The conversation turns back to Gladiator, and Johnson points out that her theory of connectivity works nicely even on the random sample. The conflict for the gladiator Maximus, she points out, is simply to get home. Despite the lightheartedness of the conversation, Johnson's attention turns, again and again, to the notion of connection, which runs deep in the story on the screen. The parallels with her own life are inevitable. The two strands conflict and connection are interwoven.
Writers know that sort of thing instinctively.
It's there in the great stories, but it hadn't been articulated before. In fact, one of the joys for Johnson of publishing Crafting Short Screenplays has been the response from teachers and writers who have thanked her for describing in cogent prose what they have always merely felt. It was great to be able to articulate the connection theory, what other screenwriting books haven't told us. She's been shadowing the Florida State football team in preparation for her sixth feature, the story of a big-time Florida football coach. Johnson, meanwhile, looks at her plate and muses the projects ahead.