Veteran script consultant Jill Chamberlain discovered in her work that an astounding 99 percent of first-time screenwriters don’t know how to tell a story. These writers may know how to format a script, write snappy dialogue, and set a scene. They may have interesting characters and perhaps some clever plot devices. But, invariably, while they may have the kernel of a good idea for a screenplay, they fail to tell a story. What the 99 percent do instead is present a situation. In order to explain the difference, Chamberlain created the Nutshell Technique, a method whereby writers identify eight dynamic, interconnected elements that are required to successfully tell a story. Now, for the first time, Chamberlain presents her unique method in book form with The Nutshell Technique: Crack the Secret of Successful Screenwriting. Using easy-to-follow diagrams (“nutshells”), she thoroughly explains how the Nutshell Technique can make or break a film script. Chamberlain takes readers step-by-step through thirty classic and contemporary movies, showing how such dissimilar screenplays as Casablanca, Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Silver Linings Playbook, and Argo all have the same system working behind the scenes, and she teaches readers exactly how to apply these principles to their own screenwriting. Learn the Nutshell Technique, and you’ll discover how to turn a mere situation into a truly compelling screenplay story.

An introduction to the area of condensed matter in a nutshell. This textbook covers the standard topics, including crystal structures, energy bands, phonons, optical properties, ferroelectricity, superconductivity, and magnetism.

Written by experts on the Microsoft® .NET programming platform, ADO.NET in a Nutshell delivers everything .NET programmers will need to get a jump-start on ADO.NET technology or to sharpen their skills even further. In the tradition of O'Reilly's In a Nutshell Series, ADO.NET in a Nutshell is the most complete and concise source of ADO.NET information available.ADO.NET is the suite of data access technologies in the .NET Framework that developers use to build applications services accessing relational data and XML. Connecting to databases is a fundamental part of most applications, whether they are web, Windows®, distributed, client/server, XML Web Services, or something entirely different. But ADO.NET is substantially different from Microsoft's previous data access technologies--including the previous version of ADO--so even experienced developers need to understand the basics of the new disconnected model before they start programming with it.Current with the .NET Framework 1.1, ADO.NET in a Nutshell offers one place to look when you need help with anything related to this essential technology, including a reference to the ADO.NET namespaces and object model. In addition to being a valuable reference, this book provides a concise foundation for programming with ADO.NET and covers a variety of issues that programmers face when developing web applications or Web Services that rely on database access. Using C#, this book presents real world, practical examples that will help you put ADO.NET to work immediately.Topics covered in the book include: An Introduction to ADO.NET Connections, Commands and DataReaders Disconnected Data Advanced DataSets Transactions DataViews and Data Binding XML and the DataSet Included with the book is a Visual Studio .NET add-in that integrates the entire reference directly into your help files. When combining ADO.NET in a Nutshell with other books from O'Reilly's .NET In a Nutshell series, you'll have a comprehensive, detailed and independent reference collection that will help you become more productive.

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) is the leader in obtaining the independent, vendor-neutral certification that provides proof of the necessary skills in demand by IT departments. LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell is written with the LPI exams in mind by including information on the required Topics and Objectives. Beyond preparing to pass the LPIC Level 1 exams, this book provides an excellent understanding of Linux concepts and functions. LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell prepares system administrators for both of the General Linux LPIC Level 1 exams (101 and 102). The book is divided into two parts (one for each of the LPIC Level 1 exams), and each part features a summary of the exam, a Highlighter's Index, labs, suggested exercises, and practice exams. Part 1 covers Exam 101: GNU and Unix commands; devices, Linux filesystems, and the filesystem hierarchy standard; boot, initialization, shutdown, and run levels; documentation; and administrative tasks. Part 2 covers Exam 102: hardware and architecture; Linux installation and package management; the Linux kernel; text editing, processing, and printing; shells, scripting, programming, and compiling; the X Window System; networking fundamentals; network services; and security. While this book is designed to help system administrators prepare for the LPI certification exams, the tutorial-style approach will help newbies learn more about their Linux system. For those preparing to take the LPI certification exams, this book will prove to be invaluable in its scope and breadth.

The real-world guide to selling your services and bringing in business How Clients Buy is the much-needed guide to selling your services. If you're one of the millions of people whose skills are the 'product,' you know that you cannot be successful unless you bring in clients. The problem is, you're trained to do your job—not sell it. No matter how great you may be at your actual role, you likely feel a bit lost, hesitant, or 'behind' when it comes to courting clients, an unfamiliar territory where you're never quite sure of the line between under- and over-selling. This book comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. You'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients. Business development is critical to your personal success, and your skills in this area will dictate the course of your career. This invaluable guide gives you a set of real-world best practices that can help you become the rainmaker you want to be. Get the word out and make productive connections Drop the fear of self-promotion and advertise your accomplishments Earn potential clients' trust to build a lasting relationship Scrap the sales pitch in favor of honesty, positivity, and value Working in the consulting and professional services fields comes with difficulties not encountered by those who sell tangible products. Services are often under-valued, and become among the first things to go when budgets get tight. It is now harder than ever to sell professional services, so your game must be on-point if you hope to out-compete the field. How Clients Buy shows you how to level up and start winning the client list of your dreams.

This book offers the latest findings and thinking on topics of happiness, flow, optimism, motivation, character strengths, love and more. It provides a breadth of information about positive psychology with a pinch of critical commentary. The text is written in an accessible and engaging style with light-hearted illustrations.