Act 1: Introducing Plot

Starting your plot can be one of the hardest parts of writing your story! As an editor and an agent, I’ve heard a several times, “But wait, the story really picks up on page XX.”

But unfortunately, when you only have a few pages before a reader (or editor or agent) loses interest and moves onto the next book in the TBR pile, setting up your plot in an engaging way can be the difference between a DNF and grabbing reader interest. 

Quick recap:

• Act 1 is the first 15-25% of your book. It introduces the main character before pulling them into the heart of the story.
• Act 2 is the bulk of your story. This is where your main character works to achieve their goals, is opposed, and then tries harder.
• Act 3 is your ending. This is where your main character overcomes their problem, rights their wrongs, etc.

With Act 1 only comprising a small chunk of your book, you don’t have that much real estate to work with yet you have oh so much of your plot to set up. Think about when you are reading the first act of a book. In that Act 1, you want to get a sense of where the story is going, a sense of what the conflict is going to be. This is establishing your plot. 

Rather than starting your story on just another ordinary day, open your story with an event. Get your story moving. This doesn’t necessarily mean action (though it could), but this event should have the potential to set a chain of events in motion. This is your hook. This is something dramatic that catches the attention of the reader. After your hook, you will want to include some exposition and buildup before your inciting incident. Because plots are built on conflict, this sets up the Before part of your book. It grounds your reader and gives your main character something to return to (or run from) after the story. Expand on your main character’s world. Give your readers a taste of what is to come. 

Your Act 1 contains the inciting incident, which is not synonymous with the hook. In the inciting incident, something in the main character’s world changes. They get a chance to change their current status quo. They are presented with new dangers to overcome. They are presented with some clarity or realization that they must act. Your inciting incident kicks off your plot. It gives your main character a path to follow. The inciting incident informs your reader of the main thrust of the plot, and ideally this happens in the first 30 pages or so. 

Let’s take a look at two famous lines from inciting incidents:

“Yer a wizard, Harry.” – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“I volunteer as Tribute!” – The Hunger Games

After you’ve kicked off your plot with an inciting incident in those early chapters, your character is ready to go on their quest. Maybe. Possibly. Okay, not quite ready yet. It’s important to point out that many characters don’t initially accept the call to adventure that the inciting incident forces upon them. They might resist. They might struggle. And they should. Don’t make it too convenient for your characters. Make them work for it. Make them struggle. Don’t just provide them with a map, a sidekick, and a magical sword and send them on their way. Give them obstacles and answers that might solve one problem while creating another. Give them stakes. 

Stakes are the why of your story. Stakes are why this story and your characters’ actions matter. What happens if the hero cannot save the day? What happens if they fail? Depending on the genre, stakes can be global and gruesome like an epic fantasy or a crime thriller. But personal stakes can be just as compelling when they are attached to an equally compelling character. Books focused on personal stakes are the so-called “quiet” books, which I believe is a bit of a misnomer. I’ve been known to scream about and stress out a lot while reading “quiet” books just as much as I have books with more global stakes. And guess what? Your story can include both global stakes and personal stakes. 

After a few scenes, your inciting incident will lead to your First Plot Point. The First Plot Point is the point of no return that thrusts the main character into Act 2. Sometimes the inciting incident and First Plot Point might be the same event if there is some great force or extreme stakes. But the main characters who initially resisted that initial call to adventure in the inciting incident now have to answer that call as a result of raised stakes. They are forced to engage with events or risk far greater consequences. After the First Plot Point, it’s onward to Act 2! 

Now, you might be wondering about that prologue that you’ve inevitably been playing with. Where does a prologue fit into all this? To be completely honest, I love prologues. *cue groans from literally every publishing professional* And to be completely honest, I am in the minority of publishing pros who likes prologues. And for good reason. There are a lot of… ahem… not great prologues out there. Most stories do not need a prologue, but a lot of authors feel compelled to write one. Most of the time, this is a result of not knowing how to effectively weave backstory into the body of a novel. Sometimes this is the result of overestimating the importance of certain expositional details. These are all easily and conveniently dumped in a prologue. But sometimes, just sometimes, your inciting incident can occur in a prologue and can thrust your main character into the heart of the story—before the main character even knows it! In cases like that, a prologue piques readers’ interest and starts the story on a compelling note. But most of the time? You probably don’t need that prologue. I know, I know, I’m sad about it too.

The hook, the inciting incident, and the First Plot Point are the plot elements of your Act 1. Remember, Act 1 will have several expositional scenes between them. How many depends on your audience, genre, and your unique story!