The First Plot Point (Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 5 of 12)

The First Plot Point is a linchpin in narrative architecture. This pivotal moment thrusts the protagonist into a new and irrevocable direction. Positioned around the 25% mark, it serves as a seismic shift, propelling the tale from the initial groundwork of the First Act into the uncharted territory of escalating tension and conflict.

This juncture marks the end of the story’s setup and catapults characters and readers alike into the heart of the narrative arc. By introducing a significant development (often a challenge or revelation) that forces the protagonist to confront the core conflict head-on, the First Plot Point drives the story forward with a cascade of consequences. As a catalyst that shapes the plot’s trajectory and sets the stage for the ensuing drama, it is one of the most critical cornerstones in storytelling.

What Is the First Plot Point?

The First Plot Point signals the transition from the setup of the First Act into the full-on immersion of the Second Act. Up to now, the story has focused primarily on setting the stage and laying the groundwork for what will follow. From here, the story will use this foundation to create the back-and-forth drama of the characters pursuing their goals and confronting obstacles.

The First Plot Point kicks off the main conflict by ensuring that two potent ingredients fuse to create the alchemy of plot. The first of these ingredients is your protagonist’s plot goal. Although the main plot goal may have been explicit throughout the First Act, it is more likely to have originated in this early section of the story as a vague or unformed desire. This could also be expressed to readers by dramatizing circumstances that need to change for your characters.

As the protagonist progresses through the First Act, and especially the Inciting Event, this desire or need will emerge more and more explicitly. By the time the First Plot Point arrives, the motivation will coalesce into a concrete intention that urges the character forward. This intention will continue to evolve over the course of the story as the character arc refines the character’s inner perspectives. What happens at the First Plot Point should create a cohesive throughline of intent to generate this forward momentum.

For Example:

In Ever After, the protagonist’s throughline goal is always saving her family’s farm, even as her desires in her relationship with Prince Henry evolve over the course of the story. Her intentions about the farm motivate and influence her every action in the relationship.

In order to create the plot conflict in the Second Act, the second necessary ingredient that must come into play at the First Plot Point is antagonistic opposition. When we speak about the necessity of “conflict” in a story, what we are really speaking about is the necessity of the character’s forward progress toward the goal being impeded by obstacles. When we speak of the “antagonist” or the “antagonistic force,” what we are really speaking of is whoever or whatever consistently creates those obstacles.

The true significance of the First Plot Point is that it is the moment at which the protagonist’s goal and the antagonist’s opposition join inextricably. In some stories, the antagonistic force and its obstacles may be present in full force right from the beginning of the story, in which case it is the protagonist’s full commitment to the goal that initiates the conflict at the First Plot Point. In other stories, the protagonist may be fully intent on the goal much earlier but does not fully confront opposition to that goal until the First Plot Point. In still other stories, neither the protagonist’s goal nor the antagonistic force’s opposition become fully realized until this moment.

Regardless, the First Plot Point signals a shift out of the Normal World of the First Act. It moves your characters into the symbolic Adventure World of the Second Act, in which they will discover what is at stake if they remain committed to their goal. It is important to note, however, that even should the characters at some point regret their decision to pursue this goal in the face of opposition, they cannot go back to the way things were. The First Plot Point is symbolically a Door of No Return.

By committing to the plot goal and discovering opposition from the antagonist, the protagonist’s choice here changes things. Even in low-stakes stories, the characters’ choice at the First Plot Point will permanently change either themselves or the world around them. Often, this will be dramatized by a change in setting. The character will literally switch “worlds” by moving to a new and more challenging setting. In other stories, in which the main setting remains the same, this can be signified by introducing new elements into the existing setting.

For Example:

In Legally Blonde, the ditzy protagonist is accepted into Harvard Law School. Up to this point, her attempts to get her boyfriend back didn’t create permanent change in her life. By deciding to follow him to law school, the actions she takes forever alter the trajectory of her life—no matter what happens next.

Where Does the First Plot Point Belong?

The First Plot Point occurs around the 25% mark, signaling the end of the First Act. As always, this timing represents an ideal and will be subject to the unique pacing needs of each story. What is most important in timing your First Plot Point is ensuring the preceding First Act has enough space to fully develop and lay the groundwork for the story to come without belaboring events.

Why place the First Plot Point at the 25% mark? Why here and not at the 10% or 40% mark? If you’ve ever watched or read a poorly plotted story that skipped or postponed the First Plot Point, you probably instinctively perceived the story was dragging. Without the turning point of the First Plot Point, the First Act will drag on too long—or, conversely, if the First Plot Point takes place too early, the Second Act will drag.

If you pay attention while watching a movie, you can time the major plot points down to the minute. This makes film an especially valuable medium for studying structure since you can view the entire story structure in one sitting and precisely identify structural beats by dividing the total running time into eighths. You can, of course, also do this with books. Divide the total page count by eight and note what happens near each section. Just remember that the timing in a book will not likely be as precise as in a shorter medium like film.

>>Click here to read structural breakdowns in the Story Structure Database.

