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.

Writing a Family-Friendly Tale? The Little Mermaid Has Lessons for Screenwriters

June 2, 2023

The Little Mermaid is about a young woman who falls in love with someone who doesn’t know she exists, the dynamic of a father who wants to protect his daughter and how she overcomes impossible odds after being tricked by a sea witch.

The Different Jobs of a Screenwriter

May 30, 2023

There are many different writing jobs a screenwriter can be hired to do in Hollywood. And the more flexible you are with filling one of these roles, the greater your chances you have of creating a long, sustaining career as a professional screenwrite...

Plot Device Cheat Sheet: How to Use Deus ex Machina

May 25, 2023

Every writer knows the meaning of the word "unmotivated." Some days, it's just an uphill slog to find the energy to even approach the keyboard, much less get actual words on a page.

Big Break Sci-Fi/Fantasy Winner Dustin Milligan Signs With Anonymous Content

May 23, 2023

If you’re a fan of quirky comedy, you most likely know Dustin Milligan as an actor on the Emmy-winning TV show Schitt’s Creek. Charming and handsome, he plays Ted Mullens, the love interest of the confounding Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy). What you prob...

Final Draft Creates Template to Remove Barriers for Differently-Abled Writers

May 16, 2023

Films like Everything Everywhere All At Once, CODA, Inside Out, Champions, and Silver Linings Playbook all have something extraordinary in common: they include a spectrum of neurodiverse characters of differing abilities.

Write On: Big George Foreman's Writer/Director George Tillman Jr.

May 12, 2023

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World tells the emotional journey of the world famous boxer from his poor upbringings in Texas to his rise to Heavyweight Champion of the World and then onto ...

How to Work Your Win: Catching Up with 2020 Big Break Winner Ben Johnson Jr.

May 8, 2023

Writer Ben Johnson Jr. had a very specific goal when entering Final Draft’s Big Break – to get repped. “Because I live in South Africa, I knew I needed a manager or agent to champion me and my work in the American market,” he shares. “So I researched...

Write On: Daisy Jones & the Six's co-showrunner Scott Neustadter

May 4, 2023

The story of how Daisy Jones & the Six went from book to TV show is a fascinating one. Scott Neustadter, best known for comedies like 500 Days of Summer and The Disaster Artist, was sent the unpublished manuscript about the rise of a rock band in...