By Forris Day Jr.
The process of writing can be very difficult to say the least. When writing a story you have to keep track of events, characters, locations and slip in things like character quirks and attitudes. Organization can be daunting to writers, particularly people like me who can’t keep track of their keys and sneakers. There are lots of software out there that can help writers like you and I in the process of keeping things in order. The Writers Store software aimed at novelists and screenwriters who write fiction. It is called “Storyist.” Storyist is a powerful word processor with lots of organizational tools. It is for Mac only, so sorry PC owners. It works on Mac computers and iPads. You can share between the two using Dropbox.
Here are some of its many features:
First and most important is that it formats things for you. Writing a screenplay? It automatically formats to industry standard as you write, and that my friend is crucial. If your script is not industry standard, you may as well print your story on napkins. It will not be read by the people who can help you or buy your story. Industry standards have been around since the typewriter, so do not fool yourself into thinking “My story is soooooooo good, formatting doesn’t matter”. It does, and Storyist does it for you.
Let’s talk about characters. Characters, as you know, are the people, animals, or objects that live within your story. A good story has interesting characters. You as the writer have to create them but how? You do it one piece at a time, by describing them in detail. Answer questions like: How tall are they? What is their age? Detail if the character is a human, animal or even a candlestick. How does this character stand or walk? Storyist has a cork-board section where you can “tack” index cards or pictures of your characters, whether they are the actual picture or a representative picture. You can describe your character in great detail here. There is a freeform notes section too. Notes can be attached to whatever you like. Think of notes as “sticky-notes”. They are random thoughts that can be attached to things like characters or plot info.
Characters aren’t the only thing you can detail. There is a sheet to help you define your plot and all of your settings. Go ahead and describe that creepy castle and how high it is above the raging sea below. Talk about the massive wooden door with rusting iron strap hinges that is built into the side of the castle walls, with the narrow and winding walkway covered in slippery moss, hundreds of feet above the rocks. You can do this with Storyist, and then quite simply return to writing your story of what’s happening inside that castle, without missing a beat. This is accomplished by using what is called “project view”. It is a window on the left side of the screen that has a tree of everything in your story, from chapters, characters, plots……you name it, and it is there. Jump from one part of the tale, to another with one click of the mouse.
A feature I also like is that you can export your story in ePub format for e-books. This helps anyone who is writing an e-book and does not know how to format one. Other formats that can be imported and exported are Final Draft, HTML, .doc, .docx and RTF.
Storyist is a product that creates a very visual way of writing your novel or script. If you are a visual person, then this is a great choice in software. It is less than half the cost of many competitors, and much easier to get through the learning curve. If you have any questions on how to use the software there are some informative tutorials on the Storyist website (see link below). Storyist makes writing fun, and it makes developing all the elements of your story entertaining. The boxed edition from The Writers Store is 79 bucks, or have it on your computer within minutes with the downloadable version for only 59 bucks. I feel this program can pay for itself with your first story sold. Remember, your story is now sellable now that it is properly formatted.
Rating: 8.5/10 – “Great tool to have in your writing arsenal”