Getting stuck (and unstuck)

My latest obsession is working on my second novel, which has the working title: Rick and Emily. It is a contemporary romance, but the main emphasis of the story is the redemption of the characters, in particular the protagonist, Rick.

Rick is a young pastor whose drive to succeed leads to inappropriate expressions of anger towards his new wife, Emily. Will Emily choose the lonely path of self-respect or remain in a familiar, yet on occasions abusive, situation? Will Rick persevere in the uncomfortable path of growth necessary to win back his pregnant wife’s trust before their child is born?

I chose to write the story from the perspective (point-of-view: POV) of two characters: a married couple called Rick and Emily. In general, the POV alternates between chapters. Rick emerged as the stronger voice and his growth is predominant, although Emily and a number of minor characters also experience growth.

After the excitement of beginning the novel, I found myself stuck around the 20,000 work mark, unsure of how to progress the plot. A book that I purchased on Kindle around the same time helped to climb out of my pit of uncertainty: Goal, Motivation, Conflict (GMC) by Debra Dixon. In the introduction she outlines it in simple terms, Goal = what, motivation = why and conflict = why not. GMC is further divided into external GMC, the outward actions of the character that create the plot, and internal GMC, the inward longings and wounds that interact with the plot to create character growth. Drawing up a table outlining the external and internal GMC for Rick and Emily helped me to gain greater clarity about where I was heading. I have since written several thousand words and feel like things are starting to come together.