S2 E15 – Breaking your Story in Five Easy Steps – Part 4 – What's the Inciting Incident?

Many writers get confused about what the Inciting Incident is, and where it needs to happen in the story. Here's a definition that I've found helpful, along with a few key tips.

 The INCITING INCIDENT is something that happens that draws your character into the main conflict of the story and launches them on their journey. Some key things to keep in mind:

1. It's not the first event to occur in the story, which may just be setting up the larger conflict in the world. The Inciting Incident is whatever occurs that draws your main character in the conflict. (Ex. In the film Armageddon, there's a giant asteroid hurtling towards earth, but that is NOT the inciting incident. The inciting incident is when a Nasa guy approaches Bruce Willis's character to help save the world as a deep core driller).

2. There needs to already be something going on in the world at large BEFORE the inciting incident happens. Likewise, your main character needs to already be pursuing something PRIOR to this event. The inciting incident basically hijacks their prior goals and gives the main character a new mission.

3. The inciting incident is what gives your main character his want - what he needs to pursue for the rest of the story. Everything unfolds according to what your character must do to achieve his goal.

4. This means the inciting incident needs to be something significant or important enough to raise the stakes and sustain the action of the story. It should be so important that it causes the character to act in ways he would not otherwise choose to do - but the stakes are high enough to warrant taking radical action.

5. Finally, it needs to something that happens in the present tense. It can't have occurred in the past. Otherwise, it begs the question, why is the character taking action NOW. It needs to be justified.

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SPECIAL THANKS to CARLA PATULLO for the original music used in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to  www.carlapatullo.com

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