Goal, Motivation, & Conflict


	Goal, Motivation & Conflict The Building Blocks of Good Fiction by Debra Dixon ISBN 0-9654371-0-8 $19.95

Goal, motivation, and conflict are the foundation of everything that happens in the story world. Using charts, examples, and movies, the author breaks these key elements down into understandable components and walks the reader through the process of laying this foundation in his or her own work.

Learn what causes sagging middles and how to fix them, which goals are important and which aren�t and why, how to get your characters to do what they need for your plot in a believable manner, and how to use conflict to create a good story. GMC can be used not only in plotting, but in character development, sharpening scenes, pitching ideas to an editor, and evaluating whether an idea will work.

	Be confident your idea will work before you write 200 pages
	Plan a road map to keep your story on track
	Discover why your scenes aren�t working and what to do about it
	Create characters that editors and readers will care about
	Write a dynamite query letter to an editor

	Introduction If Writing Were Easy, Everyone Would Be Writing
	Chapter One Who, What, Why, and Why Not
	Chapter Two Goal: What Your Character Wants
	Chapter Three Motivation: �The Why�
	Chapter Four Conflict: Caution! Roadblock Ahead!
	Chapter Five Conflict Mascots
	Chapter Six A Closer Look at the GMC Chart
	Chapter Seven Big Black Moments Need GMC
	Chapter Eight Go Ahead, Make a Scene
	Chapter Nine GMC Brainstorming
	Chapter Ten Twenty-Five Words or Less
	Chapter Eleven This and That
	Appendix A Recommended Reading and Reference
	Appendix B GMC Charts

What others have to say about Goal, Motivation & Conflict:

�This book belongs on every fiction writer�s bookshelf. Anyone who has ever had a story to tell and is dying to get it down on paper will find guidance and inspiration in GMC. The presentation is clear, immediate, and relevant to all writers�from novices to seasoned professionals. Experienced author Debra Dixon has done a magnificent job of demystifying the toughest aspect of fiction writing: that of giving a story shape, form, and urgency.�

� Susan Wiggs
RITA award-winning author of 20 books

�Conversational and down to earth, this book takes the mystery out of goal, motivation, and conflict�the three things that, if not done well, will most likely get a manuscript rejected.�

� Library Journal, July 1997

�Regardless of the level of experience, this is a reference book that is a �must have� for any writer. It is easy to understand, yet informative and enjoyable to read. Suddenly it all made sense.�

� Gloria Miller
The Literary Times

�[GMC] is the best, clearest and most fun-to-read how-to book I�ve ever inhaled, and I�ve been reading �em ever since I was knee-high to a yardstick.�

� Alison Cunliffe
The Toronto Star, January 1997

Debra Dixon's photo ABOUT THE AUTHOR

National bestselling and award-winning author Debra Dixon has eight published novels to her credit. In addition to speaking at numerous regional and national conferences, Debra developed and continues to teach a novel-writing course for the University of Memphis as well as one-day writing workshops across the country.

Although she has now �retired� from a successful career as a small business consultant, she continues to serve on the Board of Directors for three corporations, including an international trading company. She lives in Memphis with her husband and son.

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