{"id":823,"date":"2023-11-14T14:21:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T14:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=823"},"modified":"2023-11-14T14:21:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T14:21:05","slug":"the-flat-arc-first-plot-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/?p=823","title":{"rendered":"The Flat Arc First Plot Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s time to dive in and talk about the gateway between the First and Second Acts\u2026 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-824\" style=\"width:233px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-1639x2048.jpg 1639w, https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-tobias-bjorkli-2360687-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Inciting Event, your Flat Arc MC will continue to interact with the other characters and with the setting. However, life isn\u2019t 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\u2019t go back to their innocent lives. The Truth ingrained within them is begging to be let out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary has returned home and is in the midst of a conversation with her father when Amelia arrives to tell them that her mother\u2019s 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: \u201cIt is far better to die for the truth than to live for a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mary is later arrested, and several people\u2014including her fellow prisoner\u2014try 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u201cPendragon,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice that the Lie keeps presenting itself to the MC at every possible juncture. Though they avoid a full confrontation, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The First Plot Point is found at the 25% point of a story. This is an event that will rock your MC\u2019s 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\u2019re in the Adventure World now, and there\u2019s no turning back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are our examples of the First Plot Point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u201cThe Basket of Flowers,\u201d Mary\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Note: Often, the Adventure World is portrayed as a realm of uncertainty\u2014especially 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.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u201cPendragon,\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2019s been saved from slavery, at least he had food and clothing when he lived with the Saxons. Now he\u2019s truly on his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are a few more examples of First Plot Points from fiction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One of the other giants discovers Sophie\u2019s presence and vows to find her (\u201cThe BFG\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\n<li>Wall-E shows Eve the plant, and she immediately powers down (\u201cWall-E\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\n<li>Will eventually decides to stay and protect the town; Amy decides to leave town without him (\u201cHigh Noon\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"4\">\n<li>Aunt Lucy sends Paddington to London to find a good home (\u201cPaddington\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Comment below the First Plot Point of your favorite book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time to dive in and talk about the gateway between the First and Second Acts\u2026 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.<\/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-823","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\/823","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=823"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":826,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823\/revisions\/826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}