Me against myself.
My desire to go off in another direction—with
new characters and a fresh storyline—against my innate need to finish what I’ve
started.
I just have too many characters and plot lines in my head. I want to pop from one sub-genre to another. I'm driving my agent nuts. "Pick one or two sub-genres of romance and stick to them. Build your reputation on them. You cannot write everything."
My mulish chin juts out. And why not??? One might say I have ADD where writing is concerned. If my current project isn't grabbing me by the throat, then I'm dabbling in other projects. Flitting from one thing to the next. Oh, I'll come back to my WIP occasionally and slowly pound out a chapter, but I'm writing as if I'm mired in muck. Just to show you what I mean, from the time I started book three of this series, I've written and contracted two novellas and a short story. This final book of my trilogy has become akin to our tiny bedroom filled with boxes of junk. I keep the door closed, because I don't know where to start in cleaning it out.
Thus, I’ve
been struggling with Jazzbeat of
Surrender for months and months. Finally it hit me. Where was my GMC? Sure
I had carefully crafted characters. The action rang true. There was an equal
balance of romance and suspense. But where was the GMC for my heroine and hero?
Although I had a vague idea, I hadn’t
nailed it down. I hadn’t made use of my simple GMC sentence. And without a clear GMC, folks, there just isn't a story no matter how "cool" the plot line seems. GMC is critical. So what was my GMC sentence? Here's what I mean...
Your POV character wants (goal) because (motivation), but
(conflict) keeps her/him from attaining that goal.
Let’s expand on that with an example or
two.
A teenager wants to return to her home (goal)
because her beloved aunt is ill (motivation), but she can’t without the approval and help of
the wizard (conflict). Thus, we have the GMC for “The Wizard of Oz.” Think about it.
Everything that happened on the yellow brick road helped Dorothy reach the
wizard to beg for his help.
A young man wants to win the hand of a
beautiful teen (goal) because she makes him feel things he’s never felt before (motivation), but
their families are bitter enemies (conflict). Did you recognize the GMC of “Romeo and
Juliet”?
Some anchor GMC for each chapter and
perhaps each scene. I’m too much of a pantser for that detailed process.
However I do like to keep my heroine and hero’s GMC firmly engraved in my mind. I hadn't with Jazzbeat of Surrender. No wonder I was struggling. No wonder my characters were silent. In effect, I'd abandoned them and went off on my own to write their story. And, as writers, we know that never works, especially for those of us who are character-driven.
Now I've got their GMC nailed. And Simone and Derrek are getting
a chance to tell their story.
How do you nail down your GMC? And I'm not talking about your truck...
How do you nail down your GMC? And I'm not talking about your truck...
