Whether you’re writing a full-length novel or short fiction, there is something you must have within the piece. It’s called the GMC or Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. These three things are typically developed through your characters.
For example, let’s say you have a story about a woman trying to locate her father after years of estrangement. We’ll call her Sheila. Sheila’s goal is to find her father. Depending on the length of the story, Sheila may have other goals as well that will play out through the story. Maybe she’s always wanted to learn sign language.
Now we can take a quick look at Sheila’s motivations. Why is she trying to find her father at this particular time in her life? Well, let’s give her a reason, her motivation. Maybe Sheila’s young son has been diagnosed with a rare disease and needs a blood donor. Doctors have tested all of Sheila’s relatives, and no one is a match. Desperate to save her son’s life, she is willing to reach out to her father. However, it’s not such an easy thing to do.
This brings us to conflict. Sheila hasn’t spoken to her father for more than a decade, and she has no idea where he’s living now. And the last time they did speak, the conversation ended in a heated argument. As a writer, you can pile more conflict on to keep the reader engaged in the story. The argument between Sheila and her father stems back to when she was a teenager. Sheila believes her father was involved in an extra-marital affair, and that’s the reason her mother committed suicide. Sheila’s father denies ever being unfaithful to his wife.
Sheila’s conflict is internal as well. She’s angry with her father because she views him as a liar and the reason her mother is dead. She’s angry with her mother for killing herself because she might have been a donor for Sheila’s dying son.
Before we close, let’s take a look at Sheila’s other goal. She’s always wanted to learn sign language. As a single mother of three, it’s been years since she’s been able to do something for herself (motivation). A few weeks after her son is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, she learns that she won the raffle prize for free sign language lessons. But as the ever dutiful mother, Sheila feels guilty about taking the course when her son is so ill. Once she comes to terms with her guilt and decides to take the class, more conflict arises for her when she learns the teacher of the course is a man she’s had a crush on for a very long time.
Once again, I hope something I’ve written has been helpful. Find more about goal, motivation, and conflict in books on writing and online articles, too.
Until next time…write well,
Mata
