Final Draft Blog

All the tips, tricks and information you need to inspire your writing!
Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.

What Is a Final Girl and How To Write One

July 9, 2025

What Is a Final Girl? A Final Girl is a trope and character archetype associated with the horror genre and sometimes more specifically the slasher subgenre (although Final Girls aren’t limited to slasher films). One crucial element to a Final Girl is...

Screenwriting Prep: 5 Things to Do Before You Write a Single Word

July 8, 2025

It’s both exciting and terrifying to start a new screenplay — whether it’s your first, second, third, or beyond. The excitement takes hold because you’ve had this idea playing in your head for a while and you’re finally committed to getting that idea...

Screenwriting Rules You Can and Shouldn’t Break

July 7, 2025

If you’ve done your research about screenwriting, you’ve likely read a lot of rules that many say can’t and shouldn’t be broken.

‘M3GAN 2.0’ and 10 Movies That Show Tech Gone Wild

July 3, 2025

M3GAN is a horror movie about a doll with artificial intelligence who is programmed for one mission: protect Cady (Violet McGraw). This combination turns M3gan into a near-unstoppable killing machine as she becomes self-aware and misinterprets the me...

Writer Ehren Kruger Helps ‘F1: The Movie’ Find Its Place in 100+ Years of Racing Movies

July 3, 2025

You know Ehren Kruger. He has written some of the biggest blockbusters of the last 20 years, two of which were the highest grossing films of their respective year: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Further back,...

'Jurassic World Rebirth' Writer David Koepp on the Screenwriting Mistake That Dooms Scripts

July 2, 2025

David Koepp is a Hollywood legend. One of the most successful screenwriters of all time, Koepp is the iconic voice behind works like Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Death Becomes Her, Mission: Impossible, and many more. Koepp is known for his versatil...

Mastering the Rewrite: How to Tackle a Screenplay You Didn’t Write

July 2, 2025

Most screenwriters focus heavily on their original spec scripts (screenplays written under speculation that they will be sold) — and rightfully so. We get into screenwriting because we have cinematic stories we want to tell. However, a majority of sc...

5 Ways to Set Your Screenwriting Intentions

July 1, 2025

When it comes to being a screenwriter, the creative process is a very personal thing; almost as personal as our voice. That voice is what distinguishes our script from the next, and when it comes to completing a script – no matter how inspired we are...

Write On: 'Countdown' Creator/Writer Derek Haas

June 30, 2025

“One thing I’ve found in the crime genre is that homicides are always interesting. When somebody’s killed, whatever that case may be, it’s usually compelling drama. So then it’s up to you as the writer to surprise the audience and do things that they...