Writing magic burst forth superseding my plan for the first pinch point. As Eisenhower constantly said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Plans help me prepare, but when the actual situation arises, I must be flexible and adapt.
The plan had called for the first pinch point to be a moment when the protagonist faces another obstacle trying to feed the baby dragon. She confronts the obstacle, devises a solution, and implements it. The details would come with the writing.
Then, the magic happened. As I wrote the setup, catastrophe struck. The protagonist was suddenly in peril for her very survival. Danger descended on her and she had to act to save herself. She was left traumatized. This was so much better than what I had planned.
The first pinch point is a reminder of the antagonistic force’s power to thwart the protagonist and sets up events in future plot points. There are multiple antagonistic forces in this story. This writing magic moment revealed that I was using the wrong antagonistic force, one that was not the main antagonistic force of the story.
I will adjust the plan for the midpoint and second pinch point to better align with my new understanding of the main antagonistic force, yet still have the protagonist struggling against the other antagonistic forces.
Every day, the story gets better.