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Buyer's Guide to Writing Software
Choosing the right writing software can be confusing. The information below will help you select the right tool for yourself or as a gift.
Remember, you can't go wrong with our 90-Day Money Back Guarantee and 30-Day 110% Price Match Guarantee.
Plus, you get the Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package FREE with any purchase.
There are two basic categories of writing software:
Screenplay Formatting
Scripts need to be laid out with very specific margins and style, or agents and studios won't even read them.
Screenplay Formatting software products are essentially specialized word-processors that do all of this automatically, making it quick and easy to write in proper format.
The three most popular formatters are:
Here's more information about these three:
Movie Magic and Final Draft are virtually identical. They have the same features, and each has big stars and directors endorsing them. They are the only two "preferred file formats" according to the Writer's Guild. Each can import the other's file format.
Whenever one gets a new feature, the other adds it at the next upgrade. The only big difference is the "look and feel" of the working environment, so you really can't go wrong with either.
Hollywood Screenwriter is made by the same company that makes Movie Magic. It is the "basic" version of Movie Magic, including all of the necessary features, but none of the fancy and flashy ones. It has the same file format as Movie Magic. The big advantage is that is costs more than $100 LESS than either Movie Magic or Final Draft.
Story Development
Whether you are writing a Novel, Screenplay, or Stage Play, you need to come up with an inspiration, develop the idea, and organize your materials.
Story Development Software helps with all three of these tasks. Some products specialize in one or two of these areas. Others tack all three, but usually not in as much detail as ones that specialize.
The six most popular Story Development products are:
Here's more information about these six:
StoryWeaver is a step-by-step approach to story development that takes the author from concept to completed manuscript. It begins with Inspiration, carries it through Development, and into Storytelling style. It is perfect for a beginning writer, and the best aid for even an advanced writer.
Dramatica Pro is a very powerful, but very complex story development product. Dramatica is built around a patented "Story Engine" that takes an author's answers to questions about his or her story and cross-references them to predict the perfect underlying dramatic structure. It has a pretty high learning curve, but is the only writing software product that can tell you more about your story than you told it!
Dramatica Writer's DreamKit is the "little brother" of Dramatica Pro. It uses the same patented Story Engine but doesn't go into as much detail. While Dramatica Pro is good for any story, Writer's DreamKit is better for less complex stories, such as action stories, or half-hour television episodes. DreamKit is also better for less experienced writers, as Dramatica Pro would likely overwhelm them.
Power Structure is not a story development guide like StoryWeaver, nor is it a structure design program like Dramatica. Rather, it is a collection of integrated tools for organizing your materials and linking information together. In it, you can drop your material into templates for chapters or scenes, and track plot events and character growth.
Power Writer is the "little brother" of Power Structure. It does the same things as Power Writer but in less detail, and without some of the fancier features.
StoryView is like an Excel Spreadsheet for writers. Essentially, it is like index cards on steroids. You can create timelines for anything from character growth to plot progression. You can run timelines side by side to see how they interact. You can create "cards" for acts, sequences, scenes, or chapters, and sub-divide them into smaller units to hold your story material. There is also an outline mode as well. StoryView is perhaps the best product for non-fiction or projects that require organizing a lot research materials.
Our Perfect Gift Recommendations
Story Weaver is the absolute BEST CHOICE for ANY writer, novelist or screenwriter. Whether you are a beginning or advanced writer, StoryWeaver's step-by-step approach is the perfect guide. You'll move through over 200 "StoryCards," each of which helps you develop one more story point and integrate it into your ever-evolving manuscript. Each step of the way, StoryWeaver references your work on earlier Story Cards so you are constantly building on what you've already developed. You'll never be lost, and always know exactly what to do next!
For Screenplay Formatting, the best economical choice is Hollywood Screenwriter. It may not be the fanciest formatter, but it does all the essentials. Unless you are close to being a professional screenwriter, you can't do better for the price!
Also, consider "How To" products, rather than writing software. For example, you can get the interactive CD-ROM set, "How to Make Your Movie - An Interactive Film School."
Or try one of our Audio/Video Seminars that teach the art and craft of writing.
Remember, you can't go wrong with our 90-Day Money Back Guarantee and 30-Day 110% Price Match Guarantee.
Included FREE with ANY purchase:
The Writer's Survival Kit Bonus Package
This bonus CD-ROM includes: Muse Gooser - Video Classes on Character Creation, Plot Development, Theme & Premise - 450-page book on Story Structure - Sticky Notes program - Character Name Generator - Word Morph - Essays on Creative Writing - Jive Generator - and much more! The retail value of this package is over $300!
