Convenience and Future of ATMs in my Community Essay Example for Free

Convenience and Future of ATMs in my Community Essay Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) have made our life easy and convenient in many ways. With more and more ATMs being installed from street corners to local retails, from outside the bank to shopping malls, they are hard to miss. Gone are they days when we need to stand in line inside banks waiting to be served by tellers? Transaction now processed with just the click of a few buttons. History and Development Luther George Simjian, in 1939, had the first idea to place an ATM in banks (Bellis, n. d. ). He was to place them in holes so that bank clients can make their transaction through the window. This was first tested in New Yorks First National City Bank now Citicorp but was later rejected due to the lack of demand of customers (Bellis, n. d. ). The first truly cash-dispensing machine was created by John Shepherd-Barron from De La Rue Instruments called De La Rue Automatic Cash System, or DACS (International Merchant Services, n. d. ). They were checks bought in advance from tellers and was impregnated with Carbon 14 in order for the machines to detect them (Bellis, n. d. ). It was installed and placed in Barclays bank in London (International Merchant Services, n. d. ). In 1969, the first magnetic card was introduced. It was created by Don Wetzel who was working with Docutel. He had the patent along with Tom Barnes and George Chastain. It was installed in a New York based Chemical Bank (Bellis, n. d. ). Later, Docutel developed the first truly ATM machine that we are familiar today. It was placed in the wall and outside the bank. However, the first ATMs did not directly accessed your personal account when withdrawing money from it. Instead, they were initially offered to the banks credit card holders with good credit standings (Bellis, n. d. ). They were only cash advancements from the clients credit card rather than debiting them directly from the account. It was far from what we know of today where ATMs can do almost everything an ordinary teller can do such as deposits, transfers money from checking to savings, cash advances to your credit card and takes payments. How ATMs Work ATM works by providing users and clients with a remote access with their bank accounts. These machines are connected to the bank accounts through internet connection to the banks database where it has information on the amount of money in the account (Bowen, 2000). The magnetic part of the card stores information of the user such as account number and the pass code. Once the user has entered the correct code it will verify it to the users bank and will send out verification on the transaction that has to be made. The card then dispenses the money using an electronic eye and detector to determine the bills that are sent out. The sensor detects if there are stuck or worn out bills and places them in the discard tray and issues the user the required transactions (Bowen, 2000). Once the transactions are made, they are logged in the machines journal in case the client has disputes on the transactions. Growth of the ATM The popularity of the ATM is undisputed today. The number of ATMs installed today shows its success and effectiveness on both the banks and their clients. Banks have embraced this technology because of three reasons (Islam, Sheel, Biswas, n. d. ). First, banks improve their financial, marketing and competitive positions by attracting clients and increasing their revenue by increasing their services such as loans and financial packages (Islam, et. al. , n. d. ). ATMs provided human resources with more time to process request that ATMs cannot process, thus, it increased the efficiency of tellers providing better services to their clients increasing the income of banks. Further, customers are now looking for banks with more access to ATMs for their convenience and accessibility. Second, ATMs can perform many of the tasks than tellers do and in the long run they are easier to maintain and cost considerably less than their human counterparts (Islam, et. al. , n. d. ). Installing ATMs reduces the work load of tellers. The increase in number of clients for a bank means that they would need more resources to cater to their customers. ATM machines are more efficient for they need no training and less maintenance (Islam, et. al. , n. d. ). Banks realize this cost effective way of providing service and provided more and more machines for their clients (Ferrari, Verboven, Degryse, 2007). Last, ATM machines serve as factors for marketing decisions for financial institutions (Islam, et. al. , n. d. ). Banks would first place ATMs in potential locations for establishing bank branches. They would first see if there