Thursday, March 11, 2010

GMC...do your books have it?

So here's my rant on this lovely Thursday....okay so it's not so lovely and it's supposed to rain, but I have to look at the bright side of something here. I've had a crappy week and it's heading downhill--not up.

Let's get started, shall we.

I was on a friends site last night and realized as I read some comments that there are published authors out there that have no idea what a GMC is. ARE U FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!!!

No I'm not--honestly!

For you non-writers, I expect you not to know. But so you do know, a GMC is: Goal, Motivation & Conflict.

IMO, what every book should have in it, no matter the genre.

As most of you know I'm writing paranormal and erotica. I still see no reason for each character not to have a GMC. This is just crazy. Now I will also admit that in the erotica genre this error happens more than most. Which is a catastrophic shame. More of a shame is I'm busting my butt to get it right and there are others out there that don't know or care. Nothing I can do. It is what it is, but it's my rant, so I ranted. :-P

We all read books for different reasons. Personally I want a HEA (Happy Ever After) even in erotic. I don't like sex for sex sake, and honestly it's boring. I want characters that are well rounded and have feelings, emotions, pain, suffering and all the stuff that makes them feel real to me.


I read almost every genre, but prefer romance in everything. I'm pretty well rounded in that aspect and before I ever took writing seriously, I think Vicki pounded in my head what a GMC was. We might not have known how to make it happen completely correctly - we do now - but the most important thing I can say is...IT'S IMPORTANT.

So I've told you what I like in books, tell me what you're looking for?


Hugs,

LKap

4 comments:

Juli D. Revezzo said...

You're right, Vicki, however. I'm sick of conflict on page one. But the conflict doesn't have to be "action flick" explosions. Conflict can be done subtly, and I think that's lost as is *where* to put the derned thing. For instance Steinbeck did it nicely without explosions, so did Virginia Woolf. And for cryin' out loud, I don't think it belongs on page one: look, if I don't know who the character is, on page one, why should I give a rat's nose hair for their conflict?

Just my testy two cents. :)

LKap said...

Hey JAD
It's Laurie, I actually wrote the rant this morning. You're correct that conflict doesn't have to be on the 1st page, but I want to see that the characters have depth, and that can't happen unless, we, as writers, know their GMC.
Thanks for giving me your two cents
:-)
L

Vicki said...

Laurie - I'm so with you on this. In fact, it's one thing that will make me want to put a book down. If there's no GMC then really to me I've got a very boring book in my hand.

I need to know what the H/H wants and why they want it, but I also need that conflict so that I can root for them while they have to work through it.

Luna said...

Yes! I absolutely agree. There has to be a purpose or I lose interest fast.