Screenplay Software

Wouldn't it be nice if you could buy a piece of software that could write the perfect screenplay for you? All you would have to do is enter the plot and characters and out pops a screenplay for you to turn into movie. We have not reached that point yet in screenwriting software, but there are some very good programs that are providing needed help in the screenwriting process.

The screenwriting programs usually come in two flavors: Stand Alones and Add-ons. Stand Alone programs are self contained into themselves, and are dependent upon no other piece of software to function. Add-on programs are templates and plug-ins that work in conjunction with another piece of software, usually Microsoft Word or Corel Wordperfect.

The piece of software you choose (if you choose one at all) depends upon how much help you think you need to write your screenplay. If you are a novice, and may need help on not just formatting but also story development you may want to go with a Stand Alone program. Stand Alone programs are more expensive than Add-ons, but they give added help to the screenwriter in plot and character development, as well as formatting. If you think you have the story down cold, and just need some help in screenplay formatting the Add-on programs will probably be fine for you.

Please remember this about any software you buy: IT WILL NOT WRITE THE SCREENPLAY FOR YOU. A bad, or uninteresting story will still be bad and uninteresting after using screenwriting software. So, before you get any software do your homework and make sure that you have a story worth writing. You never know, if you have your story down good enough you maybe able to write it old school style with just the proper tabs being set in your word processor (We wrote our first draft out in long hand).

Wikipedia has a great list of current software you might want to checkout.