Goals, Motivations, & Conflicts: The GMCs of Writing

What does your protagonist want? Why does your protagonist want it? What prevents your protagonist from achieving/acquiring it? Welcome to the world of Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts (GMCs).

Before you ever set fingertips to keys, you should know the answers to, "What are the GMCs of my hero and/or heroine?" Every primary character has a set of GMCs, even the villain. Fictional GMCs should supply the point and purpose of the story. In real life, we're happy if we have a GMC for the day. Me? Fate's nice enough to hand me one every morning. 

Q = What do I want?
A = To pee.

Q = Why do I want it?
A = Because my bladder is going to explode

Q = What is keeping me from achieving it?
A = Four layers of blankets, twenty steps, two dogs, and sloth. Oh, and the potty is occupied (damn loo laggard)

A story is built by major GMCs, and a chapter is constructed out of minor GMCs. Sounds easy, no? Structuring a story shouldn't be painful. Save that for the prose. ::crickets chirping::  Bad puns aside, based on the five conflicts above, I could create a five chapter story on how I achieved my major goal. Each chapter's goal would be conquering a conflict of the major goal. For example, Chapter One's GMC: Goal = Escape four layers of blankets; Motivation = I have to pee; Conflict = I am trapped in bed.

A titillating tale of adventure, I assure you.

GMCs are not your enemy, even if you prefer Ford or Chrysler (come on, you knew it was coming somewhere in here). Using major and minor GMCs to weave the story avoids disjointed transitions, saggy middles, and anti-climatic endings. Who wants bad joints, droopy tummies, and flaccid...  ::cough:: 

Great stories have multiple conflicts, both internal and external. Internal conflicts provide the fodder for a character's emotional growth over the course of the book. Can you name the internal conflicts for The Handmaid's Tale, Star Wars, or Harry Potter? How about the external conflicts? Way easier to put words to the external conflict, isn't it? External conflicts are usually obvious, the government, Darth Vader, and Voldemort, respectively.

The difficulty of conflicts will determine the strength of the story. What if my blankets weren't made of cotton? What if they were dragon hides that had been bewitched to cage the corporeal form? What if I had been attacked by a dragon float when I was a child and the mere notion of dragon anything paralyzed me? External and internal conflicts say I might be in need of a new mattress.


GMCs are not secrets; they convince a reader to keep reading. Don't hide them, bury them, or forget to mention them. Minor GMCs can add the page-turning hook to the end of a preceding chapter or the draw into the chapter proper. Proclaim the major GMCs loudly and proudly in Chapter One. Yes, right, true, not every conflict ought to be spelled out in the first twenty pages; however, if Robert Langdon can't simply put on his glasses to decipher the code near Jacques Saunière's corpse, I need to know why before I devote my night to the Da Vinci Code. Oh, there's a secret order? Oh, and there are riddles and puzzles? Oooh, and solving each of those steps before he can solve the über mystery...is a lot like minor GMCs pulling the reader along to get the reader to the resolution of the major GMC.

Have I convinced you of the glories of the GMC yet? Maybe? Fine. Let me appeal to the practical side of your writer's sensibilities.

Fringe Benefits of GMCs:

Planners (those who outline before diving into the joys of dialogue and narrative): Penning the GMCs of each chapter will make writing your synopsis a snap. One paragraph per chapter, no problem. The content is there in your GMC-Outline. Wrap it up in the voice of your tale and you're done.

Pant-sters (those who write without a plan of attack): Knowing your GMCs will prevent doomed dialogue tangents, pointless tertiary characters, and superfluous narrative meandering. It will also save you extra rounds of revisions and time.

Post your daily GMC…just hang a new roll of toilet paper before you leave.

Your Personal Brand & the DoD

What does your personal brand have in common with the Department of Defense? Success in battle begins in the mind, so does the art of relationships. In a previous post we talked about the importance of relationships. This week, we'll stick to a few gems of advice the DoD has dolled out over the years.


"Loose Lips Sink Ships"
The gem from World War II is a mantra you should remember every time you walk into public. While most writers are not in possession of state secrets, the stuff that tumbles from your lips could sink your career no matter to what stage you have progressed. Never, ever, bad mouth anyone. It doesn't matter if Mr. B.Affoon enrages you to the point of eye twitching. Swallow the tirade burning the back of your throat. Politely excuse yourself and diffuse in private. Similarly, if the gaggle with whom you are relaxing in the bar begins sniping about an agent, editor, artist, etc., get them to change the topic or remove yourself from the toxic scene. You never know who is listening, who is watching, or who has what kind of relationships with whomever. The only thing of which you can be certain is that rumor-rang will come back and sink your ship.


"In God We Trust: All Others We Monitor"
Yes, it is a reconnaissance motto. Only a fool marches into an engagement blind. Conferences are engagements. Attending a conference without doing your research is a poor reflection on your Personal Brand because it leads to the egregious foot-n-mouth disease. Most conferences publish lists of established authors, agents, and editors attending before the event. This is time for recon. Visit the author/agent/editor/publisher blog/Web site/Twitter feed/etc. Learn their lines of interest. What do they rep, what do they publish, from what do they flee? Note the ones who represent your genre. Now you have identified your targets. Now you know who to monitor. (Though, please, let them use the bathroom in peace. Writers are not part of a clandestine service.)


"Can't Stop. Won't Stop. Airborne."
You don't have to jump from a perfectly good airplane to promote your personal brand, but you must persevere. Rejections, changing markets, bad reviews, lackluster sales...there are many ways a writer takes fire. It starts before publication and continues long after a book has finished its print run. It is part of the beauty and the burden of producing a lasting product. Every successful author will tell you: Don't stop writing. Keep honing your craft. Airborne.


What other DoD/military sayings leap to your mind when thinking of your Personal Brand? Share them in the Comments section below.

A Writer’s Personal Brand: What is Your Attire Selling?

For many, what to wear to a business conference is a closet-tossing experience, particularly if you rarely meet the people with whom you work or with whom you hope to do business. The ambiguous dress code of 'Business Casual' makes the decision harder. Having to leave the vast majority of your wardrobe 500 miles away can cause a meltdown.

Starting feel light-headed yet? Sit. Read.

The Personal Brand: Appearance Matters
Tauntings from the popular clique in grade school can warp anyone’s sense of self, and away-conferences zap us back to those soul-contorting years. Sniggers from hundreds or thousands are enough to force the most stalwart into hotel-room retreat. Gods help you if you are presenter commanding undivided attention. Naked-on-stage nightmares have been linked to rapid weight-loss and increased snarky-ness.

Breathe.

You’re not 15 anymore. You’re not enduring 12 years in state prison with fellow convicts whose crimes are age and citizenship. Everyone attending a business conference, regardless of tangible product or service, is there to buy and sell relationships.

Relationships. Say the word aloud: Relationships.

This is why your appearance is important. This is why dressing in a way that supports your Personal Brand is critical. What you wear while you create your book doesn’t matter. Butt-naked or bustled, unless you’re broadcasting your ‘creative flow’ no one knows what is cradling your keyboard.

What you wear in public does matter, particularly at conferences, because you are buying and selling relationships with agents, editors, authors, illustrators, readers, critics, mentors, etc. Acknowledge all of those dating analogies because they’re true. A lot of assumptions are going to be made based on your appearance. People will engage or avoid, welcome or dismiss. It doesn’t matter what is Politically Correct because instinct makes the selection. It is the only way to function during a huge conference. Among a cast of thousands, you will not meet everyone, but 6 Degrees of Separation is always in play. Networking is a big part of why you paid to attend the conference.

What is networking? That’s right. It’s building relationships.

How you present yourself will be captured in memories, both human and digital (those digital memories will most likely end up on the Web somewhere to hurt or help your relationships). Consider the following scenario of Attire-Backfire:

A scruffy man wearing a ratty sweat shirt, stained cargo shorts, and no shoes chats you up in line at the breakfast buffet. He says he’s an agent. He reps your genre and would love for you to send him a partial.

The impression? If he doesn’t have enough respect for the business to put on clean clothes, what kind of respect is he going to show you and your work? How many business-minded editors flee from his frat-boy ways? He might be a detriment to your book. You take his card, but you pass on the opportunity. A lack of representation is better than bad representation.

Personal Brand: I Am Not a Lemming
Businesses succeed because of they offer something unique – a differentiator. You are a business of one. What is your visual differentiator? What is the snapshot impression you wish to make?

The world of fashion is as vast and varied as the world of writing. Embrace your style. Is Kahlan Amnell from Legend of the Seeker your fashion icon? Good. Bring on the billowy sleeves. More of a fan of Elyse Keaton from Family Ties? A silky blouse and kitten heels are classics for a reason. Does Phoebe Halliwell of Charmed fame use her magic to add to your wardrobe? Confidence is the ultimate foundation garment for slinky sexy.

Whatever your style is, don’t hide it behind stereotypes of ‘business.’ Do, however, be smart. Wear what best represents your brand, which means:

1. Put the kibosh on T&A: Unless you’re attending AEE and are up for an AVN award, remember what you are selling. Ladies, wear camis if your blouse/dress exposes cup-size instead of a hint of décolletage. Men, wear undershirts if you’re sporting a button down. Both sexes, no ass-cheeks. No skirts/shorts so short that they are a walking advertisement for the Brazilian Waxing Hut. Don’t forget about transparency. Your product is you, not La Perla or ManSilk.
2. Choose Logos/Words Wisely: If you are going wear anything printed on your clothes or accessories (including your briefcase/purse/messenger bag), be certain it is in line with your Personal Brand. Is a t-shirt with ‘Beer Holder’ scrawled across the bosom really communicating the type of relationship you wish to establish at this conference? ‘The Bitch is Back’ in blood-spatter script on your laptop skin could be exactly what you want to advertise if you write paranormal, but maybe not if you’re an inspirational author.
3. Avoid the Extremes: Same-shit-different-day uniforms are a beacon of humdrum. Packing smartly with mix-and-match pieces is not an excuse for bland attire. It is a wonderful opportunity for conversation-starting accessories. Conversely, peacock plumage and jingle bells are attention getters…the first time. After the third time they’re just down-right annoying. Again, think of the relationship you are selling.
   

Whatever you develop as your Personal Brand, be sure it is a reflection of you. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or time. Be deliberate and confident in your choices.

Remember, you are in the business of relationships.

Do you have Personal Brand: Attire advice, tips, and/or tricks? Have you witnessed Attire-Backfire? Tell us all, tell us everything in the Comments.