M is for Motivation

What are you reading this week? I’m reading the Queen’s Wings by Jamie Schmidt.

Memorial Day signals the most anticipated time of the year for me. Summer! I love summer, all the flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass and sunscreen, but most of all, Memorial Day is a day to thank all those soldiers and veterans for their service to our country. Thank you for protecting our freedoms.

 

As promised, this week I’m sharing tidbits from the workshop on GMC (I also brought the book by the same name GMC by Debra Dixon and it sits by my computer for a reference).

When I was a new writer and joined writing groups other writers were throwing around GMC. They constantly asked me what was my motivation. Motivation, I stared at them blankly. I wrote the scene that came to mind. One that would move my story.  Right? Well, after hearing and reading about GMC I started devouring books on the subject as well as classes and workshops. Debra Dixon summed up MOTIVATION in one word. Ding, ding, ding. Light blubs flashed. MOTIVATION is the because –your character did this because she/he…

So simple a concept–why didn’t I think about it. What made this class so interesting, Deb used GMC on several well known movies, such as The Wizard of Oz, The Fugitive and a few more. She uses the same references in her book. We all know what motivated Dorothy but did we really deep down understand her motivation. The “Because” of her actions. Dorothy’s motivation was very strong and believable (your characters motivation need to be strong and believable to). Dorothy’s “Because” we could relate to. A teenager looking for her heart’s desire. That is one powerful motivation. It also helped Dorothy grow (Deb pointed out), her motivation changed, now it wasn’t about her–she needed to get home to her sick Aunt Em and would do anything to get there.  Deb’s analysis of The Wizard of OZ digs so deep into the story, I’m sure the next time I watch it (and I watch it a lot–It’s my husband’s favorite story) I will be picking out all Deb’s points of motivation and changes.

How does this relate to us? Writing well developed characters is the key.

Deb suggested you write bios or interview your characters to get to know them before you put one word on the paper. For herself ,she interviews her characters. I use the bio method. As Deb stated, there is no wrong or right away to do this, just know your characters intimately before you start and you story will be stronger for it. And knowing up front what motivates those characters also builds a more cohesive story, one that your readers will think of  long after they’ve finished your book.

Happy writing! Enjoy your weekend.

Marian

 

 

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