Goal, Motivation, Conflict: Creating Compelling Characters with Carmen Catena

Chances are, you remember and/or reread your favorite books because of the characters. Because they made you feel something. Because you cared about them. Ever wonder how authors do that?

It’s all about the characters’ GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict

Debra Dixon has what I consider to be an excellent primer on the subject, aptly titled GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. But here’s the gist: The most compelling stories have the most compelling characters, and character and plot go hand-in-hand, as we’ll see when considering the external vs. internal in your story.

You can have a story that works that relies more heavily on one or the other; it all depends on your genre. For most genre fiction, however, the most compelling stories and characters have both. 

A clear GMC helps guide the reader through the story. That’s why I recommend writers have an idea of their protagonist’s GMC before they start writing. For plotters and pantsers alike, character is at the heart of a compelling story; knowing your protagonist’s goals and motivations will lead to better plot (external) arcs and character (internal) arcs. 

Goal

Goal is simple: what does this character want? On the external side, it’s something tangible. Something that can be touched, seen, tasted, or measured. On the internal side, it’s what they need to feel or learn; it’s emotional. If they achieve their internal goal by the end, that’s a positive change arc. If they don’t, it’s probably a negative arc. Look to K.M. Weiland for more excellent resources on these types of character arcs. 

The external goal must be meaningful and urgent. Meaningful enough that the character is willing to undergo hardship to get it—otherwise, they could just ignore it or say no, and there would be no story—and urgent enough that they can’t put it off until next year. Otherwise, why are we getting this story now? 

A strong external goal equals a strong plot. So, naturally, this will vary depending on your genre. A work of literary fiction can (and does) do without much happening externally, but a strong plot is necessary for genre and commercial fiction. 

The external goal can also change over the course of the story. The protagonist could begin the story wanting one thing, but then, when the inciting incident and/or midpoint happens, new information shifts their goals. Or they have to achieve mini goals throughout the story to face the big goal by the end. This is great—as long as it’s clear to the reader.

The internal goal, however, typically doesn’t change, because it’s tied to the character’s deep-seated, emotional need—what they need to feel fulfilled, whole, or complete. This need is something that’s perhaps been brewing long before the story starts—and the external plot of the story is designed to push the character toward this internal goal. 

Motivation

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie or show where the character does something completely out of left field that left you confused and maybe even angry? That probably had to do with an inconsistent or missing motivation. 

This also is where “unlikeable” characters come in. Most readers are pretty forgiving of characters with “unlikeable” traits IF they understand where they’re coming from. That’s why we read fiction, after all; to experience something through someone else’s eyes. But we must understand the motivations. 

This is also where readers suspend their disbelief. If we can understand why a character must make a certain choice or take a certain action, we can suspend our disbelief for something a bit outrageous. This is crucial for reader buy-in, especially in a thriller or horror novel, where a story is typically grounded in our realistic world, but some rather unrealistic things happen.

The motivation element is also tied to the stakes of the story. James Scott Bell says that death should be at stake—whether it's a literal death, an emotional death (the end of a relationship, for example), or a professional death. In other words, the protagonist should stand to lose something. Otherwise, what’s keeping them motivated to achieve their goal for an entire story?

Conflict

If the character achieves their goal on page one, there’s no story. They need conflict to keep them from getting what they want/need. Externally, this takes the form of the antagonist (who, by the way, can also benefit from a GMC to keep them from being a one-dimensional Scooby-Doo villain!).

A strong external conflict keeps the plot moving; a strong internal conflict provides a satisfying character arc, whether it’s positive or negative. 

Conflict doesn’t always need to be battle scenes and explosions. Conflict is an obstacle; it’s whatever stands between your protagonist and their goal. Conflict also tests your protagonist, pushing them along their internal arc as they move through the external plot.

GMC in Action (Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Character: Nora

External Goal: To complete her sister’s bucket list with her. Her sister is the most important person in her life, making the goal meaningful. Libby is pregnant and this must be completed before she gives birth, making the goal urgent.

Internal Goal: To find love, be loved, and find companionship in a partner.*

External Motivation: She thinks her relationship with her sister is at stake; she thinks her sister is pulling away.

Internal Motivation: She’s lonely.*

External Conflict: Completing the bucket list will take her away from NYC and her job, and the list is made up of things she doesn’t want to do that are the opposite of everything she likes and stands for.

Internal Conflict: Her misbelief that her romantic attachments lead to disaster and that men don’t want a woman like her because they want the Hallmark Heroine.

*These are subconscious, especially at the beginning of the story. That’s typical; it’s often not until the second half of a story that the protagonist might recognize the internal need, because of what’s happening externally.

In a more plot-driven story, you won’t have as much of an internal arc:

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Character: Noemi

External Goal: To travel to High Place to check on her cousin Catalina and figure out what strange things are happening there.

External Motivation: Her father promised she could attend graduate school if she does this (something he’d denied her until this point). She also cares about her cousin, with whom she used to be close.

External Conflict: The Doyles don’t want the secrets of High Place revealed and are willing to go to drastic lengths to preserve them.

From the beginning to the end of Mexican Gothic, Noemi doesn’t really change. She starts as a strong heroine, and ends that way, too. It’s her strength that allows her to survive in the terrifying High Place and defeat it and the Doyles in the end. That’s not to say she isn’t an interesting, unique, or well-written character, but Mexican Gothic isn’t about Noemi’s personal growth or journey. She doesn’t need to overcome anything internal in order to triumph in the end (but she certainly has to overcome something external).

Many stories in the mystery/thriller genre will follow this type of structure, which we can refer to as plot-driven rather than character-driven. These stories can still contain three-dimensional characters, but their internal arcs might not be driving the story.

The Takeaway

I recommend writers begin with their protagonist’s GMC and go from there, but once you’ve nailed that, I highly recommend strong GMCs for every major character—antagonist, major secondary characters, and any POV character—to keep the story compelling from a high level. It makes a huge difference in the emotional experience of the story, which is really why we read fiction!

It's also important to consider genre when developing your GMC. For example, in your classic detective novel, the protagonist (the detective) might not have much of a character arc. They may or may not; it depends on the type of story you’re writing. But they certainly will have a strong external GMC! If your detective/sleuth doesn’t have a strong conflict, that is a boring mystery story indeed.