Review: Goal, Motivation, Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction, Debra Dixon
Gryphon Books, 1996
164 pages, ISBN: 0-9654371-0-8

The Bottom Line: A must have. Solid basics from an experienced author. Great for beginning writers in particular.

I bought this book at a Deb Dixon workshop, and the professional, playful tone of the workshop mirrors the tone of this book. It’s broken down into useful sections with examples, explanations, and cautions concerning developing GMC in your book. Most new writers will probably feel like they have stumbled upon the holy grail of romance writing, but for experienced authors it’s also a nice reminder of the fundamental elements of our genre.

Probably my only complaint about the workshop or the book (I always have to have one, don’t I?) is the use of movies as examples for constructing GMC. While on one hand I can appreciate how a film provides a kind of visual example or distilled version of a book that can make things visible, it doesn’t necessarily help a writer – especially a beginning writer – envision or understand how the principles we observe in a movie are carried over into the process of writing. This proved true at our workshop when people asked for book examples of what she was explaining, and those examples were so useful and memorable – but you can’t ask the author for that kind of clarification as a reader. At the very least, since we are talking about romance, romantic movies could have been used, not action-adventure, etc. (I also may be the one person on the planet who really doesn’t get into The Wizard of Oz at all, so that may have something to do with my crankiness on this issue.).

Still, the book is one that should grace every romance writer’s bookshelf. While the book seems to do the thing that most romance writing books do, tagging on a section about submitting and selling, that addition is miniscule and there is enough great advice in the rest of the book that it’s worth reading through at least once, and returning to again and again. The definitions of what conflict is may seem basic, but they are extremely valuable, and the explanations of structuring multiple goals and internal/external conflict are clear and useful. I particularly appreciate Dixon’s reminders that while she is creating a template for figuring out GMC, complete with charts and lists, she also provides creative exercises and states that there are always exceptions to rules. Each writer brings their own interpretation to how they use her advice.

Unless otherwise noted, content on this site is Copyright © of Samantha Hunter. This site may not be reproduced without express permission from Samantha Hunter. Harlequin and Harlequin Blaze are trademarks of Harlequin Enterprises Limited.