Introduction
You're in a coffee shop at 11 pm. You've got a scene in your head, a deadline in the morning, and no access to Final Draft. You open a browser tab and start typing. That's exactly what this tool is for.
The Online Script Writer formats your screenplay in real time as you write. Type in plain Fountain syntax and the preview pane renders industry-standard layout automatically: scene headings flush left in uppercase, character names centered, dialogue in the correct narrower column, transitions right-aligned. No plugins, no subscription, no account. Your script stays in your browser.
For working screenwriters, the tool handles everything you need from a first draft through a polished spec: PDF export with correct US Letter margins, Fountain (.fountain) file export for handoff to any professional screenwriting software, IndexedDB autosave that preserves your work across sessions, and a scene outline panel that lets you jump between scenes without scrolling.
What This Tool Calculates
The tool is a full-featured screenwriting environment built on Fountain, the plain-text markup language created by John August and Stu Maschwitz (co-creators of Highland, among other tools). Fountain's core principle: write it so it looks like a screenplay, and the formatter handles the rest.
Inputs are anything you type in the editor pane. The parser reads your raw text and classifies every line: scene headings (lines beginning with INT., EXT., INT./EXT., or I/E followed by a space), action lines (default text), character cues (uppercase lines fewer than 50 characters that follow a blank line), dialogue (lines following a character cue), parentheticals (lines in parentheses within a dialogue block), transitions (lines ending in TO: or beginning with >), and centered text (lines wrapped in > text <).
Outputs are the formatted preview on the right, a continuously updated scene list in the sidebar, and the PDF or Fountain file when you export. The stats panel reports estimated page count, scene count, word count, unique character count, and estimated runtime. Industry standard: 1 page equals approximately 1 minute of screen time at 55 lines per page.
The Formula and How It Works
Fountain formatting follows the industry-standard screenplay layout codified in the Writers Guild of America formatting guide and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences script submission standards. The critical measurements, in US Letter format (8.5 x 11 inches) at Courier 12pt:
Page margins: 1.5 inches left, 1.0 inch right, 1.0 inch top and bottom. Action lines run the full content width (6 inches). Character names indent to 3.7 inches from the left edge. Dialogue runs from 2.5 inches to 6.0 inches, giving a 3.5-inch dialogue column. Parentheticals sit at 3.1 inches. Transitions align to the right margin.
The 55-lines-per-page figure comes from counting printable content lines at 12pt Courier with standard line spacing. A 110-page spec script therefore prints as approximately 110 pages, yielding an estimated 110-minute runtime. This is the basis for the "one page, one minute" rule used by every development executive who has ever timed a read.
The parser runs a single linear pass through your text. It tracks state: whether the previous non-blank token was a character cue (so the next line is dialogue), whether a line ends in TO: (so it renders as a transition), whether a line starts with an uppercase word pattern and is fewer than 50 characters following a blank line (character detection). Boneyard blocks (/* ... */) and notes ([[text]]) are parsed but suppressed from output. Scene headings increment a counter used by the sidebar outline.
A worked example: a 95-page Fountain file containing 12,000 words, 24 scenes, 8 named characters, and 60% dialogue-to-action ratio exports to a 95-page PDF at approximately 95 minutes estimated runtime. The PDF renders each page with a Courier font, top-right page numbers starting from page 2 (page 1 and title pages carry no number, per WGA standard), and all margins at the correct inch measurements.
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Spec Script First Draft (90-minute Drama)
A screenwriter working on a feature drama opens the tool, clears the demo script, and starts a new document titled "The Last Signal." Over three writing sessions (all autosaved to IndexedDB), she builds 92 pages of Fountain text containing 31 scenes, 6 recurring characters, and 14,800 words.
The stats panel shows: 92 pages, 31 scenes, 14,800 words, 6 unique characters, estimated runtime 92 minutes. She clicks PDF and receives a properly formatted screenplay: 1.5-inch left margin, 1.0-inch right, Courier 12pt, character names at 3.7 inches, dialogue at 2.5 to 6 inches, page numbers top-right from page 2. She submits it to a WGA-affiliated development company. The format passes their submission standards without any reformat.
Example 2: Short Film for Festival Submission
A director-writer preparing a 12-minute short for Sundance's shorts program uses the tool to write a 12-page script. He uses Fountain syntax for the dual-dialogue marker (^) to write a scene where two characters speak simultaneously, and uses > text < for a centered title card mid-script.
He exports a .fountain file to hand off to his producing partner, who opens it directly in Beat (free, macOS) for a second pass. The file transfers with zero formatting loss because Fountain is the native format for Beat, Highland, and WriterDuet. He also exports the PDF for the submission portal. Total prep time: under 5 minutes from tool to submission-ready files.
Example 3: Writer's Room First Pass on a TV Pilot
A TV writing team uses the tool's scene outline sidebar during a virtual writers' room session. The showrunner shares their screen with the tool open in split view: editor on the left, live preview on the right. As the team breaks scenes verbally, the showrunner types scene headings in real time. The sidebar instantly populates with all 38 scene headings across the A, B, and C storylines.
They use the scene list to identify that the B story has 14 scenes versus the A story's 12, and restructure accordingly by dragging story beats in the outline. The raw Fountain draft exports at 54 pages. The showrunner exports to .fountain, which the writing staff opens in their individual copies of Final Draft 13 using File > Import > Fountain. The pilot goes into a table read the following week.
