Sicheii Yazhi

I received an email from a teacher/friend asking for tips on script format to pass on to her creative writing students. I sent a quick reply,¹ but I also mentioned that the students should consider using some software that was developed specifically for writers (instead of business professionals).

I’ve tried a number of these tools, but the email motivated me to go back and review the offerings. It also motivated me to think about what tools I would recommend to student writers in a few categories: blog-writing tools, word processors, research and note-taking tools, and creative writing tools.

In a few upcoming posts, I’ll give a brief overview of the tools in each category and provide a justification for my tool of choice. The posts aren’t meant to be exhaustive, but they will include what I’ve found to be the more popular options in each category. Comments and additional tools or resources are welcome.

If you just want the quick list of my chosen tools, here it is:

• Blogging: Windows Live Writer (runner up: Zoundry Raven)
• Word Processors: OpenOffice.org (runner up: Zoho Writer² )
• Research & Note-Taking: Zotero³ (runner up: Diigo)
• Creative Writing: Rough Draft⁴ (runner up: Celtx for script, yWriter for prose, and Zhura for online, collaborative script-writing)

The Series:

• Part 2: Blog-Writing
• Part 3: Word Processors
• Part 4: Research & Note-Taking
• Part 5: Creative Writing

Image: 2/365 Days - Pen and Paper by Athena

1. How to Format a Screenplay; A Few Notes on Formatting; How to Format A Stage Play; BBC’s Script Formats [back]
2. This announcement gives it a distinct advantage over Google Docs. [back]
3. Particularly when installed on a USB drive with portable Firefox and portable OpenOffice.org. [back]
4. It’s not as powerful as the other tools, and it’s no longer being actively developed, but it can equally handle both script format and prose. It will remain my default choice until I find another program that can do both well. [back]