How to Improve Plot and Story Structure (Rewrite)

One need in our country is a better educational system. How this ties into plot and story structure relates to how a series like Twilight can make so much money across different industries when the root (novels) of the series is so poorly written.

Imagination and creativity is a talent and cannot fully develop without the means to communicate your thoughts gracefully. We have been steadily losing skills in writing and reading. We should always be looking for ways to improve our education and we are not. And remember education doesn’t stop when you finish school. Writers need to write better and cannot do so if they never learned how. Readers need to vary their reading. Read other authors of genres you like and read other genres altogether. Step out and try something new.

First we need to identify the problem – people who are quick to commit to poorly written works are telling us they do not know it is poorly written. Writers should constantly be improving their craft. Readers should constantly be improving their vocabulary.

The dictionary is not your enemy. If there is a word you do not understand do not read past it and continue on your way. It takes less than one minute to look that word up in the dictionary. Even less if you have a smart phone. Keep pushing your vocabulary if you read. Learn more of our beautiful language. If you write, read and do the same. Try out these new words. If they work for you, use them.

Do not misunderstand. Simple words are not your enemy. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is written beautifully. And it is simple. Poor writing, and therefore poor reading is the enemy.

Readers, no matter the age, should always question words or sentences they do not understand. If you learn to read well you will learn to write well.

If we start now, eventually reading and writing will be forced to compete on a higher level. And then your story will transport the reader into your world with grace. Only then can plot and story structure become art.

Toby’s First Day

Profound stories do not need complicated plots.

My mind is on my dog so let me tell you the story of his first day with us. Toby is a twelve year old German Shepherd mix and he is the baby in the house. He is also the oldest in the house – in dog years anyway.

Let’s think back. I remember when my parents asked what I wanted for my 21^st birthday and I said I wanted a dog. I always said I wanted a dog and thought, why not ask for one on a whim as a birthday gift? I was not serious or adamant when I asked for the dog. Honestly, I just wanted to see what my parents were willing to give me since they were so happy to see me back home and transferring to a local college to finish my bachelors.

Life changes on a whim.

In the days leading up to my birthday not much was said about the dog hunt other than the usual dog related responsibilities. I didn’t pay attention to that. I didn’t think this was a big deal. Yes I’ll feed and clean up after him. Yes he’ll only be allowed in certain parts of the house and most especially will not be allowed on the beds. Not a big deal. Nothing is going to change – he’ll just be an additional piece of furniture that moves.

The day after my birthday we drove to North Shore Animal League in Long Island. Too late, the shelter was already closed. The hours were posted on the door so we tried a second attempt the following day – which was amazing that my father would make a second attempt. They really wanted me happy.

When we arrived we were told to form a line that would pass by cages of older dogs and then cages of puppies. My mother, sister and I walked slowly and played with the little pups. We did not spend much time by the older dogs as they were intimidating with their size. My sister and I were afraid of the larger dogs. Afraid of the unknown. And here we were ready to adopt an unknown.

My father, the patient man he is, skipped the line and went to the last cage of puppies. He called me over and nodded toward the cage and said “Take this one. Let’s go.” I looked at the puppies in the cage. They were two brothers eight weeks old and one had a bob tail. The other was faced away and sleeping. He was clearly the most subdued in the place.

When an employee came over to ask which one we would like to hold I said the subdued one. He was so cute and calm. We put all four pounds of him on the counter and instantly he gave us a pedigree champion pose with his tail perfectly posed. He was stretching and strutting at the same time. And thank god he was quiet. This German Shepherd mix was a winner.

So after the strict adoption approval process we were free to take him home. When the employee handed him to me I was not quite sure how to hold the dog. I held him away from me with his two little hind legs dangling. He started to squirm. I started to panic. His front legs were moving as if in a swim race. So naturally I gave him to my sister to hold.

Of course my sister hands him back to me in the car. I start to panic again. I put him in this small white plastic container with a towel. The container was bought from Staples. Utilitarian. The towel had pink hearts on it. We brought it for him just in case he has an accident. He starts to whine and my mother tells me to hold him.

Oh no. I’m not fit to have a dog. What the hell was I thinking? I’m not responsible. And now I have to make sure this tiny living creature survives when I barely even take care of myself. Oh my god I am going to make a mistake and it’ll die because of me. What do I do? This is the worst decision I ever made. This test on my parents went too far. Oh my god. Oh my god. Instead I pass him to my mother.

