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The Screenwriter in Cyberspace
By Charles Deemer

Column #7 - Finding Online Software

One of the many advantages of being online is the ability to download and test demos of writing software, all in the convenience of home or office. This is the focus of this month's column.

Screenplay Software

Software of use to screenwriters generally falls into two categories: software used to write and/or format your script; software used to help develop and structure your story. This and more are hyperlinked in the software area of my Screenwriters and Playwrights Home Page.

Just as word processing programs are a great boon to writing in general, script format software is a blessing to screenwriters, particularly since screenplay format, with its varying margins for script elements, can be a real nuisance to comply to otherwise. A good format program lets you think about writing and does the grunt-work of format automatically.

Software for Format

You can format your screenplay in two ways: on the go or after it is written. Software is available for both chores.

I am a firm believer in dealing with format on the go, and for this reason I prefer self-contained software that formats the script as you write it. I am familiar with two such programs, one which I have used since version one and the other that I was able to review, finding myself impressed enough to recommend it.

My software of choice is Movie Master, the pioneer program in this area. In fact, I still use an early version, having seen no reason to upgrade (even though I have tested some of the upgrades). Movie Master does the job I need done and does it well. I now have used it for years - why change?

However, if I were purchasing a first screenplay program today I definitely would look seriously at Scriptware. This program is easier to learn than Movie Master and also costs a bit less.

Want to see for yourself? Demos of many screenplay-related programs are available at Robert Koster's website StarComp.

But these are only two of the available programs on the market, and many writers prefer other programs. You can find reviews and opinions of many other programs at the Screenwriters FAQ. Demos of some of these are available online:

Story Help Software

I cannot imagine a screenwriter who prefers NOT to use software that formats the screenplay. On the other hand, about the other general category of software for screenwriters - help in story and dramatic structure - there is not unanimous approval. For example, I was a skeptical about the usefulness of such software for years.

My change-of-heart came when I was given a review copy of Collaborator 3, an interactive story-developing program. I developed a screenplay story with it.

About the same time, I was given another program to review, called Writer's Blocks. This is an electronic card index program, and since I already used index cards to help me arrange scenes into structure, I took to it immediately.

But to my surprise, I also quickly took to Collaborator, and I found that the two programs worked very well together. I now use them religiously.

Collaborator presents on-screen questions about your developing screenplay, to which you write brief responses. What I find so wonderful about this program is that it presents a formal record of my thought processes in an organized way, so that I am able to pick up my thread of thought even after an absence of a week or more.

In the past, it always took me days to catch up after returning to a developing story, trying to get back into my frame of mind. Collaborator organized and saved "my frame of mind" as I thought about the developing story and characters, all in reponse to the program's questions.

As my structure becomes clearer, I use Writer's Blocks to write my step outline. I put different acts in a different color, plot points in another, and so on. I can print out an outline version of this to have at my side as I move to Movie Master to begin writing the script itself.

This is how three programs work well for me, and demos for these story-help programs are online as well:

But once again, these are not the only programs around that do these tasks. Dramatica is another popular story-structuring program, which has its own website (also see review). Another is Plots Unlimited, for which a demo (.exe file) is online.

Buying Software

Try these online demos out. When you are ready to make a purchase, look around for the best bargain you can find. A good place to begin is at The Writer's Computer Store, which has an electronic presence right here at the Hollywood Network®. It also has an 800 number: 1-800-272-8927.

There are other programs of use to screenwriters, that help with keeping track of submissions or otherwise make the day-to-day business of writing easier. What programs I'm aware of are included in the software area of the Screenwriters Page mentioned (and hyperlinked) earlier.

I use three programs - Movie Master, Collaborator, Writer's Blocks - so habitually now that I would be lost without them. They make all stages of screenwriting easier and more efficient, which is exactly what good software is supposed to do. The less grunt work I have to worry about, the more I can worry about what really counts. Good software frees the imagination.

--Charles Deemer

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Originally appeared at the Hollywood Network.