Writing Wrongs

January 31, 2005

I know I�m asking for trouble in going against the romance writer�s canon of GMC (Goal, Motivation, and Conflict for those not in the know, not General Motors Corp.).

Let me state up front that I like characters who have goals. I can�t stand it when characters act because of plot.

Oh, here I am in a nearly-transparent nightgown, the electricity has gone out, and a strange noise is coming from the attic. Think I�ll take this candle and go have a look-see.

And conflict? Two dogs, one bone, the essence of fiction.

What I�ve noticed, however, is a predominance of GMC in stories to the point where I simply don�t want to read them. And that�s a sad thing. I feel bludgeoned of late with characters� (heroines in particular) inner conflict. There it is, on page three. Got it. Oh, here we go again, page seven, and thirteen. By page thirty, I�m ready to throttle the woman--or drive her to a good therapist. There�s only so much angst/bitterness/brittleness/remorse/anger/aguish one person and one character can take.

What I think this, unfortunately, does is reduce the character to one note. It�s all we get from her. When you focus exclusively on one facet of a character, the risk is she loses dimensions that bring her to life on the page.

Of course, when I read, I don�t want everything spelled out for me upfront, to include possible inner conflict and motivations. Give me an interesting character in a compelling situation, and I�ll stick with the story for a while. Feed me bits of intriguing information along the way, let me make up my own mind about a character, and boom, you�ve got me. I�m with you until the end.

I want to be an equal partner when I read. Don�t hand me information, engage my imagination. What isn�t on the page is often more important than what is. I�m smart enough to fill in the blanks.

Really.

Charity Tahmaseb wrote at 10:59 a.m.

|