Patrick and I are finding our groove with the co-writing, and the tool that has helped us the most is Celtx: the open source media pre-production software. “Open source,” for my non-geeky friends, means free, and for those of you who think there’s no such thing as a free lunch, think again.
The way we work it is: I get up early in the morning and write. Early mornings are the most productive for me. Later in the day, Patrick reads what I’ve written and we discuss. Then, late at night, which is Patrick’s most creative time, he writes.
We can do this on our two computers because I can upload what I’ve written and he can download and work on the same project. We store the master copy on the Celtx server safe and sound (and, did I mention for free?).
This is not just a script-writing software. It allows you to import media like image files, video and sounds directly from Google. You can also attach other documents from other software, break down the script and schedule. There are other do-dahs and gadgets that I haven’t played around with including a story-boarding function, a comic book format and a massive community of media creatives stomping around on their website.
I know this sounds like an ad, but I am not getting paid for this (the day I get paid for a bit of writing will be a fantastic day indeed). This software kicks ass, and I am so pleased with it that I will sing its praises for free.
Martin
Hey Daneeta. New Orleans what a place. Envy your proposed move as this certainly feels like a place I could live in. Oh you mentioned how many holidays I take, you see I don’t see them as holidays I see it as work I love as this is where the stories I write come from. On route back to London at the mo. Heading via container ship and polishing off a contemporary western script. Hope I am back before your big offski! Will be in town mid July. Take care and hi to Patrick.
Cheers Martin