Screenwriting : Writing software by Ingrid Goldberg

I´ve tried Celtx for a while but recently my finances allow me to discover Fade In. Doesn´t compare to any of the two, but it helps get the job done.

Oh no! It's not the same brand I use - so obviously it can't be any good.

Thanks Julio. I need something that will accommodate Plays, Screenplays, novels and poetry.

Final Draft! Pen! Paper! Writer Duet but don't sing without a voice coach. Write it! Get it Done! Place your NUTS on the table, the kind you eat! Fats are good for the brain! almonds, brazil, walnuts and macadamia nuts that is Remember this! Then eat them! The brains or the nuts, whichever gets you inspired to move forward with your momentum! Make the phone calls! Get denied! Again! Send your script to your Mother, so she tells you how excellent you are! 'You are a good man Charlie Brown!" Go crazy so you can be sane! Then to the story analyst, so he shows you all the mistakes! Your a failure! Get her done! You want to be n A-List screenwriter or a B, or a C (blah), it's up to you! I'm an "A" Do the work! Kethcup stain on shirt! Editor! "He made it to clean!" Rewrite it again to make it less clean with more mess. Then send the script to 10 friends that when you ask "Do I look fat in this shirt?" They say "It's not the shirt!" SHower them with quality questions about your script! These are the people you want a rough crtique on your script! Look for the note behind the note they tell you! What the frick is the real note! Hit it! The High note! Got it! Good! Do a rewrite! Read: Ray Dalios book "Principles", and fail forward once again on autopilot! Don't crash! Your order may be different! I don't care! Just get her done! She'll curse at you and say "You never treated me good!" Slap the script into shape again "Try and Try and try again" Write it out! Don't care about commas, periods and perfection is for bull sh&*%ers. Be your own critique! Be a rightist! Do it until it's right! Forget the judgements unless 10 people are telling you "You look like an ass" Then guess what? You must be a donkey! Kiss your girlfriend good night and get your ass in seat. If this offended you, you are not writing enough. I'm about to make a phone call to Kapplan/Perrone. Wish me luck!

I use it and it's okay. If you need a place to start, it will help you get started before being able to upgrade to Final Draft.

I use Celtx all the time and I like it. I've never had the funds to purchase final draft but I love Celtx, it's very straightforward and allows you to do what you need to without breaking the bank. :)

-G.R.B.

Personally I use Trelby, which last I checked is also free. Final Draft is overrated. Save some money and use the free programs. They're fine.

I used to use Celtx but WritersDuet is a bit easier for my style of writing. I use Final Draft to edit after I've completed a first draft in WD.

writer duet for me

Thanks everyone.

Ingrid, Final Draft is the BEST SOFTWARE out there. They have all kinds of deals online. Check it out. I use it. (I'm also a Brand Ambassador for them, but I used it for a decade before that.) Trust me, it makes it so much easier.

Ingrid, if you can't afford Final Draft, I'd go with Celtx or WritersDuet.

Hi Ingrid! Final Draft for me too.

It just plain works right out of the box.

A quirky thing that I like about it that others haven't mentioned is I sometimes type dialog-bit for some characters in foreign languages (Vietnamese, Greek, Russian, etc.) - and Amazon Storywriter doesn't allow that.

Plus, I just don't like having my intellectual property moved around on servers that I don't know anything about. But that's just me.

I've used FD, Celtx and Movie Magic Screenwriter. FD is clunky but powerful. Writer's Duet, Celtx are a bit more modern in their design and flow.

I prefer Final Draft over Celtx. (Not a Brand Ambassador for them... but I have been using FD since 2012!) Celtx irritated me when they made the desktop version inaccessible unless you paid for it. (I don't know if that's still the case...) I was relegated to using the web version, which prints the web address and screws up the formatting.

Not Chad, but what I'm intuiting is that the FD interface is very menu-driven, much like a early-2000's version of MS word. As opposed to Highland, that has a "tilebar" interface.

I've worked with hundreds of execs here on Stage 32 setting up coverage, consulting, pitch sessions, etc. Never has anyone commented on any particular software. Not even once. The only time it comes up at all is when it's clear someone used Word or similar with a template that just didn't work and the exec will mention that they should use screenwriting software - they never say you have to use one or another, but just ANY screenwriting software.

I've used Final Draft, Celtx, Fade In, Writer Duet, Trelby, Adobe Story and Amazon Story Writer and they all have their pluses and minuses. Download trial and free versions and try them out to see which best fits how you write. And if money is tight (and it usually is for us writers), use one of the free or cheaper ones and they'll get you by fine.

Stressing over software is another way that we (yes myself included) procrastinate. It keeps us from actually writing while we weigh our options. Don't get caught up in it!

Celtex was great when it was free but now you have to pay a subscription - i had an older version of final draft and i also used scenarist but i recently found 'Fade In' and at a one off fee of $80US, i think that's a pretty reasonable price for a particularly good piece of writing software.

hell of a lot cheaper that FD, i looked at the latest FD but it didn't win me over so im sticking with Fade In, they also have a 30 day trial option too so worth checking out.