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.

Former Big Break Finalists Talk Landing Jobs as Showrunner's Assistants on "Supernatural" and "The 100"

March 27, 2017

What is it like to be a Showrunners' Assistant on a hit show? 2016 Big Break finalists Meghan Fitzmartin and Paula Sabbaga take us behind the scenes of Supernatural and The 100, discuss their journeys from Big Break to The CW and remind us the import...

Holiday TV Movies: The Busiest Genre You May Have Overlooked

December 30, 2016

2016 is on its way out but there’s still time for you to research a busy and often overlooked genre: Holiday TV movies. While there are those who would scoff at the idea of deliberately striving to work in the world of TV movies, that just means ther...

Macworld: Final Draft 10 review - New ways to plot your next Oscar-worthy screenplay

December 29, 2016

by J.R. Bookwalter, Contributor, Macworld With more than 100 templates specifically tailored for stage and screen, Final Draft 10 is the leading screenwriting software used in film and television productions.

Five Things Writers Can Learn From National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

December 19, 2016

Like 1983’s Vacation, 1989’s Christmas Vacation was written by John Hughes and likewise based on one of his National Lampoon short stories (this one entitled “Christmas ’59”). A beloved sequel and holiday film, Christmas Vacation has been entertainin...

TV Pilot Writing: Building the Skeleton of Your Show

October 28, 2016

So you’ve got an interesting idea for a pilot and rich, complex characters. What now?

TV Pilot Writing: Developing Your World of Characters

October 13, 2016

Writing an original pilot can be just as daunting as writing a feature, though shorter in length. While a feature captures a moment in time, a pilot begins a longer journey. In a pilot, you need to tell a complete story, while also introducing the po...

Asking Questions of Your Work

September 12, 2016

How well do you know your own screenplay? Do you know what your story is really about? What is your central idea? Can you condense these answers into a short and concise logline?

The Benefit of "Negative Space" in Your Storytelling

September 9, 2016

If you have a background in the arts or graphic design, you may already have a good understanding of "negative space" - the empty space around or between objects - and the role it can play in capturing audience attention. But what can negative space ...

Back to School: How to Get Back In the Writing Class Groove

August 29, 2016

As the blistering days of summer fade into the crispness of autumn one thing, and one thing only, is on the minds of students everywhere: school will be starting again soon. Say goodbye to lazy, hazy days and hello to study, stress and hectic schedul...