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Provides: Script/novel writing, formatting and management
Format: Download/CD
Developer: Storyist Software, LLC
Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.4.4
Processor Compatibility: Universal
Price: $59.00 (download), $69.00 (download + CD)
Availability: Out now
Version Reviewed: 1.5.2

I’m beyond the point of having to explain why anyone writing a screen or stage play would want software specifically for that task. You can no more use Word to write a movie script than you can use PowerPoint to develop a website.

So, the question becomes which script writing program to use. There’s no shortage of options available, from the high end (but more expensive) Final Draft and Movie Outline to any number of free, browser-based or open source programs. A newer entry is Storyist, which falls towards the middle in price and functionality, but manages to place itself closer to top thanks to a couple nice features that other script writing programs lack.

Rocky IV-mat

Of course, Storyist gives you the most basic functionality that all script writing programs do: formatting. It’s built so you can worry about writing and not about formatting, yet is oddly lacking in this area. You’re given only four options: blank, hero adventure (!), novel and screenplay. There are sample manuscripts to help you get started, but these options really pale to the competition, which usually offers screenplay templates for individual studios, templates for specific shows, etc. You can create your own or just make edits to the templates provided, but that defeats the purpose of a program such as this. At the least, I’d expect templates for stage plays, the formatting of which is quite different from screen plays.

I’m pleased, however, but the inclusion of novel formatting. This doesn’t mean it’s simply built for one but can be used for the other; rather, the program was actively developed to function with both, offering a complete set of tools no matter on what style of project you’re currently working. Not even kingpin Final Draft offers that. I’ve never minded working in separate programs for each, mainly because the only alternative has been to create styles and such in Word, and that’s just not at all worth the time, hassle and money (you can buy three separate programs for novel, script and general writing, and still have it cost less than a single copy of Word). Storyist, however, has helped me see the benefit of keeping novel and script writing within one program.

First, it’s one program with one set of tools to learn (with certain variables between formats, of course). Everything will instantly seem more familiar. Second, should you decide to adapt your novel for the screen, or vice-versa, everything is right there, ready to go. Your characters, plot elements, markers, outline…they’re all set. Storyist doesn’t offer any sort of automatic conversion, however, as I imagine there are far too many variables there to streamline that process. What they should do to compensate is allow you to export the plot, characters, settings and such from one manuscript style to the other.

Organizing your Notes On a Scandal

The reason I ask for this is that Storyist excels in keeping all of your notes and information organized for you. Pretty much everything you’d need to access throughout the process of writing (chapters/scenes, plot elements, characters, settings, etc.) are stored in a panel on the left hand side of the page. You can set up certain elements ahead of time, helping you to get organized before the night becomes “dark and stormy,” as it were. My method of writing is a little more organic, however. When starting on a new novel or play, I’ll tear through as much of the beginning as possible, then look back to see if the idea is as good on paper as in my head, and whether it warrants further development. If so, this is where I would take the time in Storyist to add in all my notes and organize my ideas on what’s to come.

Some of this is predictable behavior. Set up a character, and when you begin to type that character’s name in your work, Storyist will complete the name and link to his profile. In the profile, you can store photos and notes to help you stay accurate with description, motivation, behavior, etc. I found it helpful to store certain catch phrases he likes to use, interests, etc., that can be worked into normal conversation to make him seem more real. Having that info a click away was helpful, but having even more info two clicks away was better. Along with storing notes within Storyist, you can attach PDFs, web links, even movies. This is great if you’ve got a whole website of info on a certain topic that’s relevant to your story, but don’t want to bother with importing it all into your project.

You Can’t Take it With U.I.

The window panels for keeping track of all of this are easily opened/closed, and there is some freedom of movement. However, they can take up a lot of retail space. That’s fine on an iMac or larger display, but on my 13” MacBook, the actual space needed to write was compromised. In addition, the notecards used to store notes was almost illegible, the typeface was so small. This is partly due to the clever-clever approach Storyist uses; notes are on notecards, character photos are on Polaroids, and everything appears tacked onto a cork board. It’s fun, but not necessary, and just takes up space. A good way around this would be offer full-screen mode. This feature is promised for v2, along with numerous other enhancements such as collage view of your notes and characters, drag and drop importing, color-coded outline entries, and more.

Now or 28 Days Later

This begs the question on whether it’s worth it to pick up Storyist now or to wait for v2. Well, price isn’t an issue. Storyist is offering a free upgrade for anyone who purchased the program after September 1st, 2008. That’s quite generous. However, if the current version is missing features you’ll need but won’t see until v2’s release, you risk being turned off by the program for reasons that will soon be addressed. This issue is exacerbated by the lack of import/export capabilities. It currently supports only RTF, Word, HTML, text, Final Draft, Open Office and Word (.docx), the latter two of which work only on Leopard. There are some nice import tools to help, but the performance is spotty. And unless you use one of the apps supported (and of those, only final Draft makes sense for script writers), you’ll have to export your work from your program to RTF, then import the RTF into Storyist. As you can imagine, doing this will require plenty of reformatting.

Dark City (That has nothing to do with this section, I just really like that movie.)

It would be a shame if the limited import/export capabilities and the important features still in the works turn users away from the program, because Storyist is a strong entry in the manuscript formatting field. It’s young, and it certainly has room to grow, but it seems to be heading in the right direction. This makes it a logical program for new authors who need assistance with the writing process and how to keep it organized, but don’t necessarily need online, cross platform collaboration or formatting specific to Warner Brothers sitcoms just yet. The ability to use it for both screenplays and novels also makes it attractive to new authors who may not yet even be sure for what medium they want to write. Experienced writers likely won’t find enough in Storyist to compel them to switch from its more established competitors, but if you’ve grown tired with instability issues or that one missing feature the others just never seem to get right, keep Storyist on the radar of apps to consider when seeking a replacement.