are enough clients for them in the area before finally establishing a bank in the area. ATMs today can also provide cash advances from credit cards depending on the allowable limit of the card. Another convenience provided for the users is the added feature of ATM cards. They can now be used as a debit card similar to that of the credit card. However, users must make sure that they have enough cash in their accounts to make similar purchases with that of the credit card. Problems Facing ATMs ATMs, though beneficial for most of its users, has their flaws and problems. They are most of the times reliable but sometimes they do break down and need some maintenance. It is sometimes out of service and needs overhaul and it needs to replenish its cash contents. These are the common problems of ATM machines. First time users of the machine may also find it difficult to use them and may be complex for them. However, this can be learned easily with a few tries at the machine. Others, on the other hand, points out those ATMs dispense only a certain denomination of money. Customers are either to transact lower or higher than what they really need but seldom exactly the cash they wanted. Finally, clients are sometimes frustrated when the machine captures their cards especially if they badly need the cash and they do not have any other ATMs available to them. Personal Application In Scottsbluff, Nebraska, ATM machines are normally situated in local shops within the community. There is also one located inside my local bank that has my account. Locations where there are many people passing by also have ATM machines installed within the area. This provides convenience and accessibility for users who need cash. Further, people who have no private cars can easily access these machines and do their transactions without the going to the bank. Further, they are easier to install than constructing new bank branches. Personally, ATMs have its own advantages and disadvantages. The most beneficial would be convenience and accessibility. People do not need to do their transaction within the bank or during banking hours. They can even do it during the night or even in another state. ATMs in the shopping mall have a business value for the mall other than having people to just withdraw cash from the machine. If users withdraw money in the mall, they are likely to spend some of it in the same mall. Citizens of Scottsbluff are also most likely to spend a portion of their money in the Newsagents, chip shop, hairdressers and the two public houses. These places have ATM machines located near them. However, there are some disadvantages. Some ATMs have surcharges if you are using a machine from a different bank other than yours. People using these machines 2-3 times per week, can have surcharges that may have a sizable amount. But this is still very minimal compared to the benefits that these machines provide us. Another disadvantage of ATMs in some areas of the community is those that are located inside shops that close early. These machines would have limited access to potential users and are only available only during store hours. Finally, news of scams connected to ATM machines are becoming more common where in criminals can have access to your personal account by using a machine attached to ATMs that records your personal information as well as your account number and pin code. Conclusion The disadvantage of ATMs outweighs the advantages that it gives to its users as well as the banks that provide them. ATMs have come a long way from its beginnings. Today, it is no longer just used for simple cash dispersing but also includes a wide variety of uses including payment of bill, ATM debiting and cash advances from credit cards. Without these machines, banks would have not been as efficient as they are today and people would have not ripped the benefits of this technology. References Bellis, M. (n.d.). The history of automatic teller machines or ATM. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from http://Inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/atm.htm Bowen, J. (2000, April 1). Howstuffworks How ATMs work. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/banking/atm3.htm Ferrari, Stijn. Verboven, Frank. Degryse, Hans. (2007, November). Investment and usage of new technologies: Evidence from a shared ATM network. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1075042 Timeline The ATM history. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2009, from http://www.atm24.com/NewsSection/Industry%20News/Timeline%20-%20The%20ATM%20History.aspx. Islam, Rafiqul. Sheel, Samir Kumar. Biswas, Pallab Kumar. (n.d.). Customer satisfaction of ATM service: A case study of HSBC ATM. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=990242

Googles Human Resource Management

Googles Human Resource Management James Bushor Many organizations want to be able to retain their employees because it benefits their organizations in the long run. Today, there are many organizations with high employee turnovers. High employee turnover can be a huge problem for most organizations because employee turnover is the number of employees they have to constantly hire to ensure that their organizations are operated consistently with their goals. High employee turnover can cost organizations at high expenses and can demonstrate a negative outcome on organizations. Ignoring this particular problem can lead to a destruction of an organization. Therefore, developing employee retention techniques is a best way to ensure that a needed number of employees remain employed while maintaining work performance and productivity. If employees are happy with their jobs at their organizations, it can lower their turnover rate. There are many organizations that successfully maintain its number of employees by its recruitment, selection, and retention practices. Google is going to be used as an example during discussion on this paper. Google has successfully maintained its retention of high quality employees by its retention program. Lombardo (2017) stated that Googles success is based on its high quality human resources. The company generally emphasizes smartness and excellence among its employees. Googles human resource management also includes carefully selected strategies, methods, and techniques for recruitment and selection, and for the retention of high quality workers. The firms recruitment practices and selection process ensure an adequate workforce. The retention programs at Google are designed to retain excellent employees. These programs also attract employees to the firm. The next section discusses how Google successfully maintains its number of employees by using its strategies, methods, and techniques for recruitment and selection, and for retention of high quality employees. Lombardo (2017) stated that Googles human resource management uses a mixture of internal and external recruitment sources to maintain the adequacy of its human resources. The company uses promotions, transfers, and trainees/interns as the main internal recruitment sources for HR needs. On the other hand, the external recruitment sources at Google include educational institutions and respondents to job advertisements. Google ads are mostly posted on Googles Careers website and on various websites through search engines and institutions. Also, Google sends their high-skilled recruiters to various educational institutions to give a presentation about its opportunities. Google successfully enables a constant arrival of qualified employees with these recruitment practices. Googles human resource management has settled the most significant criteria for the selection of applicants, which are smartness, creativity, drive for excellence, and alignment with the organization. Google does not view work experience as a major criterion for the selection process. Google mostly seeks potential applicants that strive for excellence and innovation. Google has goals to maximize innovation to support its broad differentiation strategy. That explains how Google successfully created a wide variety of applicable products and services that they provide to the world. Googles selection process commonly involves background checks, preliminary screening, on-the-job tests, and interviews. Googles human resource management uses various procedures and steps for various positions within Google. Google provides compensation packages to retain high qualified employees, which is one of the main Googles HRM tool to ensure that Googles operations are consistent with its goals and activities. Googles compensation packages are competitive and above average. Google provides high salaries and wages, free meals, incentives, and benefits to employees. The typical design of Googles offices highlights fun and creativity, which attract and retain high qualified employees. Googles HRM provides coaching and mentoring program to retain and develop employees with leadership potential (Lombardo, 2017). With those strategies, methods, and techniques that Google uses, organizations can achieve their desired goals to retain a number of employees. Also, those practices can reduce the costs of hiring process dramatically. Each organizations HRM should seek best practices that are shared widely by many organizations and also, they should create a new practice that supports their goals. Each organizations HRM should be encouraged to share their best practices with other organizations even though they may be in a competitive recruitment. Reference Lombardo, J. (2017). Googles HRM: Recruitment, Selection, Retention. Retrieved from  http://panmore.com/google-hrm-recruitment-selection-retention

Persuasive Essay: The Holocaust :: Persuasive Writing

My reaction to the Holocaust was devastating. It is one example of bad things happening to good people. The mass murdering of so many Jews is just disgusting and also because it was done for basically no reason. As this was a true event many sources or witnesses are available to express their views, feelings and emotions of themselves and those who survived this terrible tragedy. I will demonstrate examples of Jews who have survived what they have been through and what they think about God. It is really hard to go through all of this and still believe that God exists. The holocaust should not change our theology on God. It is said to be that the Holocaust was a temporary "Eclipse of God".[1] This is supposed to be when God is away from earth beyond any reason or explanation. People trying to respond to this problem of believing that there is a God after witnessing the terrible event have either succeeded or failed. I will introduce three people who have survived the Holocaust and have tried responding to this problem. The three people included are Primo Levi, Richard Rubenstein and Emil Fackenheim. I think a big impact on the life of Jews would be their belief in God because many of them have tried responding to this problem and have changed the ways in which they think about him, their views on how good or powerful he is, how they express him and why they still believe in him. I will introduce the problem of evil to the Jews that have survived the Holocaust and their problems of belief. I will also say which of the three Jews the most are convincing to me. The holocaust presents a problem for the Jews and changes their belief in God because now some Jews think "God is Dead" [2] Their reason to thinking this is because God is supposed to be omnipotent and almighty he could not have let something like this to happen. If there was a God, surely this event would not have taken place.