As my mom holds him up, like I did with his hind legs dangling, he again starts swimming mid-air and whining. She says, “Hey what’s wrong? Why are you crying? How’d you manage to find your way into this house? Oh my god you smell horrible.” And that’s when I pass her the towel so she could wrap him in it. And there we have a swaddled baby… pup.

When we got into the house we placed him on the floor and he tentatively walked into the living room. The tacky mirrored wall unit from the 80s towered over him. When Toby saw himself in the mirror he ran to it and jumped back like a cat at the last second, quite high, without colliding into his mirrored self. This was ridiculously cute. I could watch him doing this all day. He kept trying to get his mirrored self to play back with him. He did this over and over at different angles and different speeds and I realized he thought he was playing with his brother. That crushed me. He started these piercing little cries. The quiet one didn’t sound so quiet after all. He was alone in this house.

I don’t think. I immediately take the car and drive to the nearest pet store I know and I buy things. I buy three collars in varying sizes, two leashes, stuffed toys and food.

I come back home to a sleeping puppy in a towel printed in hearts. Mom tells me he tired himself out.

That night we placed him in the furnished basement on a blanket under a desk for him to sleep.  There was newspaper surrounding the area for him to go if he needed. When we finally decided to about face and go upstairs to bed leaving the little toy furniture to get some rest he sits up on his blanket and starts to whine. My mother and father decided to stay with him the first night. They slept on the bed down there and he sat next to the bed all night crying. The only time he quieted down and fell asleep was when my mother held him to her chest.

I stayed with him the night after and because I couldn’t bear to hear him cry, I fell asleep sitting on the desk chair with him on my chest. After that, he spent his days and nights in all of the rooms, on our beds, on the couch, in the halls, under the dining room table. In fact, the only place he does not go is the basement. He doesn’t like the steep stairs. Otherwise he’s claimed the whole house as his territory. Yes, he is spoiled.

Now he was neutered the day before we took him home so we were not allowed to bathe him for the first ten days. That was an experience. My sister was the only one who played with him without the use of that towel. He was quick to climb into her lap for that comfort.

Thinking back, I don’t know how it was that I would not hold him that first day when all I do now is hold him every chance I get. To the point where he gets annoyed with me. Fear is crippling. Once my fear died my path was clear in my head.

What I felt for Toby when I saw him play was indescribable. My lack of skills in handling a puppy didn’t hinder my instinct for his basic needs.

And yes he is the most adorable dog in the world.

Sometimes the feeling that you’ve made a horrible mistake in your life can only mean it is the right decision.

Day 1. 8 weeks old

12 weeks old

5 years old

12 years old

Tangent Argument (Rewrite)

Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) are isolating and interactive social media platforms. Millions of players flock to their gaming console or computer to log in, mask up, and connect with others who physically may live millions of miles away. The virtual gaming environment for these players can be an all-consuming and self-sustaining world. For some, were it not for biological needs, there is not enough time spent in the virtual world.

If someone spends most of their time online playing games, what is the problem if they are interacting with others? Socializing is not lost, it’s online. And how can it be isolating? The problem relates to contact in the physical world. Physical connections suffer with those who spend more time in their virtual realm. The balance to both worlds is off. Moderation is healthy and needed.

But why can the new genre of interactive games tip the balance and turn virtual visits excessive? Immersion and escapism are some factors. For those who may suffer hardships socializing in the physical world, they may find it easier to escape into the story of the game. And remember the added bonus of connecting to others. Narrative gameplay is social. Living out the reality you want online is selective. You can choose to be who you want, live how you want and if you make mistakes and ruin relationships online you can delete yourself and reenter as someone new. And start the story all over again.

Interactive storytelling in MMORPGs helps to develop your multiple personas. But it also helps to develop your personality. Our minds learn from what we read and watch. Our minds also learn when we play and think critically. How much so will our minds develop when we combine these mechanisms with social connections? MMORPGs contain simple and complex problems that millions of players work together in concerted groups to solve. It’s a massive interactive and socializing learning initiative. And it is isolating to the physical world. Is it a problem to be physically alone and virtually connected? When reading a Stephan King novel do you read it together with other people? Excess is the problem – not the game. Moderate. Too much of anything can be destructive. With the right combination of socializing online and offline we can enjoy both worlds without one damaging the other.

Wikipedia Page Post

This  took such a long time to complete. I spent some time trying to find a topic but was rewarded when going through some old books in my room.

