I’m a screenwriter and I’m still not a user of OmniOutliner (only the excellent OmniFocus). I’m looking for an app that helps me to write the structure of the script before I start to write the dialogues and actions. Not sure that OmniOutliner works with Fountain, a plain text markup language for screenwriting, whose syntax help me to structure the story in general. Any help?
If you’re looking for an app in which to write in screenplay format, or to copy and paste into a screenplay app, I wouldn’t bother with OO.
But if you’re looking for an app in which to write just structure, look no further. The ability in OO to move paragraphs around easily - seeing what happens when you change the order of events, for example - makes it tailor-made for this kind of writing.
But when it’s time to write a first draft, you’re far better off in Final Draft or Fountain.
Note: some people love Scrivener for starting to structure something, then doing the actual writing. You might, too - I don’t.
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Thanks rogbar for your reply.
I already use other software to write the final script, but to structure the story I don’t have a good application. I saw the features of OO and liked. However, I don’t know if I could export this struture (like scenes descriptions) to a file .fountain, for example.
It’s been while since I played with Fountain, so I don’t recall what happens if you import a whole bunch of text, but you could certainly copy and paste each scene description into Fountain.
And it’s certainly worth trying to export an entire outline into Fountain. If I were you, I’d go to http://www.omnigroup.com/omnioutliner, download the 14 day trial, and play with it. I think you’ll find it a terrific and intuitive structure tool.
Yes, I’ll do a test with the OO. Thanks!
I use OO to establish structure in both screenplays and novels. Hands down the best outliner. Equally important, to me, is ability to work in the same file on the iPad.
Exporting is a PITA if you want to include script format. However, if you’re working with Fountain, look at the export options for RTF and text to see whether you can include the markup items for the type of heading you want in the screenplay. Second, for each outline level, you can set a prefix for the row in the Inspector. It can be a custom text, which would enable markup options. I haven’t play with this but it should work in any markup editor like Fountain.
Hope this helps.
