Unraveling the Mystery of GMCs
Do you struggle to determine your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts? Do you know the difference between internal and external GMCs? I can help unravel the mystery of goals, motivations, and conflicts.
GMCs are the core of every memorable novel because they add dimension to your characters and direction to your plot. Without a true understanding of goals, motivations, and conflicts (internal and external), you risk losing your reader. But that doesn’t have to happen. While GMCs may seem intimidating and overwhelming, it helps to go through the process with a professional. In Unraveling the Mystery of GMCs, we’ll work at your pace, so you can take your time and really understand the lessons.
Unraveling the Mystery of GMCs is a one-on-one class, where we’ll focus specifically on your story. You’ll learn:
-The basics – What are GMCs?
-The difference between a story and a scene goal
-How to determine if the goal is external or internal
-If your characters’ goals are properly motivated
-If your conflicts are strong enough, and more…
We’ll look closely at your main characters to determine their GMCs and ensure they’re strong enough to last the whole novel.
You have a month to complete the assignments but can finish before then. There are three lessons—one for goals, one for motivations, and one for conflicts. Each lesson comes with an assignment and you are allowed three revisions in total. This means you hand in your homework and can redo it after you’ve received feedback with a maximum of three revisions total, not three revisions per lesson. Additional revisions can be purchased if necessary.
About the Instructor: Lynnette Labelle is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader with over eleven years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers.
Lynnette specializes in developmental copyediting and line editing for romance (romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic thriller, contemporary romance, and romantic comedy), mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and YA. She proofreads non-fiction and all fiction genres, cowrites manuscripts, and helps writers create hooky query letters and
strong synopses.
Lynnette has a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She’s a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Romance Writers of America, RWA Online, and Savvy Authors.
When: Now
Cost: $25
Contact Lynnette Labelle at: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com to register.
Editor’s First Aid: CPR for Your Dying Manuscript
Maybe the horror stories about the hard road to publication are keeping you from finishing your novel. Maybe you’ve had one too many rejections with no explanation. No matter what is killing your writing, it’s time to breathe a little life into your manuscript.
Not sure where to start? As a freelance editor, I’m telling you there’s only one surefire way to avoid the dreaded rejection slip—know your craft. And I mean really learn it. Knowing your craft inside and out is the only way to identify and correct the problems in your writing.
Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe you think editing just isn’t your strong suit? Don’t worry. You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll walk you through some of the most common mistakes writers make so you can apply CRP to your dying manuscript.
In Editor’s First Aid, you’ll learn about dialogue dilemmas, plotting problems, and bad beginnings, including:
• The 13 most common dialogue mistakes.
• How to avoid dialogue blunders.
• How to correct episodic writing.
• Understanding poor execution of GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts).
• How to turn up the emotion.
• When (if ever) to add a prologue.
• All about the inciting incident and why it’s the best place to start your story.
Other benefits of Editor’s First Aid include:
• A professional editor to answer your questions.
• Opportunities to have your work professionally edited. (Samples will be randomly selected with a minimum of six critiques.)
• A chance to see real examples of how an editor looks at a manuscript.
When: February 6 – March 2, 2012
Where: RWA Online (www.rwaonlinechapter.org)
Hope to see you there. If not, keep an eye on my website. I’ll probably teach this on on my own later in the year.
Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Do you know how to hook your readers? I mean, really hook them. Do you immediately think it’s all about the first paragraph? WRONG! Well…sort of.
The first paragraph is definitely important. But there’s so much more to hooking your reader and keeping her on the line until the very last page.
In Hook, Line, and Sinker, you’ll learn:
• How a hook can make or break a sale.
• How genre affects the hook.
• How to get the most out of your first line, first paragraph, chapter hooks, and cliff hangers.
• The difference between ho hum hooks and bestsellers.
• How the pros hook the reader and keep ‘em hooked.
Other benefits of Hook, Line, and Sinker include:
• Limited class size (no more than 30 students per class) means individualized instruction.
• Opportunities to submit samples of your manuscript or work in progress for critique.
• Professional editing of your work.
When: September 6-30, 2011 (Loop will open Sept. 1 for introductions.)
Cost: $25 US (International students will have two payments options.)
Registration is open.
Contact Lynnette Labelle at: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com to sign up.
What writers have said about Hook, Line,and Sinker: How to Hook Readers and Reel Them In:
“Lynnette’s Hook, Line & Sinker is a great course that gives a good grounding in the tools you need to keep a reader hooked on your book. She make sense, and gives good examples of the terms you hear all the time from other writing instructors. The difference with Hook, Line & Sinker is you understand it at the end. She also shows you with the samples of your own work when she not only tells you where it’s weak, but offers solid ideas on how to make it better. If you’re serious about your writing this course is more than worth it.” –GK Parker, author, http://gkparkernoir.com
“Thank you for a wonderful workshop. The amount of information I have learnt here surpasses all the other classes and books I have used. I liked the way you facilitated information. (In my day job, I teach high school chemistry, and I know how easily students
lose interest.) I am a logical sequential learner, and your instruction style appealed to my learning style. Your lessons were organized and feedback honest and prompt. And you didn’t make us buy gazillion books, but made us re-read the books we liked and used those as examples instead. Very difficult for an instructor to keep up with all different
readings from the students. I absolutely enjoyed every single lesson and assignment
including interacting with others in this group.” –Ushma Kothari, writer
“I have taken many, many online classes and this one was extremely valuable. Your expertise and teaching style were a perfect mix. The assignments were very doable and even enjoyable. This class came at the perfect time for me and I think what I have learned was one of the vital missing links for me. I wish you offered more classes. Again, thanks for a great class.” –Suzanne Purvis, writer
“Your approach and format were the best I have seen in RWA. By that I mean, setting up the topic, reviewing published and favorite work as examples, having participants submit WIP examples, and then editing them. The final step, reviewing other people’s
submissions, just added frosting to the cupcake.” –Katina Drennan, writer
“From a former teacher’s perspective, your notes are clear, concise and to the point. I have taught a multitude of methods classes to young aspiring teachers and your work is spot
on. I have learned A LOT and I like the way you explain the hooking process, give examples (you can tell I’m a math geek)…………and the lessons: finding examples in what has been read plus applying the context of what you’ve had put out to model and react to is great.” –Laurie Bumpus, writer
Contact Lynnette Labelle at: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com to save a spot now.
