![\"\"](\"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/The-Flat-Arc-Inciting-Event-1-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLike the Normal World of the Positive Change Arc, the Flat Arc Normal World will also be driven by the Lie. But unlike the Positive Change Arc MC, the Flat Arc MC is not going to be comfortable living in this world. They may be settled for the time being but, deep down, they are disturbed by the Lie-driven world around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take a look at two things to consider when writing a Flat Arc Inciting Event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The Call to Adventure<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Just like in a Positive Change Arc, the Flat Arc MC will receive some sort of beckoning towards the main conflict. That might come in the form of a hint at trouble to come, an exhortation to fight the villain, or a warning from the antagonist himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the MC will brush off this Call for the time being. They might not see the threat as a real thing, or they might try to hand off the problem of the main conflict to some other person. It\u2019s not as though they\u2019re not heroic\u2026 they just don\u2019t see the main conflict as their responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary\u2019s Call to Adventure is when she encounters Juliette for the first time. Mary\u2019s rejection to the Call is her passiveness towards Juliette, rather than standing up for herself and Amelia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn \u201cPendragon,\u201d Artos\u2019 Call to Adventure is on a much broader scale, since the story itself is bigger. The Saxons attack and destroy the village, killing Artos\u2019 parents. Artos can\u2019t find Adria, who has seemingly disappeared, and he and the remaining survivors are forced into slavery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can clearly see Artos\u2019 passivity in this part of the film. This is one of his \u201cdoubting\u201d moments. He completely succumbs to his new life, and accepts his fate. However, he hasn\u2019t given up hope in God\u2014he\u2019s just doubting the present situation. Everything that happens to him up until the First Plot Point acts as a Call to Adventure, urging him to take up the task God has given him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- \n
- The challenge<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Along with the Call to Adventure will come a challenge to use the Truth to oppose the Lie. Perhaps the conditions of the Normal World suddenly get worse, or perhaps the MC\u2019s eyes are opened to the grip of the Lie on the Normal World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the MC will again brush off this challenge as not their personal responsibility. They\u2019re definitely loyal to the Truth, but they\u2019re content to keep it more to themselves, rather than spreading the Truth to the world around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary\u2019s challenge comes at the exact moment as her Call to Adventure. When Juliette confronts her, Mary suddenly comes face to face with a harsher side of the world than she has seen before. However, she doesn\u2019t yet see it as her duty to fight the Lie with her Truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn \u201cPendragon,\u201d Artos\u2019 challenge is also somewhat of a smack in the face by reality. One moment, he\u2019s living a comfortable life with his loving parents and sister, and the next moment, his parents are dead, his sister is missing, his home and village are destroyed, and he is forced into slavery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now the doubts come raining down. His vision was always to protect his village, and now\u2026 what can he do? He\u2019s just a slave. He sees all this oppression, and it should<\/em> spur him all the more towards his Goal. But it doesn\u2019t. Somehow, it\u2019s not enough to fully engage him in the war towards the Truth and the Lie\u2026 in fact, he is all the more passive about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nHere are a few more examples of Flat Arc Inciting Events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Sophie sees the BFG, who kidnaps her and takes her to Giant Country (\u201cThe BFG\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Wall-E meets Eve (\u201cWall-E\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Will receives word that Frank Miller is coming back (\u201cHigh Noon\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The storm destroys their house; Paddington\u2019s uncle dies (\u201cPaddington\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Comment below the Inciting Event of your favorite book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today, we\u2019re talking about the next plot point in a Flat Arc\u2026 the Inciting Event. This happens after everyone and everything has been introduced, and the audience has been properly hooked. Right in the middle of the First Act, an event will take place that will momentarily disrupt the MC\u2019s Normal World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,5,4],"tags":[24,26,29,100,23,33,27],"class_list":["post-808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flat-arcs","category-plots-and-character-arcs","category-writing-tips","tag-character-arcs","tag-characters","tag-christian-writing","tag-flat-arcs","tag-plots","tag-protagonist","tag-writing-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=808"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":810,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions\/810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- The storm destroys their house; Paddington\u2019s uncle dies (\u201cPaddington\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Will receives word that Frank Miller is coming back (\u201cHigh Noon\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Wall-E meets Eve (\u201cWall-E\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Sophie sees the BFG, who kidnaps her and takes her to Giant Country (\u201cThe BFG\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- The challenge<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n