The Anatomy of Story

How to Grow Your Creativity

Growing creative new ideas is especially useful for writers but it is a technique that can, and is used in any field that depends on creative thinking. Let’s take drawing for an example. When I got that urge and sat down at my desk with my sketch pad I had a plan in my head of what I wanted to recreate freehand. My creativity was not in what I drew. I simply drew poses from colorful pictures. My creativity lay in choosing particular scenes that captured deep emotion and converting those scenes into beautiful shades of grey. If you are in a field that needs you to think creatively then these instructions have been made for you.

Harnessing your creative power is like drawing water from a deep well with a rusty pump. There will be times of drought. Never fear however. The more you pump that handle the closer you get to an overflow of fresh and crisp ideas.

First and foremost you need to get out of your head. You heard me. You are your own worst enemy – cliché but true. Stop doubting yourself and realize that the worse critique you will ever have will be from yourself. Fear is never conducive to progress. Let yourself be almighty for a few hours. Nothing can hurt you.

The fun begins.

What is the project you want to begin working on? What is the problem you need to solve creatively? If your boss has given you a deadline, then that’s great. If you are your own boss then give yourself a deadline.  Do not feel pressure from a deadline. Instead, think of it as a timeline – a plan for your future. I need to write a novel with wonderfully complex plots and character depth by 2018. I need to write my first twenty chapters by 2016.

Side note: Always remember to have a pad, smartphone, or voice recorder with you always and most especially during these sessions. Anything that you can use to record your ideas are your lungs, translator, and memory.

Now you brainstorm. This will be the area to focus and here we will use the term ‘focus’ loosely. Focus on the message of the project and what the project is requesting you to create. Nothing? No problem. Start writing on a pad anything that your mind is focusing on. Give yourself a certain amount of time to write nonstop. It doesn’t matter if your thoughts are erratic and not about your problem, your sentences broken, and your words misspelled. Just write! And don’t stop for a period of time. I always give myself half hour increments. Soon your thoughts will organize themselves and you will begin to write pertaining to the project you are working on. Give yourself time to get to this stage. The amount of time depends on you.

After your session go back to your writing and make sense of the mess. Underline words or phrases that are important to you and your cause and begin to organize those thoughts into coherent sentences. Rewrites make everything better.

Another great technique I use in brainstorming is to peruse my thesaurus and dictionary. Don’t own one? Go buy one or find one online. Start with one word or idea that pertains to your cause and look up its synonyms. And then look up their definitions. Write down the words that mean something to you and before you know it you have begun writing ideas.

Once you have your creative ideas written down you need to begin a rough draft or outline for your project. Some outlines look like maps. Outlines will vary depending on your writing style and what project you may be working on. The plan is to summarize the idea you came up with. If you draw then this is where you create sketches of your idea.

Guess what? You began with a blank sheet of paper and now you have ideas. Job well done!

Devil’s Advocate Assignment

My devil’s advocate assignment is going to argue that movies based on novels are always a better story than the novels themselves. (NOT!) Let’s see how I argue this one since I wholeheartedly disagree with this fact. Truthfully, for the most part, every movie based novel I have watched could not compare with the rich storyline of the novel. It’s not that I did not enjoy the movie and everything that comes with watching movies; I just enjoyed the book better. This issue is near to my heart so let’s see how I make it through this argument.

Ninety percent of the time when books are remade into movies the movies are the better rendition. Who wants to read a five hundred page novel when you can watch a two and a half hour movie? The auditory and visual appeal of actors breathing life into their roles alone is worth the car ride to the movie theater. Let’s compare the two.

Novels take time to read. Today we want things fast. We do not want to spend days on a book to reach an ending when we could have spent a few hours out of one day in the movie theater. I have friends that would end up skimming through parts of the novel just to get to the end in a timely manner. This alludes to another problem – novels waste time dragging out scenes or parts of a story that are useless. A plot should be 1+2 =3 not (1*(5-2)/3)+7-5=3. Do you understand this? No? Exactly my point. The storyline does not need this extra information if the outcome of the story in the movie is the same as the outcome in the book.

What if the endings differ? In these cases this is going to be due to the fact that the ending in the book is lacking. How many books have endings that are not ideal or satisfying? Directors improve the story by changing the outcome thereby giving satisfaction to the audience. This is proved by comparing the ratio of the movie popularity to the novel. And if the novel’s popularity is high the director would not need to change the ending.

What of visual and auditory appeal? Novels may be visual and auditory in our mind but, most of the time, they are incorrect. Who here would have known how to pronounce ‘Hermione’ without hearing it? My sister read the Harry Potter series and kept pronouncing her name ‘Her-moy-nn’ before watching the movies. The same would go with accents. I do not properly know how to distinguish between Irish and Scottish accents. How would I be able to replicate either correctly in my head while reading?