Free Screenwriting Tools Compared
| Tool | Platform | Fountain Native | PDF Export | Offline / No Account | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tools for Film Script Writer | Web (any browser) | Yes | Yes (no watermark) | Yes | Free |
| Afterwriting | Web / CLI | Yes (native) | Yes | CLI only / web needs connection | Free (MIT) |
| Beat | macOS / iOS only | Yes (native) | Yes | Yes (app) | Free |
| WriterSolo | Desktop (Win/Mac) | Yes (native) | Yes | Yes (app) | Free |
| Highland 2 (Free tier) | macOS only | Yes (native) | 6 pages free, paid full | Yes (app) | Free / $49.99 Pro |
| WriterDuet (Free tier) | Web | Import/export only | 3 projects free | No | Free / $11.99/mo |
| Celtx (Free tier) | Web | Import only | 1 project free | No | Free / $15/mo |
| Final Draft 13 | Desktop | Import/export | Yes | Yes (app) | $249.99 |
Pro Tips and Common Mistakes
Pro Tips
- Force a character cue on a line the parser might miss by prefixing it with @ (e.g., @McAVOY). This is standard Fountain spec and prevents the formatter from treating an ambiguous uppercase line as action.
- Use the dual-dialogue caret (^) after the second character name to set two dialogue blocks side by side in the preview. Type the first full exchange, then begin the second character cue with a caret: ^ SARAH. The PDF export renders them as parallel columns.
- Save your script with Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on Mac) at every natural break point. IndexedDB autosave runs on a 5-second debounce after changes, so a browser crash mid-sentence will cost you at most 5 seconds of work.
- The Fountain boneyard (/* ... */) is your revision scratchpad. Wrap any dialogue or scene you cut but might want back in /* */ and it disappears from the preview and PDF without leaving the source file. Search your .fountain file for /* to find all boneyard material during a rewrite.
- For title page metadata, place key: value pairs at the very top of the document before any scene content: Title:, Credit:, Author:, Draft date:, Contact:. The formatter reads these and the PDF export uses the title field for the filename.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the blank line before a scene heading. Fountain requires a blank line immediately before INT./EXT. for the heading to register as a scene heading. A line that reads INT. OFFICE without a preceding blank renders as action instead. Every scene heading in your Fountain file should have an empty line above it.
- Writing a character name mid-dialogue block with no preceding blank line. If you write a character name immediately after a dialogue line without a blank line break, the parser reads it as continued dialogue. Always insert a blank line between the end of one character's dialogue and the next character cue.
- Relying on a single browser tab as your only backup. IndexedDB autosave works until the browser storage is cleared or the private/incognito session ends. Export a .fountain file after every significant writing session and keep it in cloud storage. The export takes 2 seconds and gives you a permanent, portable, software-agnostic backup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fountain and why does this tool use it?
Fountain is a plain-text markup language for screenwriting created by John August and Stu Maschwitz. It lets you write a screenplay in any text editor using simple conventions that mirror how a printed screenplay looks. Because Fountain files are plain text, they open in any software without compatibility issues. Highland, Beat, WriterDuet, and Final Draft all import and export Fountain natively, which means a script written here transfers to any professional tool without reformatting.
How does the PDF export compare to Final Draft or Highland output?
The PDF uses the same measurements as both tools: 1.5-inch left margin, 1.0-inch right, character names at 3.7 inches, dialogue from 2.5 to 6 inches, Courier 12pt, page numbers top-right starting at page 2. For submission to most development companies, festivals, and competitions, the output meets industry standards. Production drafts with locked pages, scene numbers, and revision marks require Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, as those are production-specific features beyond a spec script formatter.
Will my script be saved if I close the browser tab?
Yes, as long as you have saved at least once (Ctrl+S or the Save button). The tool writes to IndexedDB, a persistent browser storage database that survives tab closes and browser restarts. The one exception is private/incognito browsing mode, where IndexedDB is cleared when the session ends. If you write in incognito mode, export a .fountain file before closing.
Can I import an existing Final Draft or PDF screenplay?
You can import any .fountain or .txt file using the Open button. Final Draft .fdx files are XML and cannot be imported directly, but Final Draft 12 and later exports to Fountain natively via File > Export > Export to Fountain. From Adobe Acrobat or any PDF, you can copy the text, paste it into the editor, and clean up the formatting manually. A true .fdx import is on the v2 roadmap.
How accurate is the page count and estimated runtime?
The page estimate uses 55 printable lines per page, which is the industry standard for Courier 12pt at US Letter with 1-inch top and bottom margins. For action-heavy scripts the count is accurate to within one page. For dialogue-heavy scripts with many short exchanges the count can run slightly high because short dialogue lines count as full lines. The one-page-equals-one-minute rule applies to drama; action and thriller scripts typically run shorter on screen than their page count suggests because action lines read faster than they film.
What Fountain elements does the parser support?
The parser handles all core Fountain spec elements: scene headings (INT./EXT. with forced heading via . prefix), action, character, dialogue, parenthetical, transition (TO: suffix or > prefix), centered text (> text <), lyrics (~ prefix), boneyard comments (/* ... */), script notes ([[...]]), sections (# hierarchy), synopses (= prefix), and page breaks (===). Dual dialogue (two consecutive exchanges with a ^ caret) renders in the preview. Title page key: value metadata is read from the document header.
Start Calculating
The Online Script Writer removes every barrier between a writer and a properly formatted screenplay. No installation, no subscription, no watermark on your PDF. Write your scene, see it formatted in Courier at industry margins, export when you're ready.
What format do you write your first drafts in: directly in a screenwriting app, or in plain text that you format later? And has switching tools ever cost you a reformat you didn't have time for? Write your next scene above, then export a clean PDF to see what your script looks like on the page.
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