Begin with a scene.
You don’t need a shot list to have a story. Draft what happens, organize your scenes, and let the detail follow.
MEET SKELETON WRITER
A little structure.A lot of possibility.
Make room
for your story.*
A free desktop workspace for the story you’ve been meaning to write.
Start with a scene. Find its place. Add shots when you’re ready. Keep it all in your own files.
No account. No subscription. Yours to write.* The messy first idea is welcome here.SCENES FIRST. SHOTS WHEN YOU NEED THEM.
The keeper
The light goes out at 2:17.
Mara counts the seconds in the dark. Below the window, the sea keeps doing what it has always done.
Then, far beyond the shipping lane, a light answers. Three short flashes. A pause. Three more.
Her father’s signal.
She reaches for the radio.
Sometimes a story begins with an answer.
THE LAST LIGHT
See the whole story.
- ACT I / THE SIGNALThe keeper
A lighthouse goes dark. An impossible signal appears at sea.
- ACT I / THE SIGNALAn answer
Mara returns the signal and hears a familiar voice.
- ACT II / THE CHOICEFirst light
At dawn, she chooses to leave the lighthouse behind.
Choose a scene to explore the sample. This website preview illustrates the writing workflow; it isn’t the desktop editor.
How to start your first story ↗Give the idea a shape.
Start blank, or use a short-film, episode, or commercial structure. There’s a place to begin without a formula to follow.
Keep the work yours.
Write and save in a folder on your computer. Keep a separate draft with Save a copy. No account or subscription required.
THERE’S MORE THAN ONE FIRST PAGE
Start wherever
you are.
A new idea. A half-finished treatment.
A story that’s ready for its next draft.
AN OPTIONAL CREATIVE COMPANION
YOUR STORY
Find the structure.
“The light goes out
at 2:17.”
Find the structure.
Your writingYour assistantYour draft
YOUR ASSISTANT. YOUR CHOICE.
Bring the AI
you already use.
The free assistant kit explains the SKEL format to your assistant, with examples and a structural checker.
- 1
Give your assistant the kit and the writing you choose to share.
- 2
Ask for a separate SKEL draft, preserving your story and voice.
- 3
Import the result into SKELETON. Review it and make it yours.
SKELETON does not send your files to an AI service. Your chosen assistant’s terms and costs apply. The optional command-line checker requires Node.js 22+.
OPEN BY DESIGN
Your story has a future.
Give it an open format.
SKEL connects acts, scenes, and optional shots in a readable story file. SKELETON handles the structure, so you can concentrate on the writing.
The SKEL specification is MIT licensed. Your draft can be read by tools that support it, without tying your story to one application.
Explore the specification ↗THE FREE BROWSER VIEWERTHE OPTIONAL NEXT CHAPTER
SKELETON X-ray ↗
Open a SKEL file and explore its structure, visual details, and checks.
Genlock Studio
A separate production environment for taking structured stories toward images and motion. You don’t need it to write in SKELETON.
FREE TO WRITE. ROOM TO GROW.
Your next story
starts with you.
We’ll bring the structure.
SKELETON WRITER / DESKTOPFree.
Free.
For your next first draft.
The first Windows release is being prepared. A public installer is not available here yet.
We are finishing the app. The free download will appear here when the installer is ready.
Read the getting-started guide ↗Try the free X-ray viewer now ↗A FEW GOOD QUESTIONS
Before you begin.
Is SKELETON Writer free?
Yes. The writer is free to use, with no account or subscription required. An external AI assistant is optional and may have its own costs.
Do I need to know the SKEL format?
No. Start with a title and a template, then write your scenes. SKELETON creates the structured file for you.
Where does my writing go?
Into the folder you choose on your computer. Core writing and saving work locally. If you use an external assistant, you choose which content to share with that service.
Is this a screenplay formatting app?
This release focuses on structured story drafting: acts, scenes, and optional shots. Continuous screenplay editing and professional interchange formats are planned separately.
Do I need Genlock Studio or an AI subscription?
No. You can create, edit, and save stories without either. The assistant kit and production tools are optional.