Global risk analysis Essay

This paper aims to review the publication of the World Bank Risk Management on the natural disaster hotspots. Specifically, this book is entitled â€Å"Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis†. In addition, this book was published in 1995 in order to address increasing risk brought by the natural disasters all over the world. As a result, this book gave light to the role of natural disasters in significantly shaping the lives of every people as well as its economy and its community. And so, a review in this book will yield great results to the readers of this paper. A Global Risk Analysis on Natural Disasters Natural disasters are described as any terrible event, not caused by human activity, which results in deaths, injuries or even damage to property. (Forces of Nature, 2007) As it name implies one cannot avoid the occurrence of natural catastrophes since they are not man-made activities. In other words, human activities cannot interfere with the occurrence of natural phenomenon. More importantly, their occurrence usually causes great damage on the lives and community of people. And as a matter of fact, it disrupts the everyday conduct of lives of human beings. In the book, the authors have presented the great risk faced by people with the occurrence of the natural catastrophes. More specifically, the study reveals that 3. 4 billion people, more than half or the world’s population, live in areas where at least one hazard could significantly impact them. Aside from this finding, other important findings in the book are as follows: (Uku and Tobin, 2005) †¢ Approximately 20 percent of the Earth’s land surface is exposed to at least one of the natural hazards evaluated; †¢ 160 countries have more than one quarter of their population in areas of high mortality risk from one or more hazards; †¢ More than 90 countries have more than 10 percent of their population in areas of high mortality risk from two or more hazards; †¢ In 35 countries, more than 1 in 20 residents lives at relatively high mortality risk from 3 or more hazards; †¢ More than one-third of the United States’ population lives in hazard-prone areas, but only one percent of its land area ranks in the highest disaster-related mortality risk category; †¢ Taiwan may be the place on Earth most vulnerable to natural hazards, with 73 percent of its land and population exposed to three or more hazards; †¢ More than 90 percent of the populations of Bangladesh, Nepal, the Dominican Republic, Burundi, Haiti, Taiwan, Malawi, El Salvador, and Honduras live in areas at high relative risk of death from two or more hazards; and †¢ Poorer countries in the developing world are more likely to have difficulty absorbing repeated disaster-related losses and costs associated with disaster relief, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Indeed, natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones, droughts, landslides and floods cause tens and thousands of deaths as well as hundreds of thousands of injuries. Aside from deaths and injuries, natural hazards also cause economic losses around the world each year. As such, billions of dollars are expended also every year in the aspect of humanitarian assistance, emergency loans and development aids. (Dilley et. al. , 2005) And so, the key findings of the book imply that in almost all parts of the world, people are faced with great risks from natural hazards. As a result, the occurrence of these natural phenomena disrupts the regular conduct of personal and business activities of people and organization. This disruption, in turn, results to the overall socio-economic development of a nation. And in the case of the developing world, development will even become more elusive. With the annual occurrence of natural disasters, it is the poor nations that are greatly affected, such that they become poorer and poorer with every cyclical happening of natural phenomena. Despite the large losses of people and money from natural disasters, organizations especially governments are unable to address effectively the damages brought about by natural disasters. This claim has been evident on the recoded loss of human lives as well as properties annually due to natural catastrophes. For instance, the tsunami incident that happened in Thailand last December 26, 2004 had killed 229,866 people. Also, the international community has donated an estimated US $7 billion for humanitarian aid to all the victims of the tsunami incident. And so, the reluctance on the part of the government and the people can be traced on the fact that natural disasters are unavoidable phenomena. What they can only do is to experience this phenomenon and hope for the minimal damage it brings. This kind of thinking has been the target of the book. It aims to deliver the message that in spite of the potential threats brought about by natural disasters, the people and the government can coordinate in order to have a successful encounter with these phenomena. Furthermore, the book emphasizes more on the development issues rather than the typical issues on humanitarian aspect. It also identifies the regions which are highly at risk with natural hazards. In this way, development efforts can be better informed and designed to reduce disaster-related losses in the future. Because of the natural hazard cycles repeating themselves every few years, developing countries find themselves in a vicious cycle of loss and recovery without the ability to move forward and achieve sustainable development. As such, there is a need for the highly affected nations such as the developing world to cooperate with the international community in devising ways to manage disaster risk rather than merely giving humanitarian aids. It is through disaster risk management that the international community can truly help the developing nations. As mentioned earlier, the occurrence of natural catastrophes cannot be avoided. And so, it is best to have an effective risk management program on disasters than forever be included in the vicious cycle of damage and revitalization. By stepping out of the vicious cycle, one is removed from the path of continuous loss and recovery, thus achieving development. Based on the book, risk management on disasters is effectively done by primarily focusing on the two disaster-related outcomes- the mortality and economic losses. The risk level was then estimated by combining the hazard exposure with historical vulnerability for two indicators of elements at risk- gridded population and gross domestic product (GDP) per unit area- for six major natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, drought and cyclones. The natural disasters were classified in three categories- geophysical, hydro and drought. The geophysical includes the volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides. On the hydro, it consists of the floods and hurricanes. And so, by calculating the relative risks for grid cells rather than for countries as a whole, the authors are able to estimate risk levels at sub-national scales. (Dilley et. al. , 2005) Conclusion Overall, the book served as a catalyst in enlightening individuals as well as organizations both in the public and private realm about the impact of natural disasters and how they will be able to address this phenomenon. Undoubtedly, the book has shed some light into the ways of escaping the vicious cycle of loss and recovery, which is brought about by the annual occurrence of natural disasters. This is especially true in the context of the developing world wherein development becomes elusive once countries have entered the natural hazard cycle. And so, in order not to aggravate poverty, countries especially the developing ones must properly manage natural hazards. The occurrence of natural disasters can be addressed by the international community not through humanitarian aid but by development programs in the context of risk management on disasters. REFERENCES Dilley, M. , Chen, R. , Deichmann, U. , Lerner-Lam, A. and Arnold M. (2005, April). Natural disaster hotspots: A global risk analysis. World Bank disaster risk management series no. 5. Forces of Nature. Glossary. Retrieved June 26, 2007 from, http://library. thinkquest. org/C003603/english/glossary. shtml. Uku, R. and Tobin, M. (2005, March 31). Natural disaster hotspots: A global risk analysis- Columbia University and the World Bank produce new report. EurekAlert.

SCOTT JOPLIN essays

SCOTT JOPLIN essays In the late 1890s ; a craze for a new kind of music called ragtime swept the country off its feet. Instant popularity of ragtime increased before the turn of the century. By 1910, the ragtime mania reached its peak in all elements of music: popular dance, Scott Joplin was a young black man that mastered and polish this subtle art. Born in Texarkana, Texas on November 29, 1868, Scott became facinated with the piano at an early age and was mentored by a old german teacher that took him in as a pupil. Scotts style of piano playing stress his smooth singing tone and subtle sense of rhythm. Scott has the tendency to turn melodic lines into delicate and but simple notes. Generally all of his pieces share the customary ragtime layout and composition of a pair of contrasting lines, each repeated and followed by the return to the first line, then a new section consisting of two or three repeated lines emerge and is usually subdominant. In Scotts piece the Magnetic Rag. The reappearance of the orginal theme at the close of the piece, shares a shocking likeness to Beethovens famous reoccuring I am Death Theme. In the Magnetic Rag, the return of the opening theme at the end of the piece creates a rondo-like structure with a scheme ABCDA, with the outer A section and the central C section stands in tonal harmony. This can be compared to his other famous pieces of work Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer which all exercise the reappearing theme that shows a tendency to round out by always returning to the home Magnetic Rag was the last piece that Scott completed. It was subtitled : syncopation classiques because of his wonderful blend of syncopation on every up-beat and mad-cow improvisations tailored to sound like European ...

