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.

‘Karate Kid: Legends’ and the ‘Overcoming the Monster’ Archetype in Screenwriting

June 4, 2025

According to Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots, there are really only seven types of stories that one can tell. While the Karate Kid story may seem deceptively simple, it has a strong concept behind it; in this case, the basic plot of Overco...

What is Dramatic Irony and How to Use It in Screenplays?

June 4, 2025

In the simplest terms, dramatic irony in storytelling is when the audience knows something the characters don’t. Oftentimes, the characters would have benefited from this knowledge and it would have taken them down a less troublesome or, in some case...

Love at First Sight: How to Write a Memorable Meet-Cute

June 2, 2025

Every great romantic comedy has a moment where two characters collide, clash, or connect for the first time. That moment is a meet-cute – the heartbeat of any romantic comedy. Meet-cutes set the tone, stakes, and emotional undercurrent for everything...

3 Screenwriting Traps to Avoid

May 29, 2025

It’s easy to fall into the many screenwriting traps that most screenwriters face during those first few screenplays. We learn best by making mistakes, and then learning from those mistakes. It’s the natural process of any learning curve — especially ...

What Screenwriters Can Take Away from ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’

May 29, 2025

Are you a new screenwriter? If so, there’s probably a good chance you weren’t even born 29 years ago when Tom Cruise took over the role of Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible, one of many films inspired and adapted from their TV counterparts. Mission: ...

Write On: 'Running Point' Co-Creator and Showrunner David Stassen

May 23, 2025

“It’s not ripped from the headlines. We’re not using any of [the Buss family’s] real-life stories and putting them into our show. Because Mindy [Kaling], Ike [Barinholtz], and I have so many influences like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Office a...

5 Screenwriting Challenges To Help You Level Up

May 23, 2025

Every screenwriter hits a wall at some point. Sometimes it’s after your third script. Sometimes it’s a dozen screenplays in. But there are key screenwriting challenges that can help beginners avoid hitting those walls — even before you get to a more ...

Creativity in Death: How ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Keeps Things Fresh

May 21, 2025

It’s coming. You know it’s coming. But Final Destination: Bloodlines keeps the audiences guessing on who is going to die and how – it builds suspense even when everyone knows someone is about to die. If there is one thing that the Final Destination f...

How to Get Your Screenwriting Fire Back

May 20, 2025

Sometimes we lose our passion — the fire burning inside that pushes us through adverse and difficult times during our screenwriting journeys. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner learning the ins and outs of writing a screenplay, an experienced scr...