ESSENTIALS OF ACT 1
1) Exciting Opening
2) Set Your Story Up
3) Inciting Incident and Hero’s Hesitation


Exciting Opening

• From the start of your story, you want to grab the reader and introduce your protagonist or antagonist.
  
  

• Whatever your genre, Set the Tone of it!
  
  
• Hook In Your Audience Right Away!
  
  
  
  

Set Your Story Up

• Set up your main characters.   Think about their wants, their problems, and the world they live in now before it all changes.
  
  
• Show, Don’t Tell!
  
• Meet the main characters who will forward the story.
  
  
  
• Give each main character a strong introduction and make them distinct and interesting. Each main character should have a specific attitude, and no one should sound the same.
  
  
  

Inciting Incident & Hero’s Hesitation

• The inciting incident is THE THING that will forever change their lives and push the story forward.
  
• Your main character doesn’t necessarily know that the inciting incident will Rock their World and push their lives in a new direction.
  
  After the inciting incident, the hero will often hesitate to accept change. Your hero may be latching onto their old world, even though it’s best for them to enter a new one.