as I create the first draft.  Some of the issues get fixed quickly (supplying the villain's name, for example).  Others have to wait until the appropriate solution can be found.  In any case, the first draft isn't finished as long as any loose ends remain.

Scrivener lets you create specialized views (called collections) using several methods.

I make collections (using saved searches) for all scenes by a particular Label, so I can see all the scenes for any individual POV characters (e.g., Scene – Rushalentar).  I label some scenes with a special character that causes them to appear in the Story Architecture Milestones collection (e.g., Inciting Incident, Pivot Point 1), making it easier to check approximate sizes between these points in the story.

And I have a saved search for the text “Loose Ends” in the Notes.  Any scene where I didn't delete the “Loose Ends” from the Document Notes template shows up here. This ensures that anything I throw into the Loose Ends bucket at the scene level triggers tracking in the Loose Ends collection at the project level, and I never lose track of any of the dangling bits and pieces.