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.

Take 5: A hero must rise in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

November 16, 2022

In the latest Marvel Studios film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the citizens of Wakanda are mourning the loss of their king while facing the powerful forces of a new enemy from below the sea and the world powers interested in the Vibranium found w...

How To Avoid a Second Act Slump in Your Screenplay

October 4, 2022

Over the years, if it’s one thing I’ve heard screenwriters struggle with the most, it’s the second act of their script. Even if they think they have a great concept and strong first act, they suddenly get to the second act and they find their creativ...

There Isn’t a Perfect Screenplay

September 28, 2022

There isn’t a perfect screenplay.

How To Create an Emotional Through Line in Your Screenplay

September 12, 2022

Many aspiring screenwriters might not be aware of the term “through line” and how it’s frequently used in the development process. When I first broke into the film industry I wasn’t aware of the term myself, and I definitely wasn’t thinking of themat...

5 Tips to Writing a Great Opening

September 7, 2022

In my article 5 Clichés to Avoid in the Opening of Your Script, I stressed the importance of grabbing industry professionals in the first couple pages of your spec script. Whether it’s a feature screenplay or a television pilot, most managers, agents...

Right Story, Right Character

September 7, 2022

In my article about National Lampoon's Vacation, I wrote that one of the reasons for the film’s success was it paired the right character with the right story. Sometimes there is a tendency for screenwriters to focus more on plot and less on the prot...

Embracing Entrepreneurship As a Screenwriter Part 2: Patience and Process

November 25, 2020

In Embracing Entrepreneurship Part 1 we discussed the importance of taking initiative as a screenwriter using my film, Poor Greg Downing, as a case study. Now that we had the movie in the can, the real work was just beginning. Starting with: backing ...

All the Write Moves: Russian Doll

February 26, 2019

Songwriters face an inherent conundrum when trying to innovate because the chromatic scale of Western music includes only 12 unique notes. The challenge is to arrange and combine these limited resources in surprising ways. A similar conundrum faces t...