Source: http://www.blondiemarie.com/blog/firstplotpoint
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 11:04:38+00:00

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First Plot Point: Antagonistic forces fully come into play here, defining the goal, stakes, and obstacles for the protagonist. This is the first time the meaning and implications of the antagonistic forces are seen.
I found myself thinking about the idea that we have spent weeks upon weeks talking about the story and the main characters, and we've only gotten to the villain now. It's an important part, right? Why are we just now only talking about him/her/it? And I came to this conclusion -- the villain, like all other parts of the story -- serves a purpose. And at this point in your story the villain's purpose becomes apparent. Can you start thinking about your story's antagonist prior to now? Of course you can; in fact I encourage it. But with regards to your story's structure and outline, the villain should fully appear somewhere around 25% of the way through the book.
An important note here: This isn't the first time we should be hearing about your antagonistic force. Remember Theme Stated? The problem that initially arises in your story should parallel the antagonistic forces. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, for example, the initial problem Harry faces is that he must navigate this new wizarding world, after previously only knowing the Muggle world up until his birthday. Coming to terms with his title as The Boy Who Lived, and the fame that accompanied that title, only happened because Voldemort cursed him when he was a baby. While Voldemort may not have been on the page in the first chapter of the novel, he was certainly there.
​What is the First Plot Point?
I lightly touched on it in last week's post, but this is where the bad guy shows up. in the Debate, we talked a little bit about the antagonist forces at play in your story. In part, we discussed that the main character must take an action toward solving the problem that presented itself. The First Plot Point is, in part, a response by the antagonist to this first action.
There are a few points I want to make here. First, there will be several instances in your story in which your character will fail. The proposed plan will face roadblocks and potholes. In part, these obstacles will come from your character's actions. Nobody is perfect, an all actions have consequences (good and bad). But some will come from outside forces, and this is what I mean when I refer to "antagonistic forces."
Second, there are (typically) four categories of conflict: man v. man, man v. nature, man v. self, and man v. society. If "man" is your main character (whether they are male, female, or another species of creature entirely), then the other factor is your antagonistic forces. In some instances, this may be another person/creature (v. man), and in some cases it may be something else (v. nature, v. self, v. society).
The antagonist's job in the story is to oppose. It is to block progress from the main character. It should also be noted that, as inspired by the 3-Act structure, this first major obstacle in the story is coming from the outside. It comes from the antagonistic force. Other obstacles should come from within the main character's journey through the story, but this first one comes as a response to the character's Debate.
We're now at the end of the first section of The Story Map. If you've been powering forward through this template, congratulations. A lot of the exposition and goal-setting is established, and much of the rest of The Story Map is developing these themes and character qualities throughout the rest of your story. Right now, take a breath. Close your word document or notebook. Take a moment and reflect back on the work that you've done to set your story and to contemplate where you believe your story is headed from here. Perhaps you'll even start writing.
What is the Story Map?

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