Scott McConnell Screenwriter & Traveller

NEWSLETTER OF ACTIONABLE SCREENWRITING TIPS FROM FORMER SHOWRUNNER To receive free writing tips click here: thestoryguynewsletter.substack.com/subscribe #WritingTips #screenwriting #screenwriter #scriptwriting #ScriptConsultant #StoryConsultant #StoryAssessor #FilmProducer #Story #Film #Producer

Screenwriting Fallacies 3 Fallacies discussed are: Protagonists must be anti-heroes Write what you know. Supremacy of a Writer's Voice Read here thestoryguynewsletter.substack.com/p/screenwritin…

* hey Screenwriter got questions about the THEME? this conversation will help it's with Scott McConnell (The Story Guy) @ScriptEditing  who's a master on theme drive.google.com/file/d/1G0WSj3…

Bobby Fischer was able to defeat the Soviet school of chess by copying it, and then subverting it through a long term plan. He learned from reading their magazines, studying their games. In the 1960s learning certain openings and structures inside and out was the way to victory. This is something Botvinnik was teaching all the Soviet masters. And they passed this training on. Fischer picked it up in their literature. He didn’t have a Soviet teacher - which is another reason to admire his achievement. Beyond opening analysis - the USSR masters would focus on consistent endgame play. Fischer became proficient in winning endgames where he had a bishop and his opponent had a knight - he studied this endlessly and became unbeatable in such situations. And he mastered rook endings - which every GM must do. But his masterstroke to the World Championship was hiding his ideas until 1972. Fischer was so good that he beat everyone to become the challenger to Boris Spassky. But in doing so he played the openings everyone expected him to play. What he had been playing for a decade. The Soviets knew what he would do, prepared for it - but Fischer beat them anyway. Then he shifted course. When he played Spassky for the actual World Championship in Iceland, he unleashed new ideas in the Benoni, the Alekhine, the Queen’s Gambit. These were openings he mostly avoided his entire career. He had planned this stuff for years. For one moment in 1972. And he delivered. It’s an extraordinary achievement. It was a feat of great planning. And Fischer was the GOAT because he put far more distance between himself and every other player than anyone else - including Kasparov and Carlsen - has ever achieved.

Ben-Hur is not just a movie. It's a monument to epic cinema that continues to thrill audiences 65 years later. From its chariot race to its message of redemption, it's a timeless classic.

Chuck Norris held a 183-10-2 record and was a 6x world champion in full contact bare knuckle karate. On top of that, he beat heavyweight kickboxing world champion Joe Lewis 3 consecutive times and also had a brutal sparring match with undefeated kickboxing world champion, Bill Superfoot Wallace, that lasted an hour and a half. According to Wallace, they practically stalemated and "beat the crap out of each other". Chuck was trained in kickboxing/boxing by Benny The Jet Urquidez and was also trained in BJJ by the Gracies and Machados for 20 years. Even being able to submit Carlos Machado himself on occasion. Chuck had a 315 Ibs bench press at 180 lbs bodyweight and was said to have a grip back in the day that nobody could escape from because he was so strong. Even Jean Claude Van Damme said he'd never fight Chuck Norris, despite being a kickboxing world champion himself. Chuck held a 10th degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do, a 9th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, an 8th degree black belt in Taekwondo, a 5th degree black belt in Karate, a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a black belt in Judo. Rest in peace, Chuck!

Chuck Norris is gone. You younger folks won’t get it but for my generation he was the ultimate icon! Walker reruns after school, Delta Force on tape, jokes about him stopping bullets with his beard… Part of our childhood just ended. Rest in peace, Chuck 🙏

Sara and I were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Chuck Norris, a great friend of Israel and a close personal friend. Chuck brought martial arts and the warmth of his character to millions around the world. May his memory be a blessing.

Chuck Norris, Great American, Has Died nbcnews.com/news/obituarie… #ChuckNorris #MovieStars #American

The Ancient Greek were the cultural peak of human civilisation, the genius of the Romans was recognising Greek cultural superiority.

@DrEliDavid @netanyahu Chuck Norris, a great American!

When Prime Minister @netanyahu met Chuck Norris: “Now that you're here, I don't need my security people anymore.”

A never before released Michael Crichton book - written when he was young aspiring writer and when he was writing as JOHN LANGE - coming in May.

“The Australian” front page paying tribute to some of the tens of thousands murdered by the regime in Iran. 🕯️

@TheCinesthetic Read the book. The best Bond novel.

Moonraker (1979) goes completely off the rails and that’s the appeal. Roger Moore leaning into the absurd, a lineup of memorable villains, glossy visuals, and set pieces that just want to entertain. It’s Bond at his most ridiculous and it works.

@bethsphillips Toda raba!

Shabbat Shalom. May your home be filled with peace, your heart with joy, and your table with blessings. Wishing you a restful and beautiful Shabbat.”

John Wayne's favorite actor was..... #JamesGarner

@TheMonologist And storyteller to John Ford!

@TheMonologist What a wonderful hero and story!

Writing Fallacy: Plot Points Are Plot There is a difference between a plot point and a plot line. A plot dramatizes a specific main conflict that is a logical development of your story premise, theme, and characters. Plot points are structural climaxes in a screenplay.