Holly
Lisle's Vision
Book
review
Goal,
Motivation & Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction
By Debra Dixon
Reviewed
by
Cassandra Ward
©
2002, Cassandra Ward
Geared
for the writer who is attempting to build their plot out of their characters, Goal,
Motivation & Conflict (GMC to
its friends) gives a basic structure to follow. GMC is more than just the title
of the book; it is the entire process Dixon outlines as well.
Dixon
breaks down conflict and plot into these three elements, all of which stem out
of the main character(s) of the story. In her introduction, Dixon claims that
understanding this principle can assist in developing both major and secondary
characters, creating a synopsis, and tightening the middle of the story.
Using
classic movies as examples (such as The
Wizard of Oz and Casablanca),
Dixon goes through and fills in the GMC chart. She outlines both the internal
and external flow of the main character(s) in the movies to illustrate how the
conflicts and situations of the story grows logically. Her explanations are
clear and precise. The chart is simple to use (and to recreate in any word
processor with a Table function) and yet presents the author with the
opportunity to think about the characters' GMC from different angles. It might
look extremely easy to fill in, but forces the writer to go outside their normal
thinking to fill in the boxes.
Dixon
has taught this as a workshop (and still does) for some time before putting this
book together. She uses questions brought up during the workshops as further
illustrations of her points and explanations.
I
found GMC to be extremely
thought-provoking and a good way to look at things to get the mind working. I,
personally, have found it to be far more useful in working through individual
scenes rather than the book-encompassing structure Dixon uses in her
introduction. However, she does note that every writer is different and that
this is a universal enough concept that every writer will find a place for it in
his process. In this, I tend to agree. GMC is a fundamental principle which is
found in every book, used differently by every author. Dixon also is the first
author I have seen detail other necessities in fiction (such as "Black
Moments" and "Character Turning Points"), which GMC
is good at pointing out in clearer detail.
While
GMC is a difficult book to locate (I
ordered it directly from the publisher), I consider it a great addition to my
writing repertoire. It has become a building block that I need no longer
consciously consider, but is always there for me as I go through my process. I
would strongly recommend that anyone who has challenges with making a
character-based story/plot should take a look at this particular book.
Goal,
Motivation & Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction
By Debra Dixon
© 1996
Publisher Gryphon Books for Writers (POB 172342; Memphis TN 38187-2342--order from the publisher directly)
ISBN
0-9654371-0-8
Cassandra
(Andi) Ward earned her first rejection letter in 1976 and has not let that
stop her. She is published in Romance (small press) and unpublished in Fantasy
and Mystery as well. She is presently the Features Editor for Visions
and is presently working on her eighteenth novel.
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