“…many had found, or were finding, that the point of no return was not necessarily the edge of the precipice: it could be the bottom of the valley, the beginning of the long climb up the far slope, and when a man had once begun that climb he never looked back to that other side.”
—Alistair MacLean
IF THE FIRST Act is setup, then the First Plot Point is the point of no return. This is where the setup ends, and the story begins “for real.” At this point, the character commits—usually because he has no choice—to a decision that will propel him out of the comfortable stagnation of the Normal World and the Lie He Believes.
Visualize a locked door separating the First Act from the Second Act. The First Plot Point is where the protagonist sticks his key in that door and unlocks it. And like Pandora’s box, he ain’t never going to get it shut again.
The First Plot Point belongs around the 20-25% mark.
The First Plot Point ends the setup of your First Act.
The First Plot Point is where your character leaves his Normal World.
The First Plot Point either incorporates or is directly followed by the character’s decision to react in a strong and irrevocable way.
The First Plot Point will usually be a major scene. In a thriller or action story, something’s going to explode. In a romance, this may be where the leads go out for the first time. Whatever event your story demands, take advantage of the opportunity to make this one of its most exciting and memorable sequences.
The First Plot Point will almost always be forced upon your character. Something big and unforeseen smacks him upside the head. It could be something that seems pretty good: graduating (Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game), digging an escape tunnel (The Great Escape), discovering a princess in your bedroom (William Wyler’s Roman Holiday). But likely, it will be disastrous: a murder (Ridley Scott’s Gladiator), a nervous breakdown (The Kid), a dashing of dreams (It’s a Wonderful Life).
Whatever the manifestation, the First Plot Point’s effect on your character’s arc can be found in three important decisions your character must make.
Your First Plot Point needs to be preceded by a strong decision on your character’s part (Dorothy Gale decides to run away from home; Jane Eyre decides to hire out as a governess). This decision leads the character to the First Plot Point, but the decision itself isn’t the plot point. (Refer back to Part 6 of the last chapter for more info on this decision.)
The First Plot Point is then something that happens to your character to upend his plans (landing in Oz; meeting Rochester). It knocks his world off kilter and shakes his equilibrium all to smithereens. It either flat-out destroys his Normal World, leaving him with no choice but to physically travel on (the burning of the plantation in The Patriot) or it warps the Normal World, forcing the protagonist to adapt to new ways of surviving within it (the death of Uncle Ben in Spider-Man).
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.
As such, the First Plot Point must cause one very specific initial reaction. Basically, this is just your character’s decision to react. It’s his decision to go ahead and unlock the door to the Second Act. He doesn’t turn away from the First Plot Point—he moves into it.
Your character will have two basic responses to the First Plot Point. Either he’ll be, “Heck, yeah!”—and charge right on through that door, with no clear idea what he’s really getting himself into. Or he’ll be kicking and screaming as events beyond his control drag him through.
Either way, what’s important is that the character quickly establishes a clear physical goal—based on the Thing He Wants. Usually, this goal will be very clear in relation to whatever’s just happened to him at the First Plot Point. Physically, he’ll have immediate needs that must be met, either in an effort to restore the old “normal” and/or in an effort to find a new normal (as will always be the case when the First Plot Point moves the character to a new setting).
This is the moment when the plot goal fully solidifies. This plot goal will propel your conflict for the rest of the story, until your character either achieves it or decides it was the wrong goal (in which case, he may or may not still physically achieve it).
Just as importantly, this definitive reaction to the First Plot Point will shape your character’s arc. You know you’ve found the right First Plot Point when it drags your character out of his former complacency and puts his feet on the path toward destroying his Lie—even though he probably won’t realize that’s what’s happening and, indeed, may be actively fighting that destination. Whether he realizes it or not, he has committed himself to change, even though he may still be trying to change in the wrong way.
The difference now is that, unlike his comfy Normal World where living by the Lie was de rigueur, his post-First Plot Point life will no longer enable his complacency.
Your character’s arc in the First Plot Point could manifest as:
Thor: Getting tossed out of his majestic Normal World because his Lie has made him too obnoxious—which gives Thor the new plot goal of trying to return to the Normal World.
Jane Eyre: Getting hired as a governess by a formidable new employer—which gives Jane the new plot goal of making both the job and the relationship work.
Jurassic Park: Arriving at the park and seeing real live dinosaurs for the first time—which gives Dr. Grant the new plot goal of exploring every inch of the park.
Secondhand Lions: Discovering Uncle Hub sword fighting in his sleep and hearing the first of Uncle Garth’s stories about their youthful exploits—which gives Walter the new plot goal of learning everything he can about the mysterious Jasmine.
Toy Story: Getting (literally) kicked out of his place of honor by the arrival of the new Buzz Lightyear toy—which gives Woody the new plot goal of trying to regain his top-dog spot.
Three Kings: Discovering a map to Iraqi gold bullion—which gives Archie the new plot goal of finding the treasure.
Green Street Hooligans: Getting caught in the violent crossfire between two rival football firms (gangs)—which gives Matt the new plot goal of fighting with the firm that saves him.
What About Bob?: Traveling to Lake Winnipesaukee to find his psychiatrist—which gives Bob the new plot goal of taking a vacation from his problems.
A Christmas Carol: The Ghost of Christmas Past shows up in Scrooge’s bedroom, forever changing Scrooge’s perception of the world. Even if the ghost should disappear at this point, Scrooge’s Normal World has been forever shaken. But the ghost doesn’t disappear. Rather, it drags Scrooge through the doorway at the end of the First Act and into the Second Act. It forces Scrooge to begin the Second Act with the new plot goal of learning all he can about his own life and the Spirit of Christmas—even though Scrooge doesn’t yet fully realize that is what’s going on. At first, Scrooge’s only goal is to survive the night. But he’s already passed his point of no return: he can never go back to his Normal World. The world itself hasn’t changed, but he has.
Cars: The Thing Lightning McQueen Wants (the Piston Cup) is dragged out of his immediate reach when he is accidentally marooned—and arrested—in the forgotten rural town of Radiator Springs. He had no desire or intention to venture out of his glittering Normal World, and his immediate reaction to the First Plot Point is to form the plot goal of getting his bumper back to Normal as fast as he can rev his engine. But in this new world, all the rules are different. The Lie-spawned behavior he’s been rewarded for previously now gets him into deeper and deeper trouble in Radiator Springs.
1. What major event will slam into your character’s Normal World and force him to alter his original plans?
2. What decision will lead your protagonist to the First Plot Point?
3. Will the First Plot Point seem favorable? If so, how will the complications turn out to be worse than the protagonist expected?
4. Or will this event be obviously disastrous? How?
5. Will the protagonist willingly embrace the First Plot Point and walk into the Second Act under his own power?
6. Or will he have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, through the gateway between acts?
7. Will the First Plot Point destroy the Normal World? Or will it physically remove your character from the Normal World? Or will it warp the Normal World around the protagonist?
8. How will your character react to the First Plot Point?
9. What new plot goal will the character form in response to the First Plot Point?
10. How will the First Plot Point put your character’s feet on the path to his new Truth?
11. How will the First Plot Point create a new world in which the character will be “punished” for acting according to his Lie?
The First Act is about setting up your character’s Lie. From the First Plot Point on, that Lie’s days are numbered. From here on out, the Second Act is about destroying the Lie and helping the character find the Truth that will allow him to combat the external conflict and grow into a whole person. Plan a First Plot Point that will tear away your character’s safety nets and force him to step out into the biggest adventure of his life!