Anyone who has had exposure to screenwriting for whatever reason knows that a script is very structured, and highly formatted. For those who “dream” of writing a screenplay, you should know that formatting and good structure are paramount.
I’m totally dating myself here, but I remember when formatting a script meant hours upon hours of setting tabs and margins on a computer or typewriter– yes, I go that far back! It was an arduous task.
Thanks to brilliant program developers, screenwriters today have wonderful options to help with the formatting process. Frankly, we’re pretty spoiled. My brother is an animator, and he’s done a lot of work for Disney. He too remembers when it was all about hand drawing each second of film frame by frame. Talk about painstaking… Now, everything is done on a computer.
You can imagine my excitement when Final Draft, the scriptwriting software first came on the market. I remember nearly frothing at the mouth with excitement as I waited for my first copy of the program to arrive in the mail, and screenwriting’s never been the same since. Formatting a script is getting easier and easier!
I don’t often promote things here, but I’d like to personally endorse a great screenwriting program that a friend of mine created. In fact, I am doing some work for him as a community liaison for his company. Let me introduce you to WriterDuet.com.
WriterDuet.com is a scriptwriting program that is completely free and SSL Secure. Some of the perks are: Collaborative writing–seeing all edits immediately, it’s user friendly, has intuitive interface, access your script from anywhere, more focused on writing than production, grammar checker, converts to Celtx and other screenwriting formats (including Final Draft). A desktop is also in the works.
My main reason for sharing this with you is for exposure. Since the online program is completely free, there is nothing to sell. I also teach screenwriting, and I’ve suggested this site to various students who could not afford to purchase scriptwriting software. It’s been wonderful way for them to be able write their screenplay in format.
I don’t generally write with a partner, but as of late, I have been working on two feature-length comedies with a partner. We’ve been suing the collaborative feature on WriterDuet, and we’re so impressed. Basically, we don’t have to be in the same room or even the same city. She was in NYC recently, and we worked on a scene using this feature — simultaneously writing on the same script, video chatting, sending messages and editing TOGETHER while away. We worked without having to email scripts or even pick up the phone. Another great thing about this feature is that you can see all the edits immediately, track your changes, and see who made what change in the line-by-line history.
No matter what level of writer you are, WriterDuet is simply a good idea. It’s intuitive, user-friendly, and best of all… the price is right!
So, try it… you’ll like it. 🙂
Here’s what others are saying about WriterDuet:
Screenwriter On Location 