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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43857
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43857
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I could do this in Word very easily -- Short Version: Create a **Style** called "Character Name" Indicate that the style "Dialogue" is what follows next. (that's on the first area of the create-a-style dialogue). Then in the PARAGRAPHS section of that Character Name Style, the second/advanced tab, choose " **Keep-with-next**"

I do most of my editing in drafts-view, because it's easy to see in the left pane which template is being used, and to remember to make changes via Style, not direct-formatting.

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Screenshots!  
A sequence of 11 pictures.

**Drafts View, "no" styles**  
1) I copied some lyrics to be my "script". I chose View, Draft, to create that left-view. Shift-F1 is another great tool for knowing layout.[![This is my starting with a text snippet all in normal mode](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rcbjI.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rcbjI.png)

**Create A Style**  
2) I manually centered one line, then selected it as my "model" - then on the Styles Menu, I chose Create-A-Style to get started[![Image shows using context-menu to start editing a Style](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IEVg.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3IEVg.png)

**Name the Style & Start to Modify**  
3)You can give any style any name. You can also change more properties within this.  
[![Closeup of Create-Style, directing users to click "modify"](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnZ6J.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CnZ6J.png)

**Styles That Can Be Buddies** 4)Most of the time, after a Character Name, there's dialog - so I previously made that style (Normal, but indented .5" on L & R, smaller space before/after paragraphs.) So you can select a "Next Style" button as shown here, and then use the Modify button at the bottom, to see various other elements to change.  
[![Close up of Style Edit page, highlighting "Style for Following Paragraph" and "Modify" buttons](https://i.stack.imgur.com/G1qG4.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/G1qG4.png)

**Modify Options**  
5) In the Modify box, you can go to many areas - you may want to add a Shortcut Key so you can turn on Character Name formatting at the start of said line! We want to do _paragraph_ options now[![closeup of Modify drop-down menu](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DnQRl.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DnQRl.png)

**Paragraph Options, 2nd Tab**  
6) The big feature you want is _"Keep with Next"_ (You may want to also have Scene Breaks start a new page - use "Page Break Before" then.)  
[![Paragraph Tab, 2nd tab, highlighting Keep With Next](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rUr8.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6rUr8.png)

**Style Gallery**  
7) Hey, there are our Styles in the gallery![![Styles Gallery closeup - "Character name" is first style](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TyxO.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6TyxO.png)

**Ta-da!**  
8) Screenshot of the script, now with those character and dialog Styles added. Note there's a page break here -- I played with adding blocks of text - the character-name stayed with the dialog! (But Things seem a little unbalanced, hmmmm...)

[![Drafts View, showing Styles added over a page break](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O7sDY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O7sDY.png)

**Modify Style Even More**  
9) So let's fix that spacing issue -- too little space between blocks and the _next_ character name. _(It's nice to know that once a style exists, it can still be modified as needed)_[![Modify Style from Style Gallery](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hmYhm.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hmYhm.png)

**Back to Style Paragraphs**  
10) Just the front part, playing with spacing instead of adding unneeded "enter"s to add spaces  
[![Modify Style -- Paragraph Properties](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IiAwb.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IiAwb.png)

**Really Done**  
[![Final view of script in draft-view with modified styles](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Uikj.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Uikj.png)

If most of what you write are plays, then you can add these Styles to your Normal.dotm template -- if not, save a template (File, Save-As, choose "file-type as .dotx or .dotm, then name it) for all playwriting styles.

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(Note - my font styles are Arial since that's work normal -- feel free to change. And the source of my "dialogue" is a song going through my head from _Heathers_ the Musical: (lyrics from [https://genius.com/Laurence-okeefe-and-kevin-murphy-dead-girl-walking-lyrics](https://genius.com/Laurence-okeefe-and-kevin-murphy-dead-girl-walking-lyrics) and [https://genius.com/Laurence-okeefe-and-kevin-murphy-dead-girl-walking-reprise-lyrics](https://genius.com/Laurence-okeefe-and-kevin-murphy-dead-girl-walking-reprise-lyrics) )

Original score: 4