A PLEA FOR HELP.

Whoever said that published writers drink too much, had obviously never met a novice writer. The one difference being, the Pro's can simply afford a better taste in whiskey.
Over at the Storycraft Pro forum ( see link below ),...

http://www.storycraft.org

...users of their screenwriting software have been reduced to finding solace through the bottom of a cheap flagon of port-wine. They are in dire need of support and advice, from any seasoned professional with a little time to spare, and a kind word to offer.

So pop on over and say " HI " to a group of fellow scribes who have purchased a program promising so much, yet delivering so little.. ( Click on the link, then click on Chat Room at top of page. Under the heading "General" click on StoryCraft Pro - You should now be in the Posting Forum......Welcome ! ).

See first hand, how a cunning group of individuals can sell a malfunctioning program, then offer little to no customer support.
Be amazed by the disappearing software unlock codes, rendering the programs redundant.
Watch in awe, as consumers are asked to buy the program again to obtain a new umlock code.
Feel tears flow to the depths of your soul, as mother and child alike, are deprived of their expensive software.
Notice how forum members die-off faster than a protected species in duck season.
Embrace the desperate determination of " Dog's Ear ", SuperZero to the literary world, as he fights a lone crusade for truth, justice, and the compassionate way.......Though be kind to him,.....he does not bite,,....he has no teeth.. ....But when provoked, will suck your ankle right out of it's socket, before you notice there is a hole in your boot. (Advanced apologies for Dog's Ear - He enters the forum at 4am [ local time ] and writes from tired frustration, of the faceless StoryCraft foe he encounters).

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR -- STEER CLEAR OF STORYCRAFT PRO SOFTWARE.
DO SOMEONE ELSE A FAVOR -- DROP BY AND OFFER YOUR SUPPORT.

Finally; Should anybody have direct contact details ( Address / Phone No.) for StoryCraft, I would greatly appreciate the information.
I have tried the usual searches and am mostly directed to North American 1800-???? numbers, Swiss Fax numbers, or re-directed to 2nd tier warehouse sales ( Why am I not surprised ! ).
I cannot understand why Juhn Jarvis has lent his name to this software,...sure puts a new spin on the Hero's Journey.

Regards, Inkwell.

Please note : This post is in relation to StoryCraft.org and is not to be
confused with Storycraft.com

P.S. WritersWeekly Rocks - Good work - Very helpful and informative
site.

The American Screenwriters Association advise recording complaints against StoryCraft Corp with the B.B.B ( U.S.A. ). and posting forum warnings.

For those of us living in countries other than THE STATES, I would suggest doing this, plus register your particulars with relevant local authorities.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The A.S.A + B.B.B have also asked that I apologize for the
Writer vs Bottle remarks in my previous posting.

Okay,...which one of you stayed sober long enough to " blow the whistle " ?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the administrator Dennis, at the mentioned forum, I found this posted under General | News | Some New Changes... Dated December 7th.

"You may have noticed that when you login, you may not be able to see the StoryCraft Pro forum anymore. The StoryCraft forums are now for members who have purchased the StoryCraft Pro software. If you have purchased the StoryCraft Pro software and would like access to the forums, please e-mail your name and a copy of your invoice to admin@blackdragonlair.com. Once purchase has been verified, you will be granted access to the forums. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our current members. Thank you. "

Amazing how quickly a business entity can adopt a seige mentatlity...?

Caitlain

_________________
Implied / Subjection, but requir'd with gentle sway, / And by her yielded, by him best receiv'd, -- Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, / And sweet, reluctant, amorous delay. - Milton's Paradise Lost, book iv, Line 307.

Through domain name search I have discovered a street address and name. After running it by the PTB's I forward this info to you. I hope it helps:

Domain Name:STORYCRAFT.ORG
Created On:05-Feb-2002 02:59:04 UTC
Last Updated On:23-Oct-2004 01:06:57 UTC
Expiration Date:05-Feb-2008 02:59:04 UTC

Registrant ID:21319587-NSI
Name:StoryCraft
Organization:StoryCraft
806 Westmoreland Ave
Norfolk, VA 23508 USA
(757)489-4996

Provider of their forum services.
Domain name: BLACKDRAGONLAIR.COM

Administrative Contact:

Dennis Walters (hosato@blackdragonlair.com)
(503)294-7025
4798 Chan St. S.
Salem, OR 97306
US

_________________
Implied / Subjection, but requir'd with gentle sway, / And by her yielded, by him best receiv'd, -- Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, / And sweet, reluctant, amorous delay. - Milton's Paradise Lost, book iv, Line 307.

CAITLAIN:
Thank you so much for taking the time to track down information on StoryCraft.
Please excuse my late reply. Life became very busy and this is my first visit to the forum for some time.

TO QUOTE YOUR FIRST POSTING:
From the administrator Dennis, at the mentioned forum, I found this posted under General | News | Some New Changes... Dated December 7th."

"You may have noticed that when you login, you may not be able to see the StoryCraft Pro forum anymore. The StoryCraft forums are now for members who have purchased the StoryCraft Pro software. If you have purchased the StoryCraft Pro software and would like access to the forums, please e-mail your name and a copy of your invoice to admin@blackdragonlair.com. Once purchase has been verified, you will be granted access to the forums. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our current members. Thank you. "

Four to five days after posting a warning on this forum, and one other, I entered the StoryCraft forum and posted an open letter to John Jarvis, co-developer of the software, asking that he and others at Storycraft Corp. take action to improve customer support, rectify software bugs and resolve user issues / complaints.
It was a calmly written, detailed plea for help.
Forum administrator Dennis and myself were the only registered members on-line at the time.
Two minutes after submitting my post, I received a message informing me that I was now banned from the forum.
I am sure they were in damage control at the time, thanks to visitors from WritersWeekly and ScreenwritersUtopia.
Hence, visitors may no longer access their forum. In essence, they are keeping their problems, disputes, and mode of operation "in-house".
I have since re-submitted my personal and purchase details with them, but to my shock and dismay ( ha, ha ! ), no reply forthcoming. Makes a mockery of their directive "above".

I contacted Share-It, the on-line company handling order transactions for Storycraft Corp. products, informing them of software issues and Storycraft's attitude toward customers, suggesting they investigate further and consider future dealings with this group. Although willing to respond quickly to my e-mails, they only appear concerned with copyright infringement issues (in other words - while Storycraft keep their account up to date, why should we bother).

I was able to obtain the same address you have supplied for Storycraft. I can add for anyone interested, they occupy Suite 89 in the building.
I did not have the phone no. nor domain details, so once more,...THANK YOU..

I have passed on all details to the B.B.B. and expect to hear more from them within a few weeks.
The B.B.B. site was showing an L.A. address for Storycraft Corp. with the complaint of nobody answering phone or mail enquiries at the premises.
They now have the VA details to follow through on.

In the two weeks prior to my being "banished" from their forum, members were dropping out, stating they could get no satisfaction, would take the loss as a lesson, and would now need to purchase other software.
Many were wondering where that money would come from. This caught my ire. Mothers, children, the unemployed, all being ripped off.

It is a good lesson for anyone considering dealing with this corporation........DON'T.

They know about this site and forum, yet do not have the intestinal fortitude to post their side of the story.
.....Probably still brainstorming an inventive, "plausible" fairytale.

Well, having just returned from a night of New Year celebrations, happy that I am still able to scribble this down without getting my tongue caught in the keyboard, I will leave you with a wish for good health, happiness, peace and prosperity heading into 2005.

An Inkwell with one whopping headache !
....And when I roll out of bed later today, the tsunami will still be a tragic reality.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Fwd: to join forum]
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:49:48 -0400
From: Writers SuperCenter <writerspage@writerspage.com>

StoryCraft Software has been under new management since 2006 and has
been completely updated since the recent, untimely death of the
inventor of the software, John Jarvis. Today, our tech support team
is responsive to ALL calls, requests, criticisms, and comments. In
addition, the current version of StoryCraft (7.0), a complete revision
of the previous version (5.0), has been designed specifically to
restore the best features of previous versions (before the 5.0
version) and to adopt many of the suggestions users of the software
have offered over the past few years, including a simple installation
process that requires no unlocking codes that are dependent upon
emailed information.

Irwin Berent