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.

Women Screenwriters Over 40 Find Their Champion In Meryl Streep and The Writers Lab

March 12, 2020

Are you a 40+ female with a script you’re dying to develop? Then The Writers Lab is for you. Presented by co-founders Elizabeth Kaiden and Nitza Wilon, along with founder Kyle Stokes, The Lab evolved from a discussion about what’s it’s like to be a w...

Set Free: Bromont Program Helps the Formerly Incarcerated Tell Their Stories

May 15, 2019

Mylrell Miner was 15 years old when he was first incarcerated, altogether spending 10 years of his life in prison.

Write On with AFF Script Competition Director Steven DeBose

March 5, 2019

Austin Film Festival’s Steven DeBose discusses his journey from festival employee to newly appointed script competition director, the culture that defines Austin Film Festival, and the VIP access afforded to all attendees who come prepared for the en...

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.

Before You Know It Filmmakers On How To Get Your Passion Project Made

February 7, 2019

It’s a rare and difficult thing to write, direct, and star in your own film. But that is exactly what Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock did with their Sundance feature film debut, the comedy Before You Know It. The pair also knows what a tremendous fe...

The Sunlit Night Screenwriter on the Challenges of Book-to-Screen Adaptation

February 2, 2019

Rebecca Dinerstein, author of The Sunlit Night, never expected her novel to get published. She never envisioned the book would be made into a movie, and she certainly never thought she would be the one to write the adapted screenplay. “Every phase of...

The Bricks of Breaking in: Sal Calleros on Mentorship

January 31, 2019

Mentorship can be vital to a writer looking to break into the industry, but finding a mentor and building a relationship with that person can be challenging.

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...