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News Release—October 5, 2002

The Last Word in Finding the Right Word

Write Brothers™ Releases Software Version of Acclaimed Word Menu® - Revolutionary Language Resource That Groups Words & Their Meanings by Subject Matter
 
GLENDALE, CA - October 05, 2002 - Ever since humans first embraced the power of language, writers have wrestled to find the right words to express themselves effectively.  Next to the dictionary, most writers have relied on the thesaurus as the primary resource for finding just the right word. Today, Write Brothers(tm) announces the next great writer's reference tool, the software version of the acclaimed Random House Word Menu(r), the first true reclassification of the English language since Roget's Thesaurus was first published in 1852.

The ultimate and most progressively-minded language resource for anyone seeking the right word in the right context, Word Menu is based on the revolutionary 1992 book by the late Stephen Glazier (deemed a "modern Roget" by William Safire).  Word Menu organizes words not alphabetically, but by the way we actually use them: by subject matter.  Word Menu groups words in seven major categories: Nature, Science & Technology, Domestic Life, Institutions, Arts & Leisure, Language, and The Human Condition, with nearly 1000 sub-categories.

An equally valuable resource for authors, businesspeople, students, journalists, and anyone else looking to improve their own linguistic prowess, Word Menu also provides literary and colloquial insights into a wide range of subjects. For those writing a story about sailing, for instance, there's a readily accessible lexicon of nautical terms and definitions that will turn a confirmed landlubber into a coxswain faster than you can tie a sheepshank.

The software version of Word Menu was designed by Write Brothers(tm), Inc, the leading developer of software-based creative writing tools (www.write-bros.com). The software version of Word Menu goes well beyond the printed version with a unique animated hierarchy, the Fractal Browser, which makes it incredibly easy to drill down to the word or term you are looking for.  The Fractal Browser is an interface innovation of Fractal:Edge (www.fractaledge.com), the British-based software development firm that pioneered the technology.  Word Menu's unique word hierarchies are the perfect showcase for the Fractal Browser's innovative approach for locating and displaying information.  Word Menu is the first commercial software product released in America to incorporate this elegant technology.

Word Menu even works like a reverse dictionary.  Can't remember the name of that film editing machine on the tip of your tongue?  Just look in the Arts & Leisure section under Cinematography, and Movieola shows up in a list along with terms like locked cut (final edited version of a film ready for post production work) and Foley (technique for adding special sound effects to a soundtrack).

The original print version of Word Menu was developed over a ten-year period by Glazier along with more than 100 consultants.  A screenwriter, playwright and novelist, Glazier delivered his 3,000 page manuscript to Random House in 1991. Sadly, he passed away shortly thereafter, never seeing the printed version of his landmark reference. "We are proud to expand on Stephen's brilliant work with the introduction of our Word Menu software program," says Stephen Greenfield, President of Write Brothers. "We hope to make Word Menu as indispensable as the dictionary and thesaurus, the tool that writers will reach for first."

About Write Brothers™

Write Brothers (formerly Screenplay Systems™) has been the leading developer of software-based creative writing tools for over 20 years. Since 1990, over 80% of the Academy Awards® nominations and 95% of the Emmy Awards® went to productions that used software created by Screenplay Systems.  In 1994, founders Chris Huntley and Stephen Greenfield became the first and only individuals ever to win an Academy Technical Achievement Award for the development of a writing software tool (Scriptor™, the first screenplay text formatter).  Most recently, Write Brothers released new versions of the critically acclaimed Movie Magic® Screenwriter™ 2000, the first script formatting program that bridged the gap between writing partners and collaborative teams by allowing them to work on the same script in real time and talk and type over the same Internet connection.

Press Contact:

Susan Robbins / Crier Communications / 310.274.1072 x202 susan@crierpr.com 

Stephen James / Crier Communications / 310.274.1072 x204 stephen@crierpr.com

"Stephen Glazier...was a modern Peter Mark Roget—a putter-together of word lists."

—William Safire
New York Times Magazine

Stephen Glazier