epic-mode

This is epic-mode. An Emacs mode to write stunning epics in a screenplay like format.

Installation

• Clone files (for example to ~/.emacs.d/epic-mode):

cd ~/.emacs.d
git clone https://github.com/bookhacker/epic-mode.git

• To load epic-mode when opening a file ending on .epos with side margins of 25 characters, add to your Emacs configuration file (for example in ~/.emacs.d/init.el):

;;
;; Epic mode
;;
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d/epic-mode")
(load "epic-mode")
(defvar epic-margin-left 25)
(defvar epic-margin-right 25)

Usage

epic-mode writes in a screenplay like format and does different things to make your life easier (especially when inputing text), so you don't have to care about putting in spaces or Caps where epic-mode knows what you mean.

What you need to know first

The general format when writing in epic-mode looks kinda like this:

* CHAPTER - Optional chapter subtitle
** Location.
*** Personae.

NAME (what he does).
  Text Text Text.
NAME. Text Text.
NAME. Text Text
  Text Text.
NAME (what she does).
  Text.

** Location.
*** Personae.

NAME. Text Text
  Text Text.
NAME (what he does).
  Text.

*** Personae.

NAME (what she does).
  Text Text.

* NEXT CHAPTER
** Location.
*** Personae.

NAME (what he does).
  Text.

As you see, some text is written in CAPS, there are parenthesis, two spaces at beginning of some lines, headings start with one, two or three asterisks. The good message: You don't have to care about this. epic-mode does the most for you automatically, which means, you have to know how inputing text works:

Writing Headings

epic-mode knows three styles of headings. They are

* CHAPTER - With optional chapter title
** Personae.
*** Location.

which follow each other, which means, a * CHAPTER-heading is always followed by a ** Location-heading which itself is always followed by a *** Personae-heading when you press ENTER at the end of a heading.

Heading * CHAPTER - With optional chapter subtitle

When you start a line with a single asterisk followed by a SPACE, epic-mode starts to write in CAPS until you hit ENTER. Now epic-mode inserts - and wants you to put in the chapter subtitle. The first character of the subtitle is in capitals, the second isn't anymore.

If you don't want a chapter subtitle, just hit ENTER a second time and epic-mode removes the - and jumps to the next line to start a location heading (which means it automatically insert ** so you don't have to type it).

Heading ** Location

When you start a line with two asterisks followed by a SPACE, epic-mode switches to a ** Location-heading. There is nothing special to know about it. There are no automatic caps etc. When ending a ** Location-heading with ENTER, epic-mode jumps to the next line and starts a *** Personae-heading.

Heading *** Personae

When you start a line with three asterisks followed by a SPACE, epic-mode switches to a *** Personae-heading. There is nothing special to know about it. There are no automatic caps etc. When ending a *** Personae-heading with ENTER, epic-mode inserts an empty line and starts the first paragraph.

Writing Paragraphs

When starting with an empty file

When you start with an empty file, you HAVE to put in a single asterisk followed by a SPACE: