Firstly, I hope this is not an egregious plagiaristic effort vis a vis Bob Osborne's insightful message at WKC. Bob, if you ever read this....maybe we should write this book together.
I love stories. That said, it is the cinematic story that most captures my imagination, soul and spirit. I've written about 7-8 full length screenplays (1 shot), the last one about 3 years ago. As a crash course reference, typically there are 90 pages to a script, each page representing 1 minute of screentime.
It is amazing how true this holds, whether it is a script for Transformers or for a Woody Allen flick, the rule of thumb holds true. I analogize this with a person of action, outdoorsy adventure type, or a contemplative philosopher, musing and dialoguing.
So we too have a narrative. The story of our lives. Like a classic story, we have a beginning, middle & end. At least in our 90 (let's hope) years upon this earth. Some of us may be a short story, and some of us will be 3 hour epics (OK 180 years is a long time!)
As plot development goes, Act 1: the beginning is in the first 10-20 minutes. It sets up the protagonist (the main character); their character, their motivations. So it is with us: from conception to adulthood; formative, foundational.
Act 2: the middle. Full of conflict, developments, ups and downs. Frequently with a building excitement. Multiple story arcs; threaded in; subtexts: underlying tensions and driving forces. The the climax, and also perhaps a big gloom......right before the happy, or unhappy ending. It occupies 50-60 minutes. By time the majority of the story..not necessarily by intensity. Typically the part of a movie, if not well written, might get lost, might forget what type of movie it is, might get boring and repetitive.
Act 3: the end. Typically with much resolution, tying up loose ends, looking towards the future. Sometimes ending in joy, or despair. Mostly, the effects of Act 1 and 2 coming to a satisfying or often unsatisfying culmination. Some with great "payoffs", some leaving you hanging....with only questions.
So people often say that there is a "book in everyone of us", I say that we intentionally and accidentally create a story of our own, with our life, with its own narrative, its quirks and incidents, its profound and mundane episodes.
So what is your narrative: action-adventure? drama? comedy? tragedy? thriller? What is your story shaped life?
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There is a very good reason for this. Even though you may graduate from an excellent training program, you will still be totally unprepared for the amount of things you do not know. There is literally no end to the learning process in this profession. The amount of money a company spends on training a new medical transcriptionist is staggering. Basically, it is unrealistic to assume that you will be making top dollar starting out. On a positive note, there are many good companies that are willing to take on newbies and offer excellent training. Their rates may be low and you will struggle to make money. However, the amount of experience you will gain is invaluable and another bonus comes in the form of their QA (Quality Assurance) teams, who are usually far more patient than a newbie can expect at other places. What it boils down to is, you have to pay your dues to get anywhere just like any other profession. How much do they earn? Some earn this much. Some earn that much. Usually people within the company who have become acquainted with the affairs are selected for the job but direct appointment opportunities are also there. However, working in various posts in a firm could be great way of making to the post of public relations manager in the enterprise.
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