GMC - Not just a car company

Happy belated Mother’s Day to those of you who care about such things. My oldest son decided to celebrate by wishing me a “Happy V-E Day,” which he knew would warm the cockles of this WWII nut’s heart.

Holmes had Moriarty, Mulder had Krycek, Oscar had Felix—I’m talking NEMESIS here. My nemesis is a writer’s most important tool: Goals, Motivation, Conflict (GMC to the hip crowd; GMCizzle to the hip-hop crowd). I know the rule: there’s no compelling story without GMC. And I have to follow the rules if I want a great story that will eventually sell. But whenever I look at the instructions for achieving the perfect GMC or hear someone speak about rules and structure, I get lost. Worse, I get scared.

I’m a failure at following directions. I took sewing in high school (back when girls took “home-ec,” boys took “shop”) and got a D. I made one lousy, crooked-hem skirt and somehow started an ironing board fire that caused the school to be evacuated. I just couldn’t follow the instructions, didn’t get it. And then there was algebra… I was so dense I had to go for after-school help. The algebra teacher struggled, saying, “Now you’re catching on,” when it was clear I wasn’t and never would. (I don’t think the school department ever ‘caught on’ to his penchant for rubbing himself against the more buxom ninth grade girls, but that’s a story for the memoir…)

I’ve given it the old college try when developing GMC for my work. I’ve graphed and charted and plotted, drew ladders and arcs and everything else. The answer to my question, “What does my character want?” was invariably, “To stop looking at this stupid graph.” Maybe because I’m left-handed or maybe from a lifetime of being told, “You can’t do it that way…” or maybe my near electrocution when I was 11 fried my synapses…For some reason, I just can’t follow instructions.

BUT (there’s always a big but)… I taught myself how to sew, using my own system. I made a dress someone thought was a Laura Ashley (my reply, “Who’s that?”). And though I get dizzy whenever my son shows me his algebra homework, I’ve worked out my own system for multiplying and calculating tips. I’ve learned to use what’s inside of me, and, gee, it works. So, sometimes I have to write a complete first draft, sometimes it comes to me right at the start, but however I get there, I put my nemesis in its place and develop multi-layered characters with lives full of conflict (at least I try!).

Two final notes here—how much you wanna bet the bright bulbs that flew their plane over Washington and caused such a ruckus did it on purpose, for the notoriety? You know they’re going to be all over cable and network news talking about their “mistake” over the next two weeks. And finally, I am so in love with Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House it isn’t funny! Well, yeah it is, since Hugh is one hi-larious guy. And though I swore I would never watch another FOX TV show after the royal screwing the network gave “Firefly” (and seems about to give the superb “Arrested Development”), I tune in every week, never miss a moment. And struggle to figure out House’s GMC.

Janet – No power in the ‘verse can stop me!