Final Draft Blog

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'An Almost Christmas Story': David Lowery Talks Animation Writing

December 6, 2024

As a storyteller, David Lowery has a flair for the formidable. His films are often steely and stern, even as his characters find themselves in fantastical situations—becoming a ghost, befriending a dragon, or pursuing a medieval knight. Lowery is the...

5 Ways To Find a Screenwriting Manager

December 3, 2024

Many beginner screenwriters wonder how to get an agent or manager to represent them. Agents are a little trickier to get at the early stages, so it’s advisable for a beginner screenwriter to shoot for a manager first: most managers are open to readin...

Do You Have to Live in LA to be a Screenwriter?

December 2, 2024

This is a question that’s commonly asked by many aspiring screenwriters: do you have to live in LA to be a screenwriter? Speaking from my own personal experience, I know you don’t need to live in LA to land your first screenwriting job or sell your f...

How to Write a Historical Epic Like ‘Gladiator II’

November 29, 2024

Historical epics are rare. Long gone are the days when large-scale biblical stories were adapted to the big screen or tales of sweeping battles from centuries, if not millennia, ago brought audiences swarming to the cinemas. While they often don’t se...

5 Things Screenwriters Can Be Thankful For

November 27, 2024

When many of us think of Thanksgiving, several things come to mind. Visiting family and loved ones, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football or Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a turkey dinner with stuffing, sweet potato, cranberry sauce,...

5 Things I Did to Become a Professional Screenwriter

November 26, 2024

I broke into screenwriting 16 years ago thanks to a big spec sale. I was able to make a career out of it, selling other scripts and landing various assignment jobs over the years. Do you know what I was doing before I sold my first screenplay? I was ...

Write On: TV Writing with Laura Eason

November 25, 2024

“About 12 years ago, I had my very first meeting to staff. It was a show being run by a playwright named Beau Willimon and he’d done one season of a show that hadn’t dropped yet and they were going to do this crazy new model where the whole season wa...

How to Write a Great Dinner Scene in Your Screenplay

November 25, 2024

Dinner tables can be more than a place to eat. From the mundane conversations that reveal character dynamics to the rising tension that happens when everyone is forced to sit down and share a meal, dinner scenes create the perfect setting for pivotal...

How to Write a Musical Like ‘Wicked’

November 22, 2024

Musicals might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they have a long history of being Hollywood darlings. From the first part-talkie musical, The Jazz Singer, to the latest adaptation of Wicked, movie musicals can transport us to gravity-defying worlds....