So, after getting nowhere on the Google yWriter group (contradictory info), I emailed Simon, the creator of the software, directly. Here’s what I asked him:
Simon,
I’m sorry to bug you but I’ve got a burning question about your awesome yWriter that I can’t seem to answer on my own. I apologize if I missed this somewhere. I did pose the question to the Google group but cannot make heads or tails of the answer.
I’m wondering how to view multiple subplots in a way that makes sense. On StorYBook, this is a built in feature (sorry to bring up the competition). I can’t see how to do this on yWriter – I see I can click “subplot” on the scene card, but then the question is… how can I manage and edit these subplot scenes at a later time?
Since you’ve created the “subplot” option, I assume there’s a way I can use that information later – like viewing the subplots in a chart or screen view? On StorYBook, you can name the Plotline (e.g. “Danny’s Subplot,” “The Detective’s Subplot,” etc.) and then write scenes directly into those plotlines. Is this somewhat possible in yWriter?
His response:
Not yet, but it is planned. At the moment the program only allows you to mark scenes as primary or subplot.
No problem mentioning competing software – usually the best way to illustrate what you mean!
Cheers
Simon
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Until he can get the multiple plotline views worked into a new version of yWriter, I’m guessing I’m going to be using both StorYBook and yWriter, respectively. Since I’ve never used writing software before, I may start out with StorYBook simply because it’s so user friendly. To get a bird’s eye view of how the intensity is playing out across my novel, I’ll then enter brief scene descriptions in yWriter and look at the chart. Hopefully by the time a newer yWriter is released, I’ll have learned how to use the dang thing. 🙂
The Little Writer That Could 