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.

Exploring strange new worlds with writer-actor Dustin Milligan

May 6, 2021

When you chat with a genuinely nice human who happens to be very obviously passionate about writing — your own chosen profession— and listens to Star Trek: The Next Generation on a regular basis (and if you’re not sure why that’s the best show ever, ...

The Outside Story' is more than another break-up movie

May 5, 2021

At first glance, The Outside Story feels like a break-up movie. Charles (played by empathetic Brian Tyree Henry) works as an editor, cutting together in memoriam videos for people who aren’t dead yet. He is feeling sad not just because of the job, bu...

Your quick reference guide to crafting a compelling season arc

May 5, 2021

Sitting down to write a television pilot is a bit of a thrill. There are endless story possibilities on a blank page and characters just waiting to spill their guts — sometimes literally, depending on your genre of choice. The pilot episode is your c...

Write On with Coach Carole Kirschner - Fellowship & Mentorship Season

May 4, 2021

Carole Kirschner talks to Write On about mentorships, fellowships, and training opportunities for writers and showrunners. “You cannot teach somebody how to be a showrunner in six Saturdays, but what you can do is… give an idea of what to expect."

Tech Tip: 1-2-3 Method

May 3, 2021

With Final Draft 12’s improved Beat Board™, the Outline Editor™, and the outline elements, you can take an idea all the way up to a full script outline as easily as 1-2-3.

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘Shiva Baby’ is an excellent study in suspense

May 3, 2021

A sugar daddy, his sugar baby, family politics, a newborn, and an ex-girlfriend walk into a shiva... That’s the loose premise of Shiva Baby; a thrill-ride of uncomfortable delight that started as a short film by writer-director Emily Seligman, availa...

Filmmaker Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas on humanizing mental health in ‘The Sleepless’

April 30, 2021

Once in a while a film comes along that invites the viewer to meander along with it, enjoying the view and the conversation for what it is. No crazy plot twists, no breathtaking set-pieces. Simply humanity for what it is — and can be — in one of its ...

Write On with The Black List's Kate Hagen

April 30, 2021

Since 2005, each December The Black List releases its annual list, a survey of the most liked unproduced screenplays of that year. The Black List also works to foster a large community of writers through screenwriting labs, online resources, and in-p...

The Virtuoso' looks into the paranoid world of an assassin for hire

April 30, 2021

Ideas come in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s the lyrics of a song, an article you find online, or even a conversation you overhear. For director Nick Stagliano’s The Virtuoso, the idea came from an unlikely place — one of his previous films.