Writing in Three Dimensions

Screenwriter Greg McQueen has a new MacBook Pro and Tinderbox, and is giving us a peek at his latest draft (April 21: permalinks fouled up)

The screenshot represents a map view of all the notes, thoughts, and scenes being worked on in the screenplay. The clay coloured boxes are scenes, while the light yellow boxes are notes or ideas. To access a scene, note or idea, I just click the box, which opens up a floating text window. I can create and open up as many text windows as I like, adjust their size and appearance and look at different scenes and relevant notes or ideas simultaneously.

McQueen works in Map view, and is getting lots of traction from agents that gather all information about each central character. McQueen concludes:

I have come to view Tinderbox as a three dimensional writing tool. I can work using its basic functions one day, then dive into its more diverse functions the next to examine my thoughts and ideas from many different angles.

I have had the privilege to be able to call myself a professional writer for at least the past six years, and in that time I have wasted money on two dimensional writing tools like Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, and numerous others. With Tinderbox, I have finally found a tool that I can customise to the way I work - I think in three dimensions, and Tinderbox allows me to write that way too.