Elise Speaks

Screenplays: The Essential Three Acts

A professor I once knew used to boil down good storytelling into a very simple mantra: “Every story has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.”

Well, duh! I know, I know … It seems like a no-brainer – and it sort of is – but when it comes to movie scripts that work the way they’re supposed to, these elements, the three “acts” of a story, are crucial. Not only that, but these stages of storytelling require very specific ingredients that, when combined properly and precisely, make for a compelling script.

Act One: Story Set-up
The first act of your script must immediately and clearly set the tone and establish a theme for the film. Is your story a light-hearted comedy, or a quirky superhero caper? This beginning not only must introduce your main characters, but should define their weakness, tensions, conflicts, objectives and what’s at stake for them. Near the end of the first act, the inciting incident occurs. It’s the moment in the story when you lay out the important conflict that defines your tale.

Act Two: Obstacles
The second act revolves around the main character’s attempts to resolve the conflict introduced in Act One. The character is confronted with an obstacle or a series of obstacles. The script must describe in visual terms the character’s attempts to overcome. It is in Act Two that the screenwriter can introduce a subplot that runs parallel to the primary conflict. Throughout this act, the main characters should be further developed; it should be clear in this act how the efforts to deal with the conflict are leading to change in the characters.

Act Three: Story Resolution
New tensions and conflicts are introduced in Act Three, but this time changes in protagonist’s outlook lead him to confront this tension in a different way. The final act is where plot twists provide unsuspected but welcomed surprises, as well as the “obligatory scene” during which the script delivers some sort of anticipated payoff to the audience. Lastly, the final conflict is resolved and the audience gets a glimpse into the characters’ new realities.

Elise Connors ABOUT ELISE L. CONNORS:
Elise works as the Manager of Author Support of Outskirts Press.  She also contributes to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com.Elise and a group of talented book marketing experts assist self-publishing authors and professionals who are interested in getting the best possible exposure for their book.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: My Dreams, My Choices

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

My Dreams, My Choices

Clementine Wamboye Girenge

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432771768

Felly lived with her extended family in rural Kenya. Given the area they lived in, sometimes many obstacles came her family’s way, yet she learned to look at the positives and pursue her goal of getting a good education.

Felly’s grandmother is a bitter old woman and doesn’t really care about what is happening to anyone else, including her husband who is sick. Her grandmother has lost several of her children to the famines of Africa, and she doesn’t really want anyone else to be happy.

When Felly goes to Nairobi to attend school, she is dismayed at the treatment she gets because she can’t afford the same things as everyone else and the staff at the school are very mean, beating the children on a daily basis.

When the staff at the school are replaced due to poor performance, many of the students are dismayed. But in her heart, Felly knows she can finish her education regardless of what happens.

Through her own strength and the strength of others, she is able to accomplish what she wants.

“My Dreams, My Choices” is a very inspiring book written by Clementine Wamboye Girenge. There are times in one’s life when things don’t always look bright, but, as the author says, you have to look at the bright side in all that you do.

Kelly Speaks

Two Ways a Ghostwriter Can Help You Become a Self-Published Author

A ghostwriter is someone who can help you write your book, and no one has to know you used a ghostwriter. In almost all cases, the ghostwriter does not receive any credit for writing the book. Instead, your name appears on the cover. If you choose to hire a ghostwriter, there are two ways to approach the project. Here is a summary of each.

1. From Start to Finish

The ghostwriter can help you write the book from start to finish. Most likely, the ghostwriter will ask you questions about your vision for the book and may require you to create an outline. The ghostwriter will then use this information to create a first draft of your book. Most ghostwriters allow you to make at least one round of changes to the manuscript. If you choose this process, you don’t have to do any of the writing yourself. You simply share your ideas with the ghostwriter, and the writer will turn your vision into a book.

2. Help Finishing

Another option is to hire a ghostwriter to help you finish your book. This is perfect for people who have already began the writing process but are too busy to finish the job. One of the perks of this option is the writer has some material to work with, so he or she can get a sense of your writing style. Similar to the first option, the writer will ask you questions about your vision and may require an outline.

I’d love to know, what questions do you have about the ghost writing process? Please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Jodee Speaks

It’s a Jungle Out There

There are many full-service self-publishing companies ready to assist you with publishing your book, and I don’t envy the author who has to navigate the vast array of publishing packages and optional services. As you are comparison shopping, one area you want to be certain you are comparing apples-to-apples and not apples-to-oranges is your per book author cost and your per book royalties. To make sure you understand what the different companies are offering, make sure your per book pricing and royalties comparisons use these same parameters:

  • Same Trim Size
  • Same Estimated Page Count
  • Same Distribution (i.e. Amazon only, all major online retailers, offline retailers etc.)
  • Same Quantity of Author Copies

These basic guidelines will help choose the company that is best for you.

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in   sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services   for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department   is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants;   together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the   book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your   career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist   seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Jodee Thayer can put you   on the right path.
Wendy Speaks

What is Narrative Nonfiction?

As a self-published author, you are asked to choose a genre for your book. The easy part is deciding whether your book is fiction or nonfiction. The more difficult part is determining what type of fiction or nonfiction to categorize your book.

Basically, there are two types of nonfiction books: narrative nonfiction and prescriptive nonfiction. All biographies and memoirs are considered narrative nonfiction, while how-to books are described as prescriptive nonfiction.

Remember, if you are writing a memoir, you must be able to attest to the accuracy of the details. In addition, the story must have the same elements as fiction stories: a beginning, middle, and end as well as conflict, interesting characters, setting, etc. If your memoir doesn’t meet these standards, you may want to write a fictional story loosely based on real life. This allows you to add information to create a better story and protects you from possible legal issues.

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.