As the technology for writers has developed since I first started writing scripts on a typewriter, it is now possible for you to write a play, screenplay or teleplay from your smart phone. It’s true.

There are a variety of apps in your respective apps stores from which this can be done. There are also apps to help develop your story which could be helpful when you have ideas on the go.

I personally have gone through a couple apps looking for one that works for how I develop and script my ideas and the one on the market which seems a best fit for my style is one simply titled “Playwriter.”

Playwriter allows you to list scenes, characters in development and actually writer the script itself, however I don’t use it to that extent. There are no annoying ads to deal with. The only bad thing is the app does ask you to rate and review it on a regular basis.

What I like about is you can manage many project at the same time from your phone. You can manage multiple characters per project. You can start writing dialogue and scenes and the app will keep track of your locations and number of lines each characters have.

Lastly, as your typing in your scenes, the app keeps track of the total run time of your show.

It also provides an “about” space for the play and characters so you can keep your characters’ backstories in the app as well. I haven’t seen another free app offer that.

Lastly, once you written material into the app, it offers a “Final Draft” button which compiles your material and offers sharing options to email itself. This is key because the app doesn’t exactly offer proper formatting between the different mediums. However, you can email the material to yourself, and the next time you can get to your writing station, you can copy and paste the material and all you have to do is format it in your usual writing program.

There are several other good apps out there which could be a big help to development and writing of your script. Final Draft offers a smart phone version for about $10 and it formats the text for you as you go, which would save you time, but I don’t see an option for it to help if you are writing a stageplay. It seems to only offer screen and teleplay formats.

There is also a free app called Fade In but once again only offers formatting for screen formats not stage. As far as development apps, Everywriter offers some great options for designing an outline for your project as well as character outlines. I don’t usually need these types of development tools but could be handy. That app is also free.

Another great app for screen formats is Celtx. But again if you’re formatting for a stageplay, you could be left in the lurch.

The point is, apps can be an extremely helpful tool for developing and writing your next work from the convenience of your pocket. If you haven’t already, I’d dig into what apps are available in your app store and see what tools would be a best fit for you, just make sure you read the app reviews before downloading. It could save you a ton of work checking each one out for yourself.