Getting started

Write a short scene with Robin and Alex. You will create a script, give each part of the writing its role and find the next task when you are ready.

Already have a .stagistic or .stepkg file? Start with Import or restore a script.

Start with a new script

1. On the home screen, choose New script.
2. Enter The last door in Script name.
3. Choose One-act under Initial script structure.
4. Choose Create script.

The editor opens with one empty Scene heading. One-act starts without an Act heading; Multi-act starts with both an Act and a Scene. You can add acts and scenes later.

Find your writing space

The writing area contains the scene. Each block has a role, such as Scene, Stage direction, Character or Dialogue. Place the cursor in a block to see its current type in the toolbar’s Change block type control.

Sidebars show information such as Structure and Characters. To open one, use the left or right panel button at the ends of the editor toolbar. Its tooltip names the current panel. A filled side in the icon indicates an open panel. The selector at the top of a sidebar lets you choose which panel it shows.

The app header lets you switch between Editor for writing and Export for printable output. Start in Editor.

Name the scene and write its action

1. Click the existing Scene heading and type At the door.
2. With the cursor at the end of that heading, press ⏎ Enter.
3. The new block is Stage direction. Type Robin opens the door.
4. At the end of that sentence, press ⏎ Enter.
5. The new block is Character, ready for the speaker’s name.

The Scene heading names the section; the Stage direction describes the action. You do not need to apply their styles yourself.

Write the first exchange

1. In the Character block, type Robin.
2. At the end of the name, press ⏎ Enter. The next block is Dialogue.
3. Type We should go.
4. At the end of that line, press ⏎ Enter. The next block is Character.
5. Type Alex, then press ⏎ Enter at the end of the name.
6. In the new Dialogue block, type Give me a moment.

You now have this scene:

Type	Your text
Scene	At the door
Stage direction	Robin opens the door.
Character	Robin
Dialogue	We should go.
Character	Alex
Dialogue	Give me a moment.

With the default styles, scene headings and speaker names appear in uppercase. A Character block identifies the speaker; a Dialogue block holds their words. Writing a name inside Dialogue does not make that block a speaker heading.

These steps use the default writing flow, with the cursor at the end of a nonempty block. In an empty block or with changed settings, the next action can differ. See Continue writing for those cases, or Customize your writing flow to choose what comes next.

If a block has the wrong role, place the cursor in it, open Change block type and choose the intended type. See Choose and change a block type for the full procedure.

Recognize your characters

Open a sidebar with its panel button if needed, then choose Characters in the panel selector.

Robin and Alex appear under Unconfirmed because you have written new names. You can continue writing. When you want to manage their details or reuse them in a group, confirm the characters.

Finishing a Character block with ⏎ Enter and confirming a character are separate actions.

Keep and share your work

The web editor saves automatically in this browser’s storage on this device. Let saving finish before closing the tab. The header’s save indicator shows progress or a failure; see Understand saving and storage if a save does not finish successfully.

To return to your library, use Go to home in the app header. Later, open the same editor site in the same browser profile and choose the script’s title or Go to editor on its card.

Your first scene is ready. Choose the next step for how you want to use it:

I want to…	Next step
Send a copy for reading or print it	Preview and download a PDF
Keep an editable file with its metadata or move to another device	Download a .stepkg package, then import it where needed
Keep writing in this browser	Reopen the script from the home screen and continue in Editor

Choose what to do next

Your task	Where to look
Manage the script or make a working copy	Scripts and files
Write more dialogue, asides or stage directions	Writing your script
Change the writing flow or number shortcuts	Customize your writing flow
Add scenes or organize acts	Acts and scenes
Confirm speakers, add groups or refer to characters in stage directions	Characters
Add lyrics and musical numbers	Music and lyrics
Find text or work with comments	Finding and reviewing
Adjust page layout, title-page details or export choices	Pages and export

Where to find script settings

Use Open script settings in the app header. These settings belong to the current script: they include its title page, page layout and block settings.

For Next element and Shortcut under Block settings, follow Customize your writing flow. For the printed appearance and title page, see Pages and export.