Final Draft Blog

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What Is a Pilot Episode and How to Write One

June 12, 2025

We are currently living through a new Golden Age of television, which, over the last twenty-five years, has expanded from the major network television platform (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) to the addition of cable television (HBO, Showtime, AMC, FX, etc....

75 Creative Writing Prompts and Exercises for Screenwriters

June 11, 2025

You don’t always need outright inspiration as a screenwriter. Sometimes you just need ignition — a spark that fires up your creative juices to get them flowing from your mind to your fingers, and through your fingers to the keys. Whether you’re stuck...

50 Best Dialogue Prompts for Screenwriters

June 9, 2025

Screenwriting is about more than just plot—it’s about voice. And nowhere does a screenwriter’s voice shine more clearly than in their characters’ dialogue. The best known screenwriters are highly regarded for their dialogue. When you hear dialogue wr...

3 Screenwriting Traps to Avoid

May 29, 2025

It’s easy to fall into the many screenwriting traps that most screenwriters face during those first few screenplays. We learn best by making mistakes, and then learning from those mistakes. It’s the natural process of any learning curve — especially ...

How To Write a Modern Rom-Com

May 19, 2025

Romantic comedies are more than just lighthearted love stories—they are a cornerstone of popular cinema, blending heart and humor to capture the emotional rollercoaster of falling in love. While they may seem effortless on screen, writing a successfu...

How to Sell a Screenplay

March 20, 2025

Selling a screenplay is the ultimate goal for every screenwriter. The general process itself seems simple enough to most at first glance. You write a screenplay. You get that screenplay into the hands of decision-makers in Hollywood. They buy your sc...

5 Ways To Get Your Script Contest Ready

March 3, 2025

Every year there’s a new wave of screenwriting contests that a screenwriter can enter in the hopes of getting more eyes on their feature screenplay or TV pilot. Some of these annual contests, like Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, show win...

What Is Screenwriting?

February 27, 2025

There is a reason why Hollywood is such a driving force in the world — a majority of the world’s population loves movies and television. The enjoyment of the stories we see on the big or small screen comes in many different ways.

How To Write a Screenplay

February 25, 2025

So you’ve decided you want to be a screenwriter and write your very own screenplay for a feature film, TV show, or new media platform. This is a unique skillset, because film and television are visual mediums and collaborative art forms. Because of t...