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Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Deb Dixon...the Queen of GMC
On
Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a road trip to Naples, Florida to attend Deb Dixon’s “Book in a Day” Conference. It was all about GMC or "Goal, Motivation and Conflict", which is the bedrock of genre fiction writing.
I
ended up getting one of the best writer tips I’ve ever heard. It's a tool to use when you’re
stuck or struggling with how to start a scene. The lesson has you answer
specific questions in the point of view of the character.
1.
What do I see before me?
2.
What do I feel?
3.
What do I hear?
4.
What do I smell?
5.
What do I taste?
6.
What’s the light like? (sunny, cloudy, fluorescent light, dark)
7.
What is it that I want?
8.
What do I think?
9.
What happens next?
10.
What do I do?
HOLY
COW!!! It’s so simple, but so effective. I’ve been struggling with the opening
of Book 2 in my Heiress Games series for a long time. I even skipped ahead and
started working on Book 3. Well, I finally got an idea and applied the
questions. And IT WORKED.
Here
are the questions with my answers.
Q: What
do I see before me?
Killian: Sexy red thong on the floor just inside the front door.
Q: What
do I feel?
Killian: Confusion
Q: What
do I hear?
Killian: One of Jackson’s “making love” songs is playing on the surround
sounds speakers. (Jackson is his best friend, a singer)
Q: What
do I smell?
Killian: Rain coming in on the breeze with the storm clouds
Q: What’s
the light like?
Killian: Dark, swirling clouds behind me. Bright artificial light in
front.
Q: What
is it that I want?
Killian: To find out where the panties came from.
Q: What
do I think?
Killian: I think my teenage son hasn’t learned a lesson yet.
Q: What
do you do?
Killian: I set out to teach the lesson, once and for all.
AND
here is the opening scene...
Killian
Rafael de los Santos O’Connor spotted the panties the moment he walked in the
door. How could he not? The bright red thong lay against the gleaming marble
tile in the foyer like a tiny cape meant to entice a bull.
He stared
down at skimpy piece of fabric, as a thousand questions racing through his mind.
Where had
it come from? Why had some woman dropped her panties by the door? How had the
fool women managed to get past, not only the massive gates that guarded his
property, but inside the house? Where was she now? And even more
important…where was his 'son' now?
A roiling
bank of dark clouds was approaching at Killian’s back, bringing the humid scent
of a summer storm. The clouds were already obscuring the sun, turning the sky
from a glorious blue to furious grey ready to unleash a downpour.
Which
seemed pretty fitting since Killian was about to
unleash holy terror on the most likely culprit of today’s crime…his fifteen-year-old
son, Rafe.
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That was a worthwhile road trip, Kristin. I love the scene!
ReplyDeleteLovely scene! The tips/questions are great too. I'm writing them down write now and planning to use them. Thanks!
ReplyDelete