This also underlines the whole lack of music in novels. Music is so essential and important in strengthening the story and enjoyment of a movie and it is not present in novels. As a matter of fact, if I hear music while I am trying to read something I become annoyed and cannot concentrate. Novels lack visually, audibly, and take too much time to get to the point.

Novels turned movies are better. Movies simultaneously accomplish several things. It is a social gathering. A night out with friends and family, with opportunities to connect, is important. As previously explained, movies are visual and auditory in ways novels never can be. Movies also give the illusion of interactivity with the use of large screens, surround sound, and 3D capability when available. The 3D feeling in a movie pushes the audience to actually feel like they are part of the action; part of the story. This multisensory experience cannot be duplicated in novels.

Due to the speed with which movies can be ingested, more movies can be seen than novels read in a given period of time. Movies will also tend to reach more demographic groups than do novels. This factors into higher consumption and that means higher profitability. Cost of production is significantly higher for movies but profitability will be significantly higher as well. For people who don’t have time, watch a movie. For people who do have time, watch a movie – the multisensory experience is worth it.

New Resume (Rewrite)

This assignment was fun. Allow me to fabricate my future on a Google search as my resume? No problem! However, I should advise information does repeat itself. I wanted this to represent a realistic search on fabricated information. That is, until I turn this into reality. Enjoy!

Google plotlingo

Plotlingo: Home
www.plotlingo.com
Official web site of the New York Times bestselling author and Oscar winning screenwriter. Biography, an interview, excerpts from reviews, and series list of books published.
Biography – The Mark of One – Works – Herald

Biography – Plotlingo
www.plotlingo.com/bio.htm
Since 2004, Plotlingo has been honing her writing craft to produce The Mark of One novel series and the screenplay based on that novel series. She has worked on the staffs of several award winning HBO series including Game of Thrones, …

Plotlingo – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotlingo
Plotlingo (born May 30, 1980) is an American television series writer and novelist, best known as the author of the New York Times bestselling series The Mark of One. She is currently working on a new novel series Herald.
Early Life – Career – Personal Life – Publications

Plotlingo – IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/name/nnm108964323/
Plotlingo, Miscellaneous Crew: The Mark of One. Plotlingo is an award winning screenwriter and novelist, author of the bestselling series The Mark of One. Upcoming projects include the new novel series Herald.

Plotlingo (Author of the Mark of One) – Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/234764.Plotlingo
**** Rating: 4.4 – 387264 votes
About Plotlingo: Plotlingo has been busy working on subsequent novels for The Mark of One series. She is also beginning a new series project on HBO titled The Collector. News on her new novel series…

AP Newsbreak: New Plotlingo book in 2018.
yahoo.com/news/ap-newsbreak-plotlingo-book-2018
Must read! Plotlingo has been very busy this past year working diligently to get the first installment of her new novel series Herald released by February 2018. Movie casting for the new series is already being discussed before the release of the book…

Amazon.com: Plotlingo: Books, Biogrpahy, Blog, Audiobooks
http://www.amazon.com > Books > Sci-fi/fantasy
Results 1-12 of 25 – Visit Amazon.com’s Plotlingo Page and shop for all Plotlingo’s books and other Plotlingo related products (DVD, CDs, …

plotlingo (PlotLingo) on Twitter
https://twitter.com/Plotlingo
The lastest from plotlingo (@Plotlingo). What makes a good story tick?

Twitter / Plotlingo: Caught a writing frenzy bug. Hopefully there is no cure.
https://twitter.com/PlotLingo/statuses/38477293829573957323
June 9, 2013 – Instantly connect to what’s most important to you. Follow your friends, experts, favorite celebrities, and breaking news.

About Me! (Rewrite)

Who am I?
I’m PlotLingo. I am a struggling writer who suffers from writer’s block and I love stories. I love Sci-fi/fantasy fiction, movies and television shows of all genres, and games. I love analyzing a story’s plot construction and character depth no matter the media channel. Some of my posts on this subject will lack structure and flow and others are going to be written well. But I guarantee you all of my posts will be passionate. Throughout this course I will continually improve my craft and apply what I learn here in writing my own Sci-fi/fantasy novel and screenplay.

