Put them all together and what do you have?
Goal, Motivation, and Conflict.
This is a follow up to my earlier post
What Is GMC? I thought I’d share links (with snippets from each article to whet your appetite!) that can help explain these building blocks far better than I ever could. I found so much great stuff to share that I’m dividing it into two parts. The second half will be posted on July 31st.
Character Conflict: Creating Romantic Tension in Christian Love Stories (Laura Briggs)
A tried and true method that often makes an old story concept seem fresh is to reverse the hero and heroine’s roles. Usually this involves swapping the character’s jobs or lifestyles in order to create a more interesting and unlikely match. … If the writer stereotypes a character based on their career or social status, than the effect of the role reversal will certainly be canceled out. Instead, the writer needs to present the character’s differences in a positive light. As the story progresses, the hero and heroine can learn to appreciate each other for their unique qualities. And by the end of the book, they should both come to realize that they are not complete without each other’s distinct traits and abilities.
Character Motivation (Mindy Hardwick)
Finding character motivation can be a bit like a treasure hunt. Some stories are lucky and it pops right out. But most of the time…finding character motive takes a lot of digging around in a character’s back story and drafting and drafting and drafting!
Character Motivation (Alicia Rasley)
Motivation is the past.
Goal is the future.
Conflict is the present.
Characters in Conflict (Lisa Tuttle)
If your characters all share the same goals, then you can probably begin and end your story on the same page because without conflict, there is no story—at least not one that will keep readers turning pages. When one character’s goals and ambitions conflict with another character’s agenda, the story becomes interesting. Examine the goals and motivations you’ve established for each character and find ways to make them clash with one another.
Conflict Grid, Tool for Success (Lyn Cote)
If you don’t have conflict, you don’t have a story. With Kathy Jacobson’s CONFLICT GRID,* you can uncover every possible conflict inherent that keep your hero and heroine apart.
Conflict of Values (Melinda Evaul)
Examine the internal goals of a character you’re creating. Insert something that will challenge their core value. Choose something that forces him or her to make a hard choice. Some people don’t change when the conflicts come. They remain the same and never grow. And there could be a time when their core value is correct and the conflicts they face confirm this.
Creating Emotional Conflict and Tension in a Romance Novel (Leslie Wainger)
You can't build every plot completely around the emotional conflict, but every plot needs to highlight that conflict whenever possible. The more complicated your plot is, the more threads you have going on at once; however, emotional tension should underlie everything that's happening. The emotional conflict should always be in the characters' and the readers' minds.
Deeper Character Motivation: Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for Character Development (Jennifer Jensen)
It is important to note, however, that just because a writer knows the character’s deepest needs does not mean that the character realizes it. A woman who was shoved to the background for years while her sister dealt with cancer won’t connect that experience with her need for belonging and her desire to be the life of the party now. But you as a writer know that, and you can let that understanding come out in other ways.
Developing Conflict…Before You Write (Sherry Davis)
So ask yourself, what is your character afraid of? What gives him/her the cold sweats? What makes them hide in the closet? Make sure you've chosen an opposing character who forces the character to face their internal conflict, either overtly or covertly.
Digging for Goals (Melinda Evaul)
Dig deeper and discover the ‘internal goals’ in your characters. What is she honestly seeking in life? What is her greatest fear? Are there things in her life she needs to change? What keeps her from reaching the external goal? Is her goal what is best for her and those she loves? Is she hiding secrets? Do these affect her or her loved ones? Example: Tracy may say she wants to sell her paintings. What she truly wants is acceptance, because she believes she isn’t worthy of love.
Dissecting the G, M and C (Robyn DeHart)
…motivation gives the reader a reason to care for the characters. It is one of the greatest tools we have as writers to make our imperfect characters, that we love, loveable to our readers. Developing strong motivation forces you to think, to dig deep into your characters, and in the end it can be the difference between someone finishing your book, or putting it back on the shelves.
Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Writing (Emily McKay)
You don’t need to be subtle about GMC. You don’t need to be sparing either. The audience needs to know what’s at stake for your characters. They need to know what your characters want and why they want it. If you don’t let your audience know what’s at stake, the audience won’t get to enjoy anticipating everything that could go wrong.
~~
Do you have any tips about developing your characters’ goals, motivations, and/or conflicts? Or specific examples from your own work that you’d like to share with us?
I hope you'll check back on the 31st for more GMC links.
