Positive Character Arc Builder | Notion Guide
After initially refusing the Call to Adventure in the Inciting Incident, your character will soon be thrown out of the the Normal World. This happens in the First Plot Point – where the story really begins. The point of no return.
The Inciting Incident needs to spur the character to make a choice before, during, or after the First Plot Point. A story is a series of events and each event should have causality from the one before it. Make the First Plot Point a relevant and natural progression from the Inciting Incident.
In this event, your character’s normal world is either destroyed or the character is swept away from it. This is where change happens for anyone: when they are thrusted from their comfort zone and into a state of unknowns. Use the First Plot Point to force your character into a totally different world where they have to adapt to survive.
The First Plot Point is also what pushes the character to solely dedicate to their Want. After the First Plot Point, your character’s Want is now fully developed and is the main motivation and driving force of the story. Make sure the First Plot Point in your story fully sets up their Want as the plot goal.
In order for the character arc to finally begin, the First Plot Point needs to be the first step for your character towards their Truth. They need to make a choice to cross the threshold.
| Character: | Luke Skywalker |
|---|---|
| Inciting Incident: | Luke discovers a hidden message from Princess Leia while trying to clean R2-D2. This leads Luke to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi where he learns about the Force and its immense power–greater than any kind of technology. Luke initially refuses Obi-wan’s request to join him on his journey to Alderaan. |
| The Lie: | Relying on technology to achieve power. |
| The Want: | Defeat the Empire |
| The Need (Truth): | To rely on his own instincts, accept the help of friends, and trust in something greater than himself. |
| First Plot Point: | After finding his aunt and uncle killed by Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke decides to join Obi-Wan in his journey to Alderaan, fight the Empire, and learn the ways of the Force like his father. |
Caused by the Inciting Incident: Luke finding the message in R2-D2 leads him to find Obi-wan and thus escape being killed by Stormtroopers. The Choice: Luke decides to join Obi-Wan Kenobi off of Tatooine to fight the Empire. Leaving the Normal World: Luke’s aunt and uncle are killed by Imperial Stormtroopers and his home is destroyed. The Want in Full Force: With his uncle and aunt murdered by Stormtroopers, Luke seeks to fight the Empire. Towards the Truth: Luke begins his journey to learn the ways of the Force. |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83qdoL1x77I
| Character: | Peter Parker/Spider-man |
|---|---|
| Inciting Incident: | Peter’s inciting incident occurs at the very beginning of the movie where his identity as Spider-man is revealed and his world is thrown in to chaos. Peter then spends a fair amount of time refusing to face his Lie and grow by trying to fix this problem and take control of the situation. |
| The Lie: | He can be both Spider-man and have a normal life. |
| The Want: | Have a normal life. |
| The Need (Truth): | Realize that he needs to take responsibility for his life and accept his burden of power to help those in need. |
| First Plot Point: | Peter decides to ask for Dr. Strange’s help to conjure a spell that would erase everyone’s memory of Peter being Spider-man. The spell becomes unstable and pulls in enemies from other universes which forces Peter to capture them in order to return things back to normal from even more chaos. |
Caused by the Inciting Incident: Peter’s identity revealed causes Peter to seek drastic solutions in order to fix this, thus leading him to Dr. Strange. The Choice: Peter decides to ask for Dr. Strange’s help. Leaving the Normal World: Peter’s universe is literally unraveling with enemies from the other universes entering his and causing destruction. The Want in Full Force: With his world thrown into even more chaos before, Peter seeks to fix even more problems in order to make his life normal. Towards the Truth: Peter takes it upon himself to find and capture these enemies to send them home. |