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.
How To Outline Your Short Story
There are many reasons to outline your short story before you write it. Probably the most compelling reason to create an outline is to help you keep the story focused and avoid going on tangents that may not serve the story.
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Never Lose Your Characters Again: Tips for Tracking Character Arcs While Writing
Whether you have one main character or several, tracking their character arcs is not always easy.
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How To Use Digressions To Create Natural Sounding Dialogue
Many aspiring screenwriters struggle to make dialogue sound naturalistic. Often, the dialogue is stilted and doesn’t sound like the way people actually speak (this can be said of a few professional screenwriters as well). Or the dialogue is just perf...
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5 Editing Hacks for Screenwriters
Your script should look as professional as possible, or industry professionals will likely pass on your script after a cursory read. In addition to using screenwriting software like Final Draft that formats your script to industry standards, you shou...
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Write On: 'The American Society of Magical Negroes' Writer/Director Kobe Libii
"When I sat down to start writing it, I sort of like came up with air a couple of hours later with a movie," says writer/director Kobi Libii about the origins of his new satirical comedy, The American Society of Magical Negros. “I think it's kind of ...
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How to Write a Short Story: 7 Elements to Always Remember
Short stories, sometimes called “flash fiction,” are incredibly popular right now. Call it a symptom of our busy lives or our limited ability to focus, but short stories can capture our imagination in a way no other narrative experience can.
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Write On: WGAeast Mentors Andrew Bergman and Caroline Kaplan and NY Screenwriting Fellowship Mentee Irina Rodriguez
“Just write a story you want to tell and don't try to write something which you think you can sell to somebody because that way is madness. You have to write what you want to write whether it works or not for other people. But if it's not authentic t...
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Master the Beat Board and Take Control of Your Script at Every Stage
Maybe you have a cursory knowledge of Final Draft’s Beat Board or even used it a few times, but you are aware of its various applications. Or maybe you’re not even aware of this outlining tool that’s available to writers.
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Write On: 'Arthur the King' Writer Michael Brandt
Writer Michael Brandt is no stranger to the big and small screen. Having written such thrilling films like 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Catch That Kid, he is also the co-creator of NBC’s Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D. and Chica...
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What’s new in Final Draft 13?
WRITING GOALS &
PRODUCTIVITY STATS
Set goals and get valuable insights to take your work to the next level
TYPEWRITER
A new typewriter-like view option improves your focus
EMOJI
Craft more realistic onscreen text exchanges and make your notes more emotive
And so much more, thoughtfully designed to help unleash your creativity.
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