My love for stories began when I was a teenager. One day, browsing through the sales and clearance section in Barnes and Noble I saw a fantasy novel, written by Terry Goodkind, with the picture of a beautiful red dragon. Who would pass up an awesome drawing of a dragon on the cover with a five dollar price tag? When I finally did decide to open the book and read it a few weeks later it changed my life. Of course, I didn’t realize how profound that moment would be for me until years later when I was an undergrad in college.

My love and deep appreciation for story construction makes me the perfect candidate in analyzing what works and what doesn’t in the media industry. In this blog I will analyze the complexity and engagement ability on wonderfully/woefully produced stories found in books, movies, television shows, and yes, also MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games.)

Professional Background
I am the oddball. There is disconnect between my professional and educational experience. I graduated with a BA in Media Studies in 2004 and have since been working in areas that have nothing to do with media. Currently I work as a Payroll/HR Assistant and am working on an MS in Interactive Media to help me pursue my career in the industry. This course in interactive writing is a step in the right direction.

Personal Tidbits
I have a twelve year old dog named Toby who I call my little old man. He’s the spoiled one at home. Not me. We fight each other for one spot on the couch. I am not ashamed to say my German Shepherd mix is my child and unfortunately, as firstborns go, my first experiment in parental duties. Sorry Toby!

I love anime and greatly appreciate artists who draw and paint. Hayao Miyazaki’s works are great. Sword of the Stranger is another great movie. My favorite series include Bleach, Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist, and yes, given the choice, I would watch the subtitled version over dubbed any day.

I have a knack for deciphering things that will happen ahead of time in stories – like guessing how the movie will end after the first thirty minutes. Plot deconstruction might not be a special skill but hey it is fun. Fun for me anyway. My sister hates when I do that.

As much as I love movies I love reading. My favorite author is, you guessed it, Terry Goodkind. I will not lie – I must have read his first novel ‘Wizards First Rule’ about twenty-two times. I stopped counting on the nineteenth read through. I even had parts of it memorized. I will not even mention how many times I read the other books in the series. Of course, this was years ago when I had all this time to read, and reread, and reread.

What more can I say but repeat that I love stories. Now let the posting begin!

Movies vs. games on narration, and alternate endings.

Movies
Storytelling is narration. This format is ideal for movies. If there are alternate endings the storyteller will appear indecisive and instead of me complaining about an ending I did not like, I end up questioning what message was trying to be conveyed. What was the movie really about if I had to choose the ending? Is this is purely an attempt at interactivity? Movies give the illusion of interactivity. Their large screens at the theater make scenes feel more intimate and if they have 3D capability the action can jump out at us. Either way viewers are still narrated a visual story with a message. After the message is received viewers are interactive in discussing what they like and do not like with other viewers. But these inputs do not change the output of the movie. This applies even if the movie has alternate endings because we are dictated the choices in the type of endings available. This is not interactive. The storytelling process has been around for thousands of years. There will always be a need to see, hear, or read a story, decide whether it was worth your time and what you learned from it, and have a discussion. It is a way to connect, a social topic. Now I don’t doubt the future will hold a theatrical 3D experience where the user or users can use avatars in a story and follow or not follow general objectives but this idea essentially creates a different experience to movies. It instead becomes a game.
Games
Games are interactive. As a former hardcore traditional RPG gamer, what I loved most about the Final Fantasy series was the story and the choices I was given in progressing that story. However, the choices given throughout the game in how I wanted to progress to the final and/or alternate outcome, was directed. Interactivity is present but so is narration. The choices I made to reach my ending or alternate ending was already programmed into the game. It was only me and the computer but the computer simulated a populated world in which I would lose track of time. The Final Fantasy series lost power when it later attempted the massive multiplayer online (MMO) genre for RPGs. This new genre involves added interactivity with a whole world of other real world players and it has taken interactive play to the next level. I think the reason why Final Fantasy lost steam is because their traditional RPG format gives the user complete action control over the hero and primary assisting characters on your team. Real world teams thrive in MMOs. Working with others together to achieve certain goals is not something traditional Final Fantasy fans are used to.
It’s important to remember that as much interactivity as you get from these games the storyline is still narrated. The gamers may be given a few choices to direct minor plots but the overall direction of the story is controlled. With World of Warcraft I notice interactivity also lies in the raids that are fought together to defeat boss enemies. The outcomes of the fights may differ but you are fighting the same bosses in the same order to achieve an ending or alternate ending similar to other groups in the game. MMOs are narrated, involves heavy player interaction and has become a whole virtual environment where one can live. Or simulate living. And yet with all the interaction and freedom given to the player the major plots of the storyline is narrated. Stories are the foundation.

