first off i apologize for my last thread asking for a free serial key, i didn't bother reading the rules, maybe i should.

Im just curious what you experts think is the best screenwriting software and how much would I have to pay for it? I really liked Movie Writer Pro and my screenplay was going along good til it wouldnt let me save, but the thing i didnt like about it was i couldn't put character emotions in for dialogue, for example JIM (confused). So i'd like to know where i can get good software for a low price. (I won't pay more then 50) and what do pro screenwriters use? thanks.

Don't worry You live and learn, eh?

As to software, I just use Word, with some custom styles and keyboard shortcuts set to trigger them. Not elegant, but it works, and doesn't cost me anything extra.

And, the reason you can't add emotions and other directions in ()s is probably because professional screenplays don't have those. According to a book I have pro actors go through the script and cross them out before reading it

Final Draft is probably the best screenwriting program there is. But it's out of your price range I guess. If I were you, look for a Microsoft Word screenwriting template, they are helpful and you can get them for free. Just search for it.

Thanks guys, I downloaded a template for Word and it works great, i have alot more freedom then i did with Movie Writer Pro. My screenplay is coming along great too, once i get 10 pages or so i'll post some of it. Thanks again!

Hey, also check out Rough Draft, it's a completely free piece of software that lets you write in a normal format or the screenwritting format. It's really nice for free, it has a few different menus to the side; file directory for easy access, word finder to help you find stuff in your document, special character insertion, and an extra notepad to write things informally to. I don't remember the site I downloaded it from, but I'm sure if you google it you'll find it very quickly.

where can i download the Word screenwriting template?

You should try Scriptbuddy.com its free and pretty easy to use.

still out of your pricerange, but Script Werx is macro for MS word that is very useful. It's around a hundred. But yeah, if that's a significant amount of money, definitely just do it by hand. Spend the cash in front of the camera.