Sharing My GMC Chart. Have You Done Yours?

Missy here. I’ve been thinking a lot about goal, motivation and conflict lately. Deb Dixon, of the popular GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict, will be doing a workshop in Atlanta in April, and I’m signed up to go. She does the best workshops and is a great teacher. For those who may not be familiar with the book, I thought I’d share a GMC chart I did for my upcoming June Steeple Hill Love Inspired, His Forever Love.

Let me say, first, that I do a sort of blend with Carolyn Greene’s Magic Conflict Chart (from her Prescription for Plotting Notebook). I start with a basic GMC from Deb’s book in my head. Then I fill out Carolyn’s chart. Since I have no idea how to actually post a chart here, I’ll just type each section. But please picture it as a chart. :)

First, a little backstory. My hero, Bill, is a brilliant physicist whose parents died when he was a child. He lived with his grandmother, and was always a sort of outcast geek. One person who was kind to him was Lindsay, the heroine. They became best friends and study partners. She was beautiful and popular. And he had a terrible crush on her growing up. When they got in high school, he fell in love. But she was clueless (of course!). And when she got engaged to someone else near graduation, Bill was devastated. He left right after graduation, moved on up to Boston where he was going to go to college, and had no more contact with her. And of course, she was devastated because her best friend left her. And he didn’t even come home after her fiancé left her standing at the alter.

So, here’s the chart for His Forever Love…

Bill—Internal
Need (gut level): 1. Family and a sense of home
2. To be accepted and fit in

Motivation: 1. His parents died, Lindsay fell in love with someone else, and now he’s wrapped up in his job so he has no social life.
2. Was outcast as a child

Obstacles: Work fills his time; the desire to achieve to prove himself; his family is far away in Georgia

Goal (misguided): To keep achieving and to attain the position of department head at the university (he’s accepted in the academic world)

Consider: No amount of success can fill the void for family, love and acceptance

Bill—External
Need (to gain or accomplish): Take care of his family (his grandmother)

Motivation (recent event): Granny fell and is at the hospital

Obstacles: Taking the best care of her would require giving up his career and moving home.

Goal: To bring her to Boston to live with him.

Story Question: Will Bill be able to go to Magnolia, GA, and successfully move Granny to Boston to live with him?


Lindsay—Internal
Need (gut level): To risk loving again (with someone she can depend on)

Motivation: Her mom died when she was a teen, her fiancé dumped her, and Bill (her best friend) deserted her.

Obstacles: She’s made herself so busy caring for others that she doesn’t have time for herself; plus, she’s scared to risk loving again.

Goal (misguided): To make everyone else safe and happy; to be indispensable

Consider: She can’t make everyone happy or always protect them. They may get tired of her interfering, anyway. Plus, she still won’t find the love she needs.

Lindsay—External
Need (to gain or accomplish): To start her new career and get it off the ground (a new community center with a program for kids with senior volunteers)

Motivation (recent event): She loves working with children and seniors. Plus, she enjoys Granny’s company (Bill’s grandmother is like a mother/grandmother to Lindsay)

Obstacles: Bill wants to take Granny away to Boston.

Goal: To convince Bill that Granny is okay on her own in her home.

Story Question: Will Lindsay convince Bill to leave Granny behind so they can launch the new community center program together?


What’s really cool is that you can take the story question from each character and come up with a sort of back cover blurb that can also make a great pitch for an editor or agent appointment. Here’s the one I came up with using my chart:

Will Bill move Granny to his Boston home and find the sense of family he’s been missing? Or will Lindsay persuade him to let Granny stay in Georgia where she and Granny are actively pursuing a community center ministry together?

While the two face off, he might fall in love with Lindsay all over again. But is Lindsay willing to take the risk?

Okay, have you done your GMC chart yet?

If not, here are links to the resources I used (and no, I have no connection and don’t get any of the proceeds!) :)

GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon

Carolyn Greene’s Prescription for Plotting Notebook

And here's a link to a post with the information on Deb's workshop if you're in the Atlanta area:

http://writingbyfaith.blogspot.com/2009/02/deb-dixon-workshop.html

Oh, and if you're interested in seeing how this chart plays out in the book, it's available for pre-order (and yes, I guess I would get a little of those proceeds eventually. :)) His Forever Love.

So I'll ask again... have you done your GMC chart yet??

Missy

http://www.missytippens.com/