As the protagonist resists engaging with the external plot. the First Quarter Debate powers the first act of a novel.
It sounds dull, but freelance editor and BookTuber Ellen Brock frames the difficult first quarter as an essential part of story-telling.
The Essential Debate
Brock calls this the Debate phase of the story. The Inciting Incident destroys the protagonist’s status quo with a life changing event or an external threat. The ‘ordinary world’ destroyed, there’s no going back. This is where they debate (internally, externally or both) what to do next.
The character typically is in denial. The first instinct is restore their status quo and resist the Call to Adventure.
In Brock’s Debate phase, there are no easy choices, only a decision to make; which of the undesirable, difficult and unavoidable paths to take.
The protagonist has to face reality, acknowledge the stakes, and weigh the choices, until the First Plot Point crashes in and forces a decision.
In Star Wars, Luke wants to leave Tattooine but won’t out of loyalty to family. With the attack on the farmstead, the path to join the Rebel Alliance opens.
While the trigger is an external event, the Debate centers on the internal character struggle. Why won’t they engage with the plot? What’s holding them back?
No time for debate
If you start in the middle of the action as I do, the disruption of the status quo or ordinary world already happened. My protagonist walks one of those difficult, undesirable paths. Yari is on her solo quest. So what is the focus of the first quarter debate? In Yari’s mind, she needs allies, but trusts no one. Driven to pursue her mission alone, Yari knows she needs help. How far is she prepared to go? What is she prepared to sacrifice?
The external plot drops like a hammer. She has no easy choices. What does she do?
First act needs enough set up to provide the conflict for the debate. Not enough, you get a dull first act, too fast into the debate, audience doesn’t care.
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