Narration is key for movies and games with or without alternate endings.

Plotlingo’s Resume Summarized.

PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE
I am seeking a career in media production with a specialization in writing all within a developing organization that will allow for long-term growth.

EDUCATION
Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut
Master of Science in Interactive Media – Production Track, January 2015 (Anticipated)
Coursework includes: theories of interactive media, writing interactive media, media production, and visual design.

Queens College, Flushing, New York
Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies, August 2004
Coursework includes: screenwriting, advanced multimedia, media technologies, and principles of sound and image.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
• Skilled in screenwriting and Sci/fi fantasy fiction writing processes.
• Adept at analyzing and sizing up situations, diligent, hard worker and strong on follow-up.
• Excellent communicator, detail-oriented, flexible, patient, organized, creative, goal directed.
• Self-motivated, able to set effective priorities to achieve immediate and long-term goals and meet operational deadlines.
• Developed interpersonal and communication skills, having dealt with a diversity of professionals, clients, and staff members.
• Skilled in HR procedures, payroll, customer service, administration and accounts payable.

EMPLOYMENT
FLUSHING BANK
Lake Success, New York July 2008 – Present
Payroll / HR Assistant
I process and reconcile a bi-weekly New York State payroll for 380 employees. That responsibility includes processing of incentive payouts, restricted stock, stock options and manual check entries for awards/gross ups. I also enter employee status changes to include new hires, terminations, promotions, 401k adjustments, and salary adjustments. 401k journals are reconciled on a bi-weekly basis; SSIP and stock matches are reconciled on a monthly basis. I manage the company’s time and attendance system and process paid time off and overtime adjustments. Some of my report writing tasks includes running employee listings and benefit payroll deduction analysis.

MICHAEL KORS (USA), INC.
New York, New York October 2006 – July 2008
May 2007 – July 2008
Payroll / HR Administrator
I processed a multistate payroll for 600+ employees to include processing of new hires, terminations, and employee changes ranging from taxes, direct deposits, and promotions. The payroll processing also included monthly bonuses, commissions, and quarterly clothing allowances. I assisted HR in preparing status change and benefits paperwork. I prepared benefit excel spreadsheet reports for monthly audits and set up employee benefits deductions to process in the payroll. Manual checks were also processed for termed CA employees in a timely manner to meet state laws.

I updated new hires and terminations in the time-keeping system. Audits were performed on bi-weekly submissions of approved retail summary timesheets for any errors and missed swipes. I also audited pay data batches imported from the time-keeping system which included the processing of time off forms.

Other responsibilities include auditing I9s and background checks for HR processing as well as coding background check invoices for AP processing. I acted as a liaison between Payroll and HR departments and answered common Payroll/HR questions. I also performed new hire orientation with new retail stores and discussed Payroll and HR standard procedures. Lastly, I prepared new hire and exit interview packets for retail employees.

October 2006 – May 2007
Accounts Payable for Production
I audited coding and approval signatures on production invoices prior to data entry. I processed production invoices using PeopleSoft. Monthly Letters of Credit and Custom Duty invoices were coded and processed. I also prepared cash requirement reports for weekly wires, monthly customs and LCs. Payment detail reports were run for weekly wire transfers. I performed weekly check runs on processing invoices. I also answered inquiries on production invoices for various production departments and their corresponding vendors.

RALPH PUCCI INTERNATIONAL
New York, New York March 2005 – October 2006
AP / Payroll / Administrative Assistant
I maintained control records and follow-ups on accounts payables, receivables and billing. I also calculated all time sheets and related duties for payroll processing. Audits were performed for expense reports, invoices, and check requests for payment. Checks for deposit were processed, and should checks fail to clear, I coordinated with other departments to resolve the problem. I assisted sales reps with individual accounts on order processing and client inquiries. I was also responsible for maintaining calendar events, inventory, mailing lists and general office duties.

GREAT NECK MEDICAL GROUP
Great Neck, New York April 2003 – March 2005
Medical Filing Manager / Inventory Assistant
My primary responsibility was managing 45,000 active medical records. I managed the conversion of the traditional medical filing system to an electronic data archiving system. In other capacities I prepared medical records for appointments for the following day, directed incoming calls, and assisted the inventory manager in documentation and maintenance of medical supplies.

SOFTWARE SKILLS
Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Ceridian HR/Payroll, Ceridian Time & Attendance, Ceridian Recruiting Solutions, Benetrac, ADP PCPW, NOVAtime, PeopleSoft, QuickBooks.