You won’t always know exactly where the timing of a specific plot beat falls within your overall story until you have finished it, although you can create rough projections by evaluating how many scenes will take place in each section. However, once you have completed your story and can evaluate the timing of every structural beat within the whole, you can use the timing of the First Plot Point to evaluate whether the first half of the Second Act is proportionally too long or too short.

People often wonder if the First Plot Point is part of the First Act or the Second Act. My view is that the First Plot Point can more properly be seen as a transitional zone between the two. Continuing with the doorway metaphor, we can think of the First Plot Point as a portal between the Normal World and the Adventure World.

Although considered a single beat, the First Plot Point can comprise many scenes forming a cohesive sequence. Particularly if the events of your First Plot Point are shattering and/or you are dramatizing a large-scale action scene, you may require more than a few scenes to realistically create the event you’re trying to convey. I generally time structural beats at the moment the character changes within the larger scene or sequence. In the First Plot Point, this is when the protagonist’s goal becomes inextricably entangled with the antagonist’s opposition. This is the moment from which the protagonist cannot return, the moment when there is no going back.

The Difference Between Plot Points and Beats

You may sometimes hear the term “plot point” used to reference any moment of change or impact within a story. However, I prefer to use “plot point” to refer exclusively to structural moments of change within the story. Although your story will feature only a specific few structural turning points, it can have any number of beats, some relatively minor, some shockingly huge. Beats are what keep your story moving forward. They mix things up, keep the conflict fresh, and propel your character far away from any possibility of stagnancy.

For Example:

The movie Changeling features several cataclysmic beats in the First Act (including the kidnapping of the heroine’s son at the Inciting Event, the return of the wrong boy, and the police department’s insistence that she accept the child anyway) before her decision, at the First Plot Point, to fight back against the corrupt police department.

What differentiates a structural plot point from every other story beat is the fact that everything changes for the character. One reason I capitalize terms when referring to significant structural moments in the plot structure is to emphasize that these beats are particularly important. The First Plot Point marks a place of no return for your characters. It is the beat when the setup ends and your protagonist crosses a personal Rubicon.

Examples of the First Plot Point From Film and Literature

Pride and Prejudice: After the ball at Netherfield Park, Darcy and the Bingley sisters convince Mr. Bingley to return to London and forget his growing affection for Jane. Much has already happened in the story. Jane and Elizabeth have stayed over at Netherfield. Lydia and Kitty have become enamored of the militia. Wickham has turned Elizabeth against Darcy. And Mr. Collins has proposed to Elizabeth. Then everything changes at the 25% mark when Darcy and the Bingleys leave. This is the event that breaks Jane’s heart and infuriates Elizabeth against Darcy. It also changes the story’s landscape, since several prominent characters are no longer in the neighborhood for the Bennets to interact with as they did throughout the book’s first quarter.

It’s a Wonderful Life: Throughout the first quarter of the story, George Bailey’s plans for his life have progressed uninterrupted. Despite his misadventures in Bedford Falls, he’s headed for a European vacation and a college education. Then the First Plot Point hits. When his father dies of a stroke, George’s plans are dashed. This moment forever changes George’s life, setting the subsequent plot points in motion. As in Pride & Prejudice, the standards that have been established in the story are dramatically altered. This is no longer a story about a carefree young man freewheeling around town. From here, this is a story about a man forced to assume responsibility by taking over his father’s beloved business.

Ender’s Game: The quarter mark finds Ender graduating to Salamander Army after a victorious confrontation with the bully Bernard. Ender’s assertion of brains, tenacity, and leadership allow him to claim his spot at Battle School. He makes it clear to himself, the other children, and the watching instructors that he will do whatever he must to survive. This First Plot Point also changes the game (no pun intended) by once again moving Ender to new surroundings. As a member of Salamander Army, he is dropped into a new place, new quarters, and a new set of challenges.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: After refitting the Surprise and heading back to sea to look for the French privateer Acheron, Captain Jack Aubrey is confident everything will go according to his plans. He is thrown for a loop by the First Plot Point. Instead of the Surprise finding the Acheron, the captain wakes to discover the enemy bearing down on his much smaller ship. Not only is his victory at risk but now he and his crew are in danger of being captured. They scramble to escape, and the game of cat-and-mouse that will comprise the rest of the film begins in earnest.

Top Things to Remember About the First Plot Point

The First Plot Point occurs around the 25% mark. The First Plot Point is an event that changes everything and becomes a personal turning point for the main character. The First Plot Point almost always changes the story so irrevocably that even the character’s surroundings (either the physical setting or the cast of supporting characters) are altered. The First Plot Point is something to which the main character must be able to react strongly and irretrievably.

The First Plot Point is one of the most exciting moments in any story. Choose a robust and cataclysmic event to which your characters must adamantly react. Hit readers so hard at the end of the First Act they won’t even think about closing the book.

Stay tuned: In two weeks, we’ll talk about the First Half of the Second Act.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! What happens at your story’s First Plot Point? Tell me in the comments!

Related Posts:

Part 1: 5 Reasons Story Structure Is Important

Part 2: The Hook

Part 3: The First Act

Part 4: The Inciting Event

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