WriterDuet
I’m back again with a newbie review of another scriptwriting program! As always, I AM NOT a professional reviewer. I’m just some guy that likes to write and explore my options. As with the previous two, I’m writing this based on the basic functionality that I use these applications for.
From their website:
“SIMPLE AND POWERFUL
The best script writing software for content creation, editing, outlining, and real-time collaboration.”
I’m sure the term “best” is subjective, because all of them say this. Or at least most do. Maybe it’s many? Anyways. WriterDuet is primarily web-based where all your work is done within your browser. The core interface is white on dark grey (as you’ve read time and again, a big win in my book) where you either start a new project or open a saved one. Again, all stored within their cloud. As with the others, I started with importing a fountain document from Llama Drama Studios to test its ability to read it. No post-editing required after the import.
Nice.
That means I can get to work, writing away. When starting a new project, you can choose the format and whoo-boy do they have a few templates to choose from. Thirteen to be exact. Whoa. To a Cro-Magnon like me, I don’t know the difference between some of these. Screen to stage, multi-cam to single-cam sitcoms, VR, right-to-left, graphic novel. So. Many. Options. I went with screenplay since it’s a format I’m familiar with (mostly) and at least half of the other options are Pro-level only. Then I began!
Shifting from line types was easy and intuitive right out the gate. You have a bunch of enu items on the left that brings up the many features it has, including a menu with line types and text tools. So if you want the next line to be a character, click on it and boom. Done. It builds your cast as you go, with an autofill feature when you start to type in a character’s name, it provides a drop-down. Typing an open parenthesis auto-generates a parenthetical (which I found super useful while writing in terms of keeping the flow going) that you don’t even have to close. Type it in, hit enter, you’re back in the dialogue.
One of the neat things I liked about WriterDuet is the desktop-to-mobile switching. They have a downloadable app for iOs and Android and you can leave your script in an open tab on your computer, walk away and unlock your phone and pick up where you left off. I’m not much of a mobile scripter (especially since I don’t have my mountains of notes and notebooks with me everywhere I go. Sort of. Okay, maybe not accessible everywhere I go. Shush. Don’t judge me.), but I gave it a whirl when I closed the laptop and stowed it for the night and wanted to keep writing in bed before rolling over to sleep. WriterDuet auto-saves after every couple of minutes of inactivity, but I can’t seem to find if you can change the frequency. It also generates a downloadable backup and offers to save it to your desktop at the same time. Haven’t messed with it yet.
They offer a free plan which gives you 3 scripts to write, no limitations on length, time, etc. They have three paid plans, Plus adds in unlimited projects and unlimited co-writers, Pro gives access to Pro tools, analytics and a desktop application and Premium provides MultiColumn tools and templates, something called ReadThrough and AutoTranslate.
All in all, it’s a great writing application and I breezed through my scriptwriting with minimal stops and starts due to a formatting blunder or mix-up (whether me-made or glitch). It has a lot of the same additional features that KIT Scenarist and Arc Studio Pro provide like cards, mind maps, and collaboration tools. This is definitely one to consider.
Cost: Three scripts for free, $7.99 USD to $15.99 USD per month, depending on the plan
Website: https://www.writerduet.com
