Writing A Screenplay
The writing canvas formats screenplay paragraphs for you. Choose what kind of paragraph you are writing rather than adding spaces to position character cues or dialogue.
Before You Begin
Open a Script document and check that it is writable. A collaborator editing the document can hold its writing lock, in which case the writer shows read-only information. Permission to leave notes is separate.
Write A Short Scene
- Click an empty paragraph and choose Scene. Write
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT. - Press Enter and write the action in the new Action paragraph.
- Press Enter, then Tab to change the new paragraph to Character. Write
ALEX. - Press Enter to start Dialogue, then write the speech.
- Press Enter, choose Character, write the next speaker and press Enter for their dialogue.
- To return to action after dialogue, press Enter and then Shift + Tab.
- For the next scene, create a paragraph and choose Scene.
Paragraph Types
| Toolbar Control | Purpose | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | A scene heading containing place and time. | Ctrl/Cmd + 1 |
| Action | What the audience sees or hears happening. | Ctrl/Cmd + 2 |
| Character | A speaker's name and any extension, such as (V.O.). |
Ctrl/Cmd + 3 |
| Parenthetical | A short dialogue instruction; the type supplies enclosing brackets. | Ctrl/Cmd + 4 |
| Dialogue | Spoken words. | Ctrl/Cmd + 5 |
| Transition | A transition such as CUT TO:. |
Ctrl/Cmd + 6 |
| General | Text outside the usual screenplay types. | Ctrl/Cmd + 7 |
Ctrl/Cmd means Ctrl on Windows or Command on macOS. These shortcuts apply in the writing canvas. Treatment, Outline and Title Page documents use General paragraphs rather than screenplay type cycling.
Enter And Tab Behaviour
| Current Paragraph | Enter Creates | Tab Changes It To |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | Action | Character |
| Action | Another Action, splitting at the cursor | Character |
| Character | Dialogue | Transition |
| Parenthetical | Dialogue | Action |
| Dialogue | Another Dialogue, splitting at the cursor | Character |
| Transition | Scene | Action |
| General | Another General, splitting at the cursor | Character in Script documents |
Enter in dialogue continues dialogue. Use the toolbar, Ctrl/Cmd + 2 or Shift + Tab to change to action. Ctrl/Cmd + Enter inserts a line break inside the same paragraph. Tab changes paragraph type; it does not indent writing. Shift + Tab changes Dialogue to Action and is not a full reverse type cycle.
Suggestions And Formatting
Character cues suggest names already used. Scene headings can suggest locations after INT. or EXT. and times after the dash. Choose a suggestion by clicking it, or with the arrow keys and Enter. Press Enter again to continue after accepting a suggestion. Escape dismisses the list.
Select text within one paragraph for the floating text-formatting controls. Those controls alter text appearance; the main toolbar changes screenplay type. The floating toolbar is hidden in focus mode.
To select whole paragraphs, click the first and Shift-click the last. Ctrl/Cmd + A in the canvas selects all writing paragraphs. A toolbar type applies to the selected paragraphs; Backspace or Delete removes the selection.
Copy, Paste And Undo
Copying selected paragraphs keeps their types when pasted back into the writer. It does not copy their paragraph notes or original scene numbers. Multi-line plain text is interpreted as screenplay writing, so review its resulting types. Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes recent session edits; Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z or Ctrl/Cmd + Y redoes them.
At paragraph boundaries, Backspace or Delete can remove an empty paragraph or join adjacent writing. Check the resulting type when joining paragraphs with different purposes.
Dual Dialogue
- Write two speakers' character cues and dialogue normally.
- Select a paragraph range with exactly two Character cues, their Dialogue and any Parentheticals.
- Select Toggle Dual Dialogue or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D.
- To return to normal layout, select within the dual dialogue group and use the same command.
Troubleshooting
If you are unexpectedly read-only, check the displayed lock information and ask the other writer to finish editing. If saving reports a connection problem, follow the writer's displayed recovery prompt; do not assume unsaved text has reached the saved document.