So, you’ve successfully hooked your readers in. You’ve used the first part of your story to world-build, introduce characters, and provide necessary information. But now that that’s over… what next? The answer to that is the Inciting Event, which we’re going to talk about today.

Depending on the pacing and size of your story, there might be some space in between the Hook and the Inciting Event. As I said before, you’ll use this time to further inform your readers. The actual Inciting Event will then occur at about the 12% mark.

(Note: These percentages are not as important in longer stories, since you have a little more wiggle room as far as pacing goes. But in short stories, you’ll want to make sure that your pacing is spot on, or it may throw the entire story off. If you really want to get technical, you could calculate what page number each plot point would land on. But, at the very least, I would suggest keeping these percentages in mind as you write.)

The Inciting Event (also called the Inciting Incident) is a significant turning point in the plot, though it won’t be as huge as the First Plot Point. In plot terms, it’s the Call to Adventure. In character arc terms, it’s the character’s first hint that their Lie will no longer work. Your MC may view the Inciting Event as a mere bump in the road—a slight setback on their journey to their Want. However, as the First Plot Point will reveal, the Inciting Event is only the beginning.

If you have any background in plotting, you may have heard of something called the Key Event (not to be confused with the Inciting Event). Even though they sometimes occur simultaneously, the Key Event and the Inciting Event are two separate plot points. However, for the sake of simplicity, we’ll leave the Key Event out of this series for now.

Coming back to the Inciting Event, let’s take a look at how to construct this plot point:

1. The Call to Adventure

Basically, something will happen at the Inciting Event that gives the MC a choice. Will they accept the challenge and dive headfirst into adventure? But something holds the MC back… it could be indifference, fear, or annoyance. They’ll brush aside this Call to Adventure and continue on their own path. Yet, though they may not admit it, they won’t forget the Call. It will stay with them in the back of their mind as a warning of the conflict to come.

Now, you might be thinking, “My MC loves adventure. There’s no way they’d refuse the Call.”

But it’s not as though they’re refusing adventure itself… they’re just refusing this specific adventure. And, on top of that, they might not even realize it is an adventure. They might just think they’re refusing a job offer or a friendship.

It could also seem to the MC that refusing the Call will lead to a greater adventure. Indeed, the Call might look very boring and mundane at first.

In “Beyond the Mask,” the Hook and the Inciting Event flow seamlessly together (which is often the case for movies). When Will quits the EIC, Charles Kemp tries to assassinate him—and seemingly succeeds. However, Will survives and assumes the identity of the vicar who died saving his life. Instead of coming forward with the evidence that could put Charles behind bars, Will decides to wait things out.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad quite literally runs into Reverend Sheppard on his way to the factory. Upon pressing, the reverend learns a bit about Tad’s plight, and takes an interest in the boy. The Call to Adventure he offers Tad is simply an invitation to breakfast.

2. The hint

Up until now, the MC has been quite confident—and even proud of—their Lie. They don’t seem to realize that the symptoms they’re experiencing are directly caused by this Lie. Those who believe the Truth amuse, irritate, or even enrage the MC.

However, the Inciting Event will cause them to question this. Maybe… just maybe, the Lie doesn’t work after all. Perhaps the Truth really is the answer. But, just like the Call, the MC will brush this hint off very easily. Yes, the Inciting Event causes them to think, but they haven’t gone through nearly enough that would make them actually reconsider believing the Lie.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Will’s new identity puts him in the acquaintance of Charlotte Holloway, a young Christian woman. They immediately take a liking to each other, but Charlotte’s talk of her faith goes against Will’s Lie. Instead of rethinking the Lie, however, he simply puts it aside and instead focuses on his growing relationship with Charlotte.

In “In Time of Need,” Reverend Sheppard speaks to Tad about accepting help from God, and how mankind needs God’s help. While Tad rejects this belief, it stays with him as he continued on his way.

3. Tying the two together

Since both the Call to Adventure and the hint come about through the same series of events, they’re already tied together. But as we’ve gone through our examples, you may have noticed that the MC’s decision in one regard affects their decision in the other regard.

They may reject the Call to Adventure because of their belief in the Lie. They may reject the Truth because they foresee the conflict that could come out of it. In order for our story to flow smoothly, the plot and character arc have to be joined together.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Will leaves the EIC because of his belief that he can redeem himself, and he chooses not to come forward about Charles for fear it will mess with those plans.

In “In Time of Need,” Tad rejects Reverend Sheppard’s offer to help because of his Lie that he doesn’t need help.

4. The main conflict

As many writers have said, the Inciting Event does not introduce the main conflict… it only introduces the steps to that conflict. Even if the character were to accept the Call, that wouldn’t necessarily mean that they would immediately be plunged into the main conflict right away. Rather, if they continued to pursue the conflict past the Call, they would find themselves in the middle of this conflict.

That’s why, in many books and movies, the Call to Adventure is portrayed as some kind of warning or clue. If the MC were to accept it, they would still have to follow the clue to its end to reach the main conflict. This allows for immediate entrance into the main conflict as soon as the First Plot Point arrives.

In “Beyond the Mask,” Will’s choice to withdraw into hiding pulls him away from Charles and the main conflict (though it sets him up for a surprising return to that conflict at the First Plot Point).

In “In Time of Need,” Tad’s choice to refuse Reverend Sheppard’s help means that he remains defenseless if Mr. Beasley would decide to pull a fast one (which, as we’ll see, he does).

5. A false sense of security

Now that your MC has rejected the Call and the hint that their Lie is invalid, they think they can go merrily on their way toward their Want. But, as the Call has indicated, all is not as it seems. Soon enough, the First Plot Point will hit them in full force, causing them to careen into the 2^nd Act with no control over the plot.

Here are a few more examples of Inciting Events:

1. Messala asks Judah to help him rout the Jewish rebels; Judah refuses (“