Your goal is to find the tick that catapults your protagonist into unavoidable action. You’ll know it when you get there, because you’ll feel a strong tug of forward momentum—a sense that your protagonist must act and must act now. Keep the clock ticking until you get there. Don’t be afraid to try this again and again until you get a tick that has everything it needs—the overarching plot problem, the main ticking clock, the third rail. Once you’ve nailed that tick (could be your third or fourth or seventh tick—there’s no prescribed number), you’ll be ready to delve into the opening scene of
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