K.M. Weiland

Absolutely. But your foremost job is hooking readers. If you intend your character to be generally likable, despite his faults, start with that. What do you like about him? What scene can you craft to highlight that? He doesn’t have to be nice in this scene; he just has to be interesting. Ron Clement and Jon Musker’s Treasure Planet opens with its rebellious teenage protagonist demonstrating his skills and courage aboard his “solar surfer.” The Kid opens with its protagonist acting like a complete jerk, but his snide comments are so nasty (and accurate) that viewers can’t look away

Think big. If your character’s chief virtue is his compassion, don’t settle for having him pat a stray dog. Have him run into NYC traffic just to cross the street and see why a little girl is crying

Although optimally, you’ll be able to work your character’s Lie right into the Characteristic Moment, sometimes doing so just won’t be possible. You can only keep so many balls in the air while still maintaining logic within the plot, which means you may occasionally have to postpone the introduction of the Lie until you’ve crossed off a few of your beginning’s other requirements. However, that said, you need to introduce the Lie as quickly as possible. The Lie frames your character arc—and thus your entire story. Readers need proof of your character’s weakness in order to understand what he will have to overcome

Don’t settle for anything less than spectacular for your Characteristic Moment. This is your opportunity to create a fun and effective scene that will introduce readers to your character in a way they’ll never forget—and from which they won’t be able to look away

Think of the Normal World as a symbolic representation of your character’s inner world. The Normal World dramatizes the Lie the Character Believes. It empowers the character in that Lie, giving him no reason to look beyond it. Only when the Normal World is challenged or abandoned at the First Plot Point is the protagonist’s belief in that Lie shaken.

Here’s the important thing about the Inciting Event: Your character doesn’t much like it

But it’s too late! The Inciting Event has already changed the character. In ever so small a way, it has changed his awareness of himself, his world, and his problem. For the first time, he begins to realize he has a problem. He probably won’t be able to name that problem just yet. But suddenly he’s got an itch. The familiarity of his old world isn’t quite so comfortable anymore

The sturdiest timing for your story’s Inciting Event is halfway through the First Act

The First Act ends when the character makes a decision. He decides to do something about that annoying Inciting Event that bumped into his life a few chapters back. In essence, he is deciding to step through the doorway between worlds. He’s about to leave his Normal World (perhaps literally, perhaps metaphorically) and enter a brand new world of adventure, full of challenges he’s never before faced and which he will never again be the same after having overcome. This will propel him into the First Plot Point

IF THE FIRST Act is setup, then the First Plot Point is the point of no return