Final Draft Blog

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5 More Screenwriters You Might Not Have Heard Of

January 23, 2025

In the article “5 Screenwriters You Might Not Have Heard Of,” we spotlighted a handful of important screenwriters who had written popular or critically-acclaimed films, yet are not widely known today. Screenplay writers don’t always get the recogniti...

How Actor Julia Stiles Wrote Her First Feature Screenplay

January 21, 2025

For Julia Stiles, years of performing as an actor have provided a unique advantage in her latest creative venture—screenwriting and directing.

You Catch Ideas: David Lynch as Screenwriter

January 17, 2025

The word genius sometimes gets overused and it doesn’t always apply. Not in the case of David Lynch, who has passed away at the age of 78. Lynch was a bona fide genius who changed our cinematic language and discovered new forms of expression. From th...

Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest 2025 opens March 10

January 17, 2025

Is your screenplay or TV pilot ready for the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Competition? With dozens of screenwriting contests out there, it’s important to consider which ones are worth your time and money. Over the past 20 years, the Big Break ...

Write On: 'The Boys' Creator and Showrunner Eric Kripke

January 17, 2025

“The most subversive thing this show could do is make you cry… If you really boil down television, really cook it in the pan, it’s the character business. I’m in the character business. Movies are in the plot and spectacle business, for television, t...

Six Degrees of a Spec Sale

January 14, 2025

If you’re a beginner writer and you’ve read about a new “spec sale” in the trades, you might not know what all the fuss is about. A spec sale is when a spec script has been purchased by a studio or production company (a spec script being an original ...

How ‘Squid Game’ Plays Against Expectations By Expanding Its World

January 10, 2025

Re-entering the Squid Game is both exhilarating and stressful. While we sit safely on our couches, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) struggles to seek revenge against the game he remains trapped in—both literally and metaphorically.

How to Write a Vampire Movie like ‘Nosferatu’…or ‘Hotel Transylvania’

January 7, 2025

It’s been over 100 years since Nosferatu was introduced to the world. The silent film from 1922 was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and remains a classic, influential horror film setting the stage and many of the rules for t...

How to Write a Feel-Good Comedy like ‘Shrinking’

January 6, 2025

In a world where grief often takes center stage, Shrinking dares to ask: Can healing be funny? Feel-good comedies have long dominated streaming platforms. From Ted Lasso to Abbott Elementary, these shows highlight the human condition while offering v...