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Etherpad as a collab tool for screenwriters?

I've been on the hunt for a good (free) tool for collaborating with another screenwriter. This week, I learned of Etherpad, an online, open-source, realtime text editor. Basically, an open source Google Docs.

Out of the box, Etherpad doesn't have much advantage over Google Docs for screenwriting. It doesn't have any screenwriting-specific features like autocomplete for characters' names or scene headings.

But here's what's cool: Etherpad is customizable via plugins.

Could some enterprising developer write plugins that makes Etherpad into the best collaborative software for screenwriters? I think this could work!

These are the plugins that already exist that would be useful for screenwriters:

  • Align
  • Heading
  • Markdown
  • Spellcheck
  • Comments page
  • Desktop notifications
  • Ether-o-meter (displays metrics, could be good for sprints)
  • Table of contents

Someone would have to build a few screenwriting-specific plugins to make this work for Fountain. Basically the features we find in Better Fountain, which makes Visual Code Studio into a good screenwriting app.

  • Smart autocomplete for recurring characters and scenes, as well as title page keys.
  • Go straight to writing dialog after a parenthetical by pressing enter, while the cursor is still inside it
  • Maybe a way to generate real-time previews, the way that Better Fountain does.

What do you think?

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