Besides Brandilyn Collins’ Getting into Character, I am also reading Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon. These two are excellent books to read in tandem, since they sort of feed off one another.
Today I thought I’d blog about the G in GMC – which is Goal. Every main character in a book should have a goal – both internal and external. Debra says this goal needs to urgent and/or incredibly important. There should also be serious consequences attached to each goal. The “So what?” addendum. If this character doesn’t accomplish this particular goal, so what? Is the consequence big enough to make the reader care?
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Once we have the G’s established, we need to make them evident right off the bat. We don’t want to leave our reader guessing what it is our character wants. This is all so incredibly obvious…. in hindsight. Now that I’m reading about it, I’m having a fun time searching for the G’s in the books and movies I read and watch.
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For enjoyment, I’m reading Reclaiming Nick, by Christian fiction author, Susan May Warren. Right away (in the first chapter), she establishes the goals for all three of her main characters (MCs). I was amazed at how effectively she accomplishes this!
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Nick’s goal: Make sure Cole St. James doesn’t set foot on Silver Buckle land (external) and make amends for his past choices (internal)
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Piper’s goal: prove that Nick Noble lied and framed her brother for murder (external) and in the process, find healing/forgiveness for not believing her brother (internal)
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Maggie’s goal: to claim the land Bishop Noble left them (external) and start a new season of hope with her family (internal)
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The author really just lays it out, doesn’t she?
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I decided, before I start plotting out my next idea, that I need to have my MC’s goals firmly established. Remember how I said these two craft books I’m reading feed into one another? Well, currently, I’m having a hard time figuring out what my hero and heroine’s goals are going to be… especially the heroine. In order to discover them, I’m going to utilize Collins’ interview strategy. I’m making some progress with Gavin – but I haven’t quite hit rock bottom yet. I’m patiently waiting for his cooperation so I can discover what it is that makes him tick. And hopefully, in the process, figure out his goals for the story.
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Questions to ponder: So what about you? Do your MCs have goals? Are they working toward something? Are the goals important enough? Are there consequences for not meeting them? How do you establish these goals for the reader? And if you feel like it, please share your MC’s goals!