Critique of Quentin Tarantino essays

Critique of Quentin Tarantino essays Pulp Fiction, a movie from the mid 90s made for the millennium. From the action packed mind of Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction takes two hit men, Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega through an excessively violent plot. Combining drugs and violence in a way that is unspeakable to a normal persons everyday life. With trouble around every corner, Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) must make quick work of almost everyone they come in contact with. Tarantino makes writing a dramatically intense script look easy. His genius into human behavior in this modern day world makes this movie and others undeniably classics. With intersecting storylines of gangsters and general low-lifes, Pulp Fiction grabs the attention of the viewer in the opening scene. Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, two petty thieves decide to rob an unsuspecting restaurant and get away with some quick cash. Once the two thieves start their rampage in the restaurant the opening credits begin to play. Then we are introduced to the two main characters, Jules and Vincent. This is where Tarantino really turns up the heat on the religious prospects of the movie. Jules and Vincent enter the boys apartment to receive a package for their boss Marcellus Wallace. When Jules starts in on one of the boys named Brett he recites the bible verse that he memorized in order to say some cold blooded shit to anybody he pointed a gun at (Pulp Fiction. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Miramax. 1994.). This opens up the eyes of the viewer and really puts the fear of God in them. Tarantino knew this and by putting this verse into the character of Jules Winnfield that it would show the thin line between good and evil, thus telling you not to play God. The package the hit-men are supposed to obtain is a black briefcase. There are many different point-of-views into the real meaning behind the well k...

Script Writing Tips and Format Example

Script Writing Tips and Format Example Script Writing Tips and Format Example Script Writing Tips and Format Example By Michael If critics tell you that your stories have too much dialogue, maybe you should consider writing scripts. Its different from writing ordinary prose. For one thing, a script is not the finished work of art. Its the blueprint that the director and actors use to create the work of art. The good news about that: your words dont have to carry all the weight. As a playwright, I like the way a stronger actor can make up for my weaker writing. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. But though a bad actor can completely misinterpret a perfectly clear line, a good actor can bring out the meaning that you were not quite able to express through words alone. Unlike a novel, there will be no great literature unless a character speaks it. An inarticulate man doesnt change just because you have a big noble speech you want him to make. Enter late, leave early. Every writer needs to remove anything that doesnt advance the story, but thats particularly true for scriptwriters. And sometimes you dont realize that a scene doesnt advance the story until you try removing it and discover that it still works. William Goldman, who wrote The Princess Bride and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid said, â€Å"You always attack a movie scene as late as you possibly can. You always come into the scene at the last possible moment.† In the same way, once youve made your point, dont belabor it. Always leaving them wanting more. Otherwise, they may start wanting less and leaving the theater early. A joke works best when its given no extra emphasis, when all the fat has been trimmed. Alfred Hitchcock told an interviewer in 1960, How does one describe drama? Drama is life with the dull bits cut out. Writing is a balance between saying too much and saying too little. Its a show: show dont tell The visual nature of the screen or stage makes it easier to follow the writers rule of show, dont tell.The rule is harder to follow on radio and podcasts, because they cannot show anything visually. So a scriptwriter must turn to narration, as he might in a book, or to less-than-subtle dialogue: Look out, he has a gun! Early TV hadnt found its sea legs yet as a visual medium, and perhaps depended on narrators more than necessary. But a film or play is more than a book in visual form. In an intriguing novel (nameless here, so I dont ruin it if you havent read it), friendly inhabitants take a mistrustful visitor into their home for the night. As he lies down to sleep, he slowly realizes that maybe his hosts have put on a friendly appearance only to trap him. In the television miniseries adaptation, the exposition depends on the visitor thinking out loud in bed for several minutes as his host listens. It was awkward: What if you plan to spring on me as soon as I realize the danger? Thank you for reminding me. I'll do that now. Maid and butler talk on a do-it-yourself basis, since you dont have to pay a maid or butler. No wonder the novelist found the miniseries just boring. This scene could easily have been adapted more cinematically, showing not telling, based on the novelists own words. INT. HOST'S BEDROOM - NIGHT The CAPTAIN is lying in bed. He glances at his HOST in the other bed. He lifts his head to look again more closely. His host's bedsheet is pulled back, revealing his hand. CLOSE UP - the HOST'S HAND has four fingers, with claws. The Captain carefully rolls back the covers. He slips from bed and walks softly across the room. HOST: (coldly) Where are you going?" CAPTAIN: For a drink of water. HOST: But you're not thirsty. CAPTAIN: Yes, yes, I am. HOST: No, you're not. FOOTSTEPS as the captain tries to run across the room. CAPTAIN (O.S.) He screams twice. SILENCE. The TICKING of an old CLOCK. People dont need to say exactly what they mean. In real life, people dont say, I asked you how you were doing because I wanted you to ask me how I was doing, since I wanted to talk with you so that you would feel comfortable enough with me to say Yes when I asked you out on a date. Real life is more subtle. Behind the text, there is the subtext the thoughts that motivate the character to speak. When a scene has too little subtext or subtlety, people say it is too on the nose. We dont need everything spelled out, and it isnt as much fun. You dont want a mystery writer to spell everything out, do you, except perhaps at the end. We can tell if someone is romantically interested in someone else by the way they say, How are you doing? A script leaves less to the audiences imagination. Many authors make a point not to describe their characters appearance too precisely, to make it easier for diverse readers to relate to the story. But when you see The Hunger Games on the screen, now you know what Katniss Everdeen looks like, and can no longer easily imagine that she looks like you. Unless you happen to look like Jennifer Lawrence. However, the writer can only suggest visual details. He or she cannot mandate that the movie be filmed in New Zealand and co-star Kevin Bacon, much as the writer may visualize the story just that way. Proper format shows professionalism. If you submit your novel to a publisher, and it isnt double-spaced with a one-inch margin (with only one space after a period), you will appear inexperienced and possibly inept, which you dont want to be. But a script has even more complex formatting requirements, with lots of white space, specific indents, and particular capitalization conventions. A script is written in present tense, with no more than two or three lines per paragraph dialogue too. Twist your plot, then twist it again. Sure, publishers would love to get their hands on the Harry Potter of the 2020s but not if its exactly like Harry Potter. They dont want potential readers to say, I already have a book about an Indian boy who spends 227 days in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. I dont need another one. You might have come up with that brilliant plot device all on your own, without the inspiration of somebody else, but if it happens to have already been used by somebody else, your chance for a sale just went way down. Ironically, to create a truly original story, you have to become very familiar with other peoples stories, to make sure that yours is sufficiently different from them. Good writing must include the unexpected. So when you come up with one good idea, keep coming up with more. If you dont have enough good ideas, try browsing through the standard plot types. But you can build twists yourself. You could summarize The Silence of the Lambs in a brief logline, as follows: An F.B.I. agent tracks down a serial killer. Other stories have had that same premise. How about adding to it? A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help in catching another serial killer. Now that is getting more interesting. But dont stop yet. A young F.B.I. cadet tracks down an elusive serial killer as she develops his psychological profile, reluctantly confiding in a manipulative psychologist who has been locked up for years after committing a series of similar murders. Instead of an ordinary F.B.I. agent, now there is a particularly vulnerable one, mismatched for the task. Because instead of one murderer, now there are two murderers, both clever, and one is stalking the other from behind bars. Satisfied? With that kind of carefully planning, your script could win an Academy Award, as The Silence of the Lambss script did. The original novel sold 11 million copies. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing Light50 Types of PropagandaOne Scissor?