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.

Seven Writing Tips from Ramy Youssef

April 23, 2025

Ramy Youssef is an actor, writer, and producer who got his start in stand-up comedy, giving him an ease and confidence in front of audiences (and a place to test jokes that later make it into his TV shows). These skills were evident at this year’s SX...

5 Fast Ways to Be a Better Screenwriter

April 22, 2025

Your screenwriting journey is all about evolving as a screenwriter. Everyone generally starts at the same place. As we progress by educating ourselves (screenwriting books, screenwriting blogs, reading produced screenplays, etc.), we begin to add to ...

How 'Drop' Creates a Single Location Thriller

April 18, 2025

Drop is a fairly simple concept: Kill your date or your son dies. Sure, you can go into more details but those 7 words are intriguing enough that it almost doesn’t need further explanation.

Write On: 'NCIS: Origins' Showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal

April 17, 2025

“If you can make the twists [in the story] hit your character in an emotional way and set up their emotional arc, then when the case twist intersects with them, if it’s hitting them in the deepest way, in the most unexpected way, maybe – then you’ve ...

When You Feel Like Quitting Screenwriting — Do This Instead

April 17, 2025

Pursuing a screenwriting dream and career as a professional screenwriter can be difficult. It’s often a perilous journey at first, wrought with rejection after rejection that can last for years. But for those who stick with it and brave through the a...

‘The Studio’: How to Craft a Hollywood Satire

April 16, 2025

Screenwriters are always told to write what they know — and let’s be honest, what you know is how hard it is to break into Hollywood or get the green light for your passion project. The good news? That struggle is incredibly relatable to anyone who’s...

How is a TV show made?

April 15, 2025

Ever watched a TV show and wondered ‘How did they make this?’ From a writer first getting an idea to a showrunner delivering a finished season to a network, there are numerous steps in the making of a TV show, and not every journey from page to scree...

How to Succeed as a Screenwriter OUTSIDE of Hollywood

April 14, 2025

Let’s get this out of the way first. Yes, living in Los Angeles offers many more opportunities when you’re trying to pursue a screenwriting career. Los Angeles is the mecca of the film and television industry. It’s the home of most major studios, net...

‘A Minecraft Movie’: Building a Blockbuster Block by Block

April 11, 2025

It’s hard to escape Minecraft. Over 200 million people play the game each month with about 43% consisting of players between the ages of 15-21. If you have kids, they’ve probably asked to play Minecraft (and you probably have the game in some capacit...