It’s time to dive in and talk about the gateway between the First and Second Acts… the First Plot Point! This moment in the story is an important turning point for your MC, so keep reading to find out how to properly write it.
After the Inciting Event, your Flat Arc MC will continue to interact with the other characters and with the setting. However, life isn’t so grand anymore. That pesky Inciting Event keeps coming back to them. Their eyes have been opened to the evil Lie that haunts the Normal World, and they can’t go back to their innocent lives. The Truth ingrained within them is begging to be let out.
In “The Basket of Flowers,” Mary has returned home and is in the midst of a conversation with her father when Amelia arrives to tell them that her mother’s diamond ring is missing and that Mary is being accused of the theft. Mary is confronted by her father in a test (which she passes with flying colors), and he gives her some very wise advice: “It is far better to die for the truth than to live for a lie.”
Mary is later arrested, and several people—including her fellow prisoner—try to convince her to lie and say she stole the ring, to avoid punishment. She refuses, even though it would most likely mean death. Juliette (who accused Mary in the first place) realizes how severe the consequences will be for Mary, and it is hinted that she has begun to regret her deception.
In “Pendragon,” Artos is living in slavery in a Saxon camp. He passes the remainder of the summer there, and into the winter. He tries to search for Adria but to no avail. The Saxons are cruel, and their very nature seems to be calling out to Artos to stand up against them, but he ignores this Call for the time being.
Notice that the Lie keeps presenting itself to the MC at every possible juncture. Though they avoid a full confrontation, it’s only a matter of time before they will have to make a choice. But before this can happen, the First Plot Point arrives, forcing them into an Adventure World where a showdown between the Truth and the Lie is inevitable.
The First Plot Point is found at the 25% point of a story. This is an event that will rock your MC’s Normal World. Remember, the MC will either watch the Normal World be destroyed, witness it being altered, or be forced to leave it. Either way, they’re in the Adventure World now, and there’s no turning back.
The First Plot Point is a gateway between the First Act and the Second Act, as well as a gateway between worlds. Once past this point, your MC will no longer be able to avoid conflict between the Truth and the Lie. This new Adventure World will not let them have a moment’s peace.
Now is the time for the MC to begin their test. Do they really believe in the Truth, or was it just a cover-up? Of course, since this is a Flat Arc, they will have proved their loyalty by the end of the story.
Here are our examples of the First Plot Point:
In “The Basket of Flowers,” Mary’s First Plot Point is when she and her father are banished from the land of Eichbourg. She is, of course, grateful to God for sparing her life, but she cannot help but feel sorrow as she must leave the only home she has ever known.
(Note: Often, the Adventure World is portrayed as a realm of uncertainty—especially when the MC must suddenly leave home, as in the case of Mary. This provides an almost greater amount of fear than if the MC knew what was ahead of them. Uncertainty is always a formidable foe.)
In “Pendragon,” Artos finally has enough when one of the Saxons is about to strike a young girl. He intervenes and ends up fleeing for his life when the Saxons seek to kill him. He is rescued by a kind man, who binds his wounds and gives him some advice. However, Artos still feels as though he’s at the end of his rope. His parents are dead, his sister is gone, his people are imprisoned, and he is now an outcast. Even though he’s been saved from slavery, at least he had food and clothing when he lived with the Saxons. Now he’s truly on his own.
Hanging on to a final shred of hope, Artos makes the journey to a city in the Welsh mountains, seeking help from the king there. He, too, is somewhat traveling a road of uncertainty. He’s leaving the only home he has ever known and going to a huge, bustling city to get help from a man who has no idea who he is and has no obligation to give him anything.
So now your MC is successfully uprooted from the Normal World of the First Plot Point, and on his way into the Adventure World of the Second Act. From here on out, the conflict and action are going to be turned on at full blast. Things are starting to take on a faster pace.
Here are a few more examples of First Plot Points from fiction:
- One of the other giants discovers Sophie’s presence and vows to find her (“The BFG”)
- Wall-E shows Eve the plant, and she immediately powers down (“Wall-E”)
- Will eventually decides to stay and protect the town; Amy decides to leave town without him (“High Noon”)
- Aunt Lucy sends Paddington to London to find a good home (“Paddington”)
Comment below the First Plot Point of your favorite book or movie!