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.

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...

Your Elevator Pitch Just Got Shorter: Writing Super High Concept Stories

July 24, 2024

The term “elevator pitch” has been popular in Hollywood for decades.

Owning the Room: From General Meetings to Pitching on a Project

June 5, 2024

Writing scripts is just one part of being a professional screenwriter.

Why Short Stories Are Better Than Pitches

May 17, 2024

If there’s one thing I know about screenwriters, they love the process of pitching their movie ideas to industry professionals.

‘The L Word: Generation Q’ showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan on voice and making room for everyone to be heard

December 16, 2022

Marja-Lewis Ryan wears a lot of hats behind the scenes of Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q: creator, showrunner, executive producer, director, screenwriter, advocate, fresh voices champion, and all-around television fangirl.

Write On with Big Break Grand Prize Winners Jeff Cassidy and Myles Reid

February 12, 2019

Since winning the 2018 Big Break Screenwriting Contest, Feature Grand Prize Winner Jeff Cassidy and TV Grand Prize Winner Myles Reid have been busy taking industry meetings with managers, agents, and producers. In this episode of Write On, Cassidy an...

Creed II Screenwriter Juel Taylor Talks His Big Break, Collaboration and the Importance of Having a ‘Fire Script’

February 7, 2019

Locking himself in a room for days is not necessarily Juel Taylor’s idea of fun, but for the 31-year-old co-writer of Creed II, it’s what got the job done.

Playwriting for the Screenwriter II: Submissions & Successes

January 10, 2019

Photo courtesy of Julieta Cervantes / www.broadway.com So you’ve written a play! You’ve honed your characterization and dialogue, you’ve kept in mind theatre’s technical challenges, and you’ve generated ideas to creatively inspire an audience. Congra...

Screenwriting Conferences: How to Prepare and Make the Most of Your Experience

October 6, 2016

When it comes to networking opportunities, few things can beat a good screenwriting conference. The happy hours, the panels, the chance to commiserate with people who understand the existential crisis of changing genres… For many writers, it’s an eve...