Software Review:
Storyist v1.3.6 Novel and Screenwriting Software

Andrew Burke
June 2008

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If you're a Mac user and you're seeking a cure for "writer's block" on your next production, Storyist Software may be the ticket. The application offers writers an easy-to-use tool for short scripts and even feature-length movies. The Storyist interface is both familiar and intuitive, all in the name of unleashing creativity. The Project Pane shows your entire project at a glance - Plot, Characters and all - while the Storyboard Layout allows drag-and-drop functionality for photos and text. The results of utilizing Storyist range from having a professionally formatted script ready for a Hollywood audition to gaining a new level of understanding in an independent production.

Storyist's interface is of particular note because of its simplicity and bare-bones functionality. Without a doubt, if you're used to Mac OS X and iLife you'll feel right at home with Storyist. There are just enough features to warrant the price tag, but it intentionally doesn't get bogged down with extensive options. The interface is meant to aid in the creative process from the ground up, and it shows. Storyist takes a number of cues from Apple's iLife suite and OS X's Finder. A customizable toolbar, web browser-like buttons, search fields and dynamically scalable layouts are all standard. Only basic word processing features are present. Storyist also gains functionality when used with OS X 10.5 "Leopard," which adds basic photo-editing tools such as cropping and effects.

Four main windows make up the creative space in Storyist. The Main View is a large window and is the domain of the text manuscript. Importing text is limited to Word Documents (.doc), Rich Text (.rtf) and HTML formats. The default 12-point font is set to the typewriter-ish Courier, a standard for scripts. Your story can be edited in a final manuscript fashion or with word processor-like page breaks. The Storyboard view is the most dynamic; it's where a series of photos and virtual 3x5 cards can be placed and re-arranged on a large corkboard. The third window, called the Project Pane, is a column where your entire project can be seen at once. The drop-down menu reveals icons and descriptions for Scenes, Characters and Plot, among others. Double clicking a Character in the Project Pane, for instance, loads an editable page for the chosen Character into the Main View, along with all other Characters' photos into the Storyboard. Each window can be rearranged a number of ways and sent away temporarily using the Rotate Workspace command. The Tool Bar is the mainstay of Storyist's layout. It can be hidden or customized in the same way as the Finder in OS X. Icons such as Print, Color, Fonts and Notebook can be added without text to reduce clutter. This customization can be saved, exported as a template, and shared with collaborators.

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