← How To · Script · 10 min read

How to write a screenplay in Fountain

Fountain is a plain-text markup convention for screenplays. INT./EXT. headings are recognised by case; character cues are recognised by being uppercase + on their own line; action is everything else. Any Fountain-compatible tool reads the same file. The screenwriter writes in iA Writer, Highland, Slugline, BBEdit, or any text editor — the formatting is taken care of at render time.

1

Write the scene heading

Start with INT. or EXT. — all caps — followed by the location and time of day. Example: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT. The Fountain parser recognises this as a scene heading by the INT./EXT. prefix; no special markup needed.

2

Add action lines below

Just write. Action is the default. Maya pushes open the door. Steam rolls out. The Fountain parser treats any non-special line as action text.

3

Add a character cue

An uppercase word on its own line is a character cue. MAYA. The next non-blank line is treated as their dialogue. Example: MAYA / Where are we? — the parser reads MAYA as the character, 'Where are we?' as their dialogue.

4

Drop in a parenthetical

On a line of its own between the character cue and the dialogue, in parentheses: (whispering). The parser renders it as a parenthetical direction.

5

Import the .fountain into /script

Save the file with the .fountain extension. Drag it into /script's import zone. The parser reads every heading, character cue, action, parenthetical, and dialogue beat and reconstructs the screenplay in the industry-formatted editor. Every block is now individually editable and the autoseed kicks off /cast + /breakdown.

Export back to Fountain any time — /script saves as .fountain, .fdx (Final Draft), or .pdf so you keep working wherever you want.

Try it

Open /script and follow the steps

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