Celtx the Screenwriting Software

I do the bulk of my writing using Celtx. I call it screenwriting software, but it is intended for much more than that. I just have only so many hours in a day, and can’t work on comic books, novels, plays, and radio scripts all at once.  I use it for screenplays.

Celtx does a fine job producing a script that is ready to be shared with the world.  The formatting is accurate and correct. It does all this in a fast and convenient manner. Considering it is free to download, I love it.

When creating a script, the software cleverly recognizes that hitting ENTER or the TAB key will toggle through different line styles for scene heading, action, character, or dialogue. This makes for fast and efficient typing.

The only complaint I have is that there are no keyboard shortcuts for choosing the style of a given line. This comes into play when I import a block of text and want to convert it to a script. I often have to revert to using the mouse to choose a style which gets a little clumsy. But I’m being picky.

To format a script, you do have to be connected to the internet because, apparently, the software retrieves formatting information from a secret consortium’s server bank. Or something like that. But it works, and on those rare occasions I don’t have a connection, I do something else until I am back on the grid. It’s a nit, and I just keep moving along.

Celtx also has options for sharing scripts using version control software (CVS) and is tightly integrated with the server system to pull it off, and adds nice window dressing and multi-user capability for a nominal fee. If you are collaborating, or just want to save your ass when your laptop fails you, Celtx Studios is the answer.

I have been using it for two years now, and I have used it on Windows machines and my Ubuntu laptop. I really like it, and I am willing to risk sounding like a fantard to let others know. So there.