Plan and organize story details before writing novels.
Story Master Pro is a story development tool for writers. Its storyboard design provides a structured environment where you can plan, create and organize all story events. The easy to use interface will help give your story a clear direction and timeline, making it possible to write each scene with confidence. There is also a place to develop characters and solve the many what-if type problems you will encounter as you develop your story. Let Story Master Pro help you discover the advantage of referencing a well-developed storyboard as you write. Version 2.1 includes many design and interface improvements.
The best thing about this program is the character creation tool. It gives you a lot of things to think about when developing your character. The scene organizer is useful too, but would be better if it were drag and drop.
Cons
Not as many features as I thought it would have. Some of the character attributes are redundant. Spell check is incomplete and there are spelling mistakes in the program itself. The "What If" function is useless. Program feels incomplete.
Summary
I was really excited to try this program, but II have to admit I was very disappointed. As a writer struggling to get past the many difficulties of creating a compelling novel, I've been looking for a program with this purpose. This program promises a lot at first, and sounds awesome, but once you actually use it, its not as helpful as it should be. I could do the same thing with some paper cards and a pin board. Its a good concept, but the creators should have put a bit more time and effort into really completing this program and making it feel like a more essential tool, ESPECIALLY since they are charging a whopping $100 for it. I will never spend that much money on a program like this and I hope not many others have been suckered into it because it's really NOT worth that much. I would pay $20 for it, $30 at MOST, but $100 is a blatant, blatant rip off. DO NOT pay for this program, you'll just be wasting your money. I for one would rather spend my hard earned cash on something truly useful to me.
Pretty good.
lyriss
Pros
Fairly simple to use, but effective. Easy enough for someone like me to get around to get off their *ss and starting planning something. It's generally all-around good. The program is easy to use and simple enough so no one should get lost trying to make something happen. Definitely a great help, and I recommend it for you.
Cons
A higher screen resolution-compatibility would definitely help, and I admit there could be some minor improvements (a drag-and-drop scene changer would be nice), but the only real change I have is the price. I personally wouldn't spend (nor would I have) $100 to use this program. Perhaps twenty or thirty..
Summary
Good.
sunaoni
Pros
Nice interface. Organized, and user friendly.
Cons
15 day trial shareware.
Summary
Excellent story development tool.
Joey Porthos
Pros
On the whole, most computer programs for writers are a great disappointment. However, the latest version of Story Master Pro doesn't fall under this heading. Instead, I found it to be the perfect mix of easy to use and why didn't someone think of this sooner. I realize the storyboard concept is nothing new, but this is the first time I've found it presented in a manner that truly makes sense.
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<p>The design of the program is efficient and gets right to it by giving a writer everything needed to plan a story from start to finish. I also found it could easily handle multiple plotlines and subplots all while keeping the writing timeline in its proper order. The greatest benefit and the mark of a good writer's program is that I soon found myself concentrating on developing my story and not on how to use the program.
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<p>There were many features of the program I like but the expand-a-scene feature seemed to be the one I used the most. A close second would be the ease of moving a scene from one position to another while all the remaining scenes self-adjust to match the scene I moved. I don't know how they do it, but it is simply brilliant. The list goes on, but I think you get the point.
Cons
The program doesn't support higher range screen resolutions.
Summary
StoryMaster Pro 2: Cumbersome & Simplistic
VoiceOnTheRiver
Pros
The best feature of this product is the Character Attributes list; however, it is in alphabetical order, not logically grouped character traits. I liked being able to zoom in on the detail of a scene.
Cons
The graphics, while (mostly) themed, are a bit hoaky and I wonder about the products targeted age group. The method by which the user names chapters, scenes, and what-ifs is clunky and burdensome. I say the software is simplistic. Allow me to elaborate. If you're looking to write a story with a single, simple plotline, such as a child's picture book, this software is for you. If you're working on anything with multiple plotlines, subplots, etc., you're better off using Microsoft Excel and muddling alone through flow diagrams--or storyboarding the old fashioned way with 3"x5" index cards and pushpins on a blank wall. Heaven forbid you'd want to have more than one person working on a storyboard at a time.