on Helping Writers become Authors:
Like all the major structural turning points, the Third Plot Point is made up of two halves—which work together to create a scene arc (even though, technically, the entire arc of the beat might be told over the course of a scene sequence made up of many scenes).
The halves that create this arc are important because only together can they create the realistic resonance of cause and effect.
If the Third Plot Point is where the character sinks into a reverie on mortality (or at least the potential failure of his plot goal), there must first be a “high place” from which he falls.
The higher this place, the more striking the plight of the Third Plot Point will be.
Kim's Musings 