StoryLines Fiction Structuring Software

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffAugust 1, 2002This software gives writers a flexible storyboarding tool, complete with a character and location database. Although it works well as an organizational tool, it's no substitute for a screenwriting or word-processing program. The interface makes it easy enough to get started right away, with a large button for adding new cards and a prompt on launch to create a new story line. Cards can be easily dragged around in the interface to help with rearranging scenes. Each card can carry quite a bit of information in preformatted sections for description and content. The content window includes a few buttons for adding typical screenwriting terms, such as fade in and dissolve, as well as a link to the character database for quickly adding character names. Each card also can be assigned a setting from the location database. The character and location databases are only accessible from the project properties dialog box; we would have liked buttons in the interface to more quickly access these tools. We like the card display, which shows the cards set on the story lines in a graphical format. StoryLines includes a report generator that can format your cards as a screenplay, but the report is not editable within StoryLines. You can export the report in a number of formats, including text and HTML, for editing in another program. Overall, StoryLines is easy to use and the graphical display helps in organizing complex stories.