by Tina Radcliffe
Resolution: the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc. (Dictionary.com)
This is the time of year for all those writerly resolutions we add to our brand new, crisp moleskine notebooks.
Our resolutions should be easy to create, after all, we are the masters of GMC. Goal, Motivation and Conflict. Goal, Motivation and Conflict based on Debra Dixon’s GMC: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction.
GMC is a foundational plotting book. The beautiful simplicity of it is you’re able to plug not only your hero and heroine, but also every single character in your book, including the villain into the GMC chart and VOILA! you have your internal and external conflict and your log-line. Amazing.
And now for the first time you can plot YOU!
Goal = What (what you want)
Motivation = Why (why you want it)
Conflict = The Why Not (what stands in your way)
This year instead of simply writing your goals for the new year, write the tangible steps to those goals, anticipating the conflict which will stand in the way. Just like you do when creating a novel.
Goal=Daily writing= 1000 words a day
Motivation=1000 words a day = 5 Love Inspired Novels
Conflict = Day job= get up at 4 am daily
Or
Goal=Enter 1 writing contest a month
Motivation=get my work in front of an agent or editor
Conflict= lack of money=give up weekly Starbucks ($5.00 a week)
Easy when you break it down into what you’re familiar with, right?
That said, I wish you many fulfilling resolutions this year. May all your GMC come true.
Tina Radcliffe writes for Harlequin Love Inspired. and can be reached at her website to discuss her GMC and yours. Her recent releases are The Rancher’s Reunion, (January 2011) and Oklahoma Reunion (October 2011).