The Writerly Survival Tool Kit
Are you new to screenwriting? Or have you been doing this for awhile? Are you a serious hobbyist or a writer hyphenate (-director or -producer)?
So much to think about. So little time. So much to buy, so much to weigh and squeeze. And writing must take precedence over all. Still, no matter where you are on the curve, there’s no point in reinventing the wheel when there are so many resources out there.
Software
If you are at all serious about your screenwriting aspirations, you need to invest in software to ensure that every page of every script is formatted properly. Nothing says “amateur” faster than a Word doc.
Final Draft is the industry standard, though some do prefer MovieMagic.
Scripped is a web-based script software definitely worth checking out.
Story Development/Outlining Software
Many love this type of stuff. Others outline on cocktail napkins. Shop around and try free trials where available.
Dramatica Pro
Save the Cat software
…and lots more
Fact Gathering
Screenwriters are always surfing the web. But when you’re not updating your FaceBook, here are some other links that are indispensable for screenwriters:
The Academy Award Database
Box Office Mojo
Internet Movie Database
Wikipedia
Merriam-Webster
Hollywood Creative Directory
Supplies, Books, Brads and Services
Whether you’re looking for the best brads, the latest hot screenwriting “how-to” book or simply how to quickly copy and mail a script to an agent or producer, we’ve got you covered.
The Writers Store
Script Copier
Industry News
Stay on top of the swiftly changing tides in Hollywood using a few sources.
Deadline Hollywood Daily (Nikki Finke)
Hollywood Wiretap
Life on the Bubble (spec sales)
Mandy.com (jobs)
TrackingB (tracking board)
Variety
Publications
Make reading about the craft of screenwriting a habit.
Script Magazine
Written By
MovieScope Magazine (UK)
Creative Screenwriting Magazine
Scripts
Are you reading produced scripts? If not, you should be. No excuses.
The Daily Script
Drew’s Script-o-Rama
Simply Scripts
Reviews
Always entertaining, no matter what.
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes
The Razzies
Registering Your Script
Take care of your material and treat it as a professional would.
WGAw (west)
US Copyright Office
Learning, Blogs & Entertainment
Spend at least a little time each day getting some online love from the world of screenwriting, whether that be learning something new or being highly entertained.
Just Effing Entertain Me
StoryLink
UCLA Writers’ Program Blog
Funny or Die
John August
30-Second Bunny Parodies
The Anonymous Production Assistant
Go Into the Story
The Huffington Post/Entertainment
Arts & Letters Daily
Women and Hollywood
Wilshire and Washington
Wordplayer
Living the Romantic Comedy
Tribe Hollywood
Community
Being a writer doesn’t mean you have to be isolated. Reach out to other writers and engage your creative mind with those in your tribe.
Done Deal Pro Message Board
Trigger Street
Two Adverbs
Zoetrope
Entertaining AND Educational
Hulu
Jinni
Shakespeare Quotes
Shakespeare Resource Center
Word Spy: The World Lover’s Guide to New Words
Screenwriting Competitions
Competition season rolls around once each year and it’s a great chance to give your script a shot and earn recognition.
The Silver Screenwriting Competition
Blue Cat Screenwriting Competition
Final Draft Big Break
Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Nicholl Fellowship
Warner Bros. Television Fellowship
Podcasts
Forum
Julie in your town
Julie on Facebook
Julie on Twitter
The Script
Silver 
About Julie
I really like http://scriptcollector.blogspot.com/ for scripts, partly because @scriptcollector sends out tweets that tell me about scripts I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise–
So a Word doc is amateur? Wow…I thought if the format was okay, it was okay.
@Marian – cool, thanks for the tip!
@Marilee – yes, there is a strong perception of amateurishness when scripts are received as a Word doc. Right or wrong.
May I recommend Celtx? Is free and good for most script writing needs (and more).
Check it at http://celtx.com/
Of course, presentation should be on pdf if you use it.
Hi Julie,
What about a PDF of the script? Is that as bad? I haven’t tried the software before, I guess I should.
@Ariel – good addition, thank you!
@Marilee – PDF is fine
There’s also MyPDFScripts out there, which I like for its great indexing and for the fact that the scripts are (duh) in PDFs:
http://www.mypdfscripts.com/
(They also tweet new scripts.)
I agree with Ariel, Celtx is better than Final Draft in many aspects and I’ve been working with Final Draft for many years. The spellcheck is worse in Celtx and the pagenumbers flipps out sometimes, but otherwise it is simply great.
One of the best things is that I can collect all files into one projects. I have mindmaps and feedback and I can put them into the same file, always bring them along with the script.
Can anyone give me a tip of good a visual dictionary?
A visual dictionary has images of different things and labels of all the parts – like “pot”, “lid”, “handle”.
I’m willing to pay for dictionary if it is a good one.
Do people really find Dramatica Pro useful? I’m on a really tight budget, but I could splurge.
I’m finding it tough to bring all the elements of my story together. I know the character arcs and the major plot points (and the emotional experience I want the audience to have), but I’m having trouble bringing it all together into a coherent story.
What have people found Dramatica Pro useful for? Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
I read ScriptShadow every day. They review lots of spec scripts that have recently sold, and you can get many opinions of the script from the commenters.
http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/
Julie, once again you’ve done all my work for me…I’m just cutting and pasting your entire list into my bookmarks. Thanks!