The First Plot Point is where your MC needs to answer the call. They were given something during the Inciting Incident, either an idea of a different life or a concrete offer, but they won’t take it (or be forced to take it) until the First Plot Point.
In Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland, states that
“The most important thing about the First Plot Point is your character’s reaction to it. If he just stands there observing, then turns and goes back to his old life, there can be no story. The First Plot Point sets up the series of reactions that will occupy your character for the next quarter of the book, up until the Midpoint” (Weiland, p. 79).
The First Plot Point is the action your MC takes with the knowledge gained by the Inciting Incident:
Pursue a depressed upper-class woman and teach her how to live (Titanic)
Travel through unknown territory to find your sister (Frozen)
Create something that will help you escape imprisonment (Iron Man)
Mail magic jeans to your friends to stay in touch over the summer (The Sisterhood of the Traveling pants)
In the movie While You Were Sleeping, the First Plot Point for Lucy comes to the hospital when she tries to see Peter. She’s turned away from the ICU because the doctor learns she’s not family. Lucy stands outside the ICU doors distraught and whispers to herself “I’m going to marry him.”
A nurse overhears and takes pity on her, allowing her to visit Peter in the ICU. After seeing that he’s alright, Lucy begins to leave but runs into Peter’s family who is a boisterous and lively bunch, which is nothing that she’s used to. When the family finally notices Lucy and asks who she is, the nurse tells the family that Lucy is Peter’s fiancé. Lucy tries to deny it but ultimately goes along with it because the family is so welcoming and doesn’t give her much of an opportunity to speak. By going along with the lie, Lucy answers the Call to Adventure.
Now that Peter’s family thinks Lucy is his fiancé, there’s no turning back, she’s invited into the lives of the Callahans and she meets Jack who she doesn’t realize at the time will become a huge part of her life.
The acceptance of the First Plot Point is what ends the First Act and catapults your MC straight into the First Half of the Second Act, which will comprise most of your story.
If you haven’t already, check out last week’s article on the Normal World. Let’s discuss the First Half of the Second Act next week!
