That said, and until that moment arrives, you can write for the princely sum of £0.00 or £ not a lot. I remember overhearing a high street retail chain salesman totally bullshit a young student and her vulnerable parents once - it was clear she was off to Uni and they just wanted the 'best' computer they could afford for her. It was a well-meant sentiment but born of a certain naivety nonetheless. The serpent told the parents of the 'power' she would need for working with words, and I chuckled quietly - but not before letting them know what an outright fib that was when his slimy back was turned.
The truth is, you can work on so-called 'old' hardware, and use free open-source software from the operating system upwards to build your dedicated little word-machine. The resources needed for processing words are minimal - even rendering out an entire screenplay won't get computers built in the last 7 years too sweaty. They might not be the fastest, but they'll get the job done.
Get hold of an old, disused machine
This could be a laptop, or desktop. Whatever you prefer. It's worth checking reputable sellers on eBay, or local computer shops that often have perfectly good hardware in stock unsold - for the ghastly crime of being a bit older. Check with family and friends - you'd be surprised what lurks in old studies, cupboards, and lofts. Very often the basis your writing rig is waiting right there, all doe-eyed and wanting you to take it home. Check with local businesses - although many have wipe and destroy policies for understandable reasons, some are happy to sell on hardware once it has been securely erased.
It's not impossible, at the time of writing, to allow yourself about £100 - £150 and get a computer perfectly adequate for your scribblings.
Build the machine - from scratch
Hopefully the previous owner of your computer has been smart enough to securely erase the hard drive. Sadly this is not always the case, but that's another subject.
Install Ubuntu, or for older machines, Xubuntu. These Linux operating systems are fast, secure, and stable - leveraging more performance from old hardware. They're ideal for writers since you can concentrate on your output without worrying about viruses, malware, and slowdowns. There's also a huge community out there willing to help you for nothing. There's no room to go into how to install Ubuntu or Xubuntu on your machine here, but you'll find the process very easy (almost self explanatory). If you do get stuck, there's so many guides and so much free support out there but for a quick Google, it's not even worth worrying about.
Get your writing toolkit together
Once you've got your Linux computer up and running, it's time to start looking at what you can use on a daily basis to start writing. Here's the 'big three' that I use:
The Rolls-Royce of free screenwriting solutions. It also offers end-to-end media production tools, with an associated subscription service if that floats your boat, but there's no obligation to use this. Celtx will take care of your formatting, and works in a similar way to other flow-based screenwriting applications.
You can create multiple versions of your screenplays, and produce the final product as PDFs that, to be honest, look just as professional as those created with paid-for solutions.
Celtx also supports radio and stage play formats.
Yep. Google Docs. Accessed right there in your web browser, you've got the benefit of always having it open in another tab. Get Google Chrome, and you can take advantage of the (currently beta) 'Offline' function. It's fast, always backed-up, and travels wherever you go in the world.
The collaboration and sharing features are unparalleled in my opinion. I use it for outlines and treatments - it's also just as easy to stoke up when you get a flash of inspiration. It also supports versions, which can be very useful for spinning off derivatives of treatments.
Google Docs will let you export in a numerous formats.
The premiere free office suite. I use this infrequently, but it's there when I want the features of a more advanced word processor. In those situations I call on Writer, said word processor of the suite.
The big bonus is that it's already included with most modern Linux distributions!
Trelby
I know nothing about this piece of screenwriting software for Linux. However, it's recently been resurrected from obscurity and earmarked for development. OMG! Ubuntu! have more information about this.
About Final Draft or Movie Magic
Ultimately, make enough of a go at it, and you're going to need one of these if you start to liase with contacts that use them.
That's just the way things work in the industry. Since neither are available for Linux (which seems a lost opportunity), a Mac or Windows installation will be needed. That doesn't mean dumping your little writing box, though. With Virtualbox or VMWare, you can run a virtualised Windows machine and seamlessly run one of the above titles from there. It's also worth looking a WINE, the Windows emulation layer for Linux, however I can't vouch for how well Final Draft or Movie Magic will work with it.
In the meantime, I hope I've given you an inkling of how you can use old kit and free software to get started. Although you'll need a professional solution in the end, doing this can help you build a day-to-day workhorse for now.
Good luck building your writing rig! Do chat back or ask questions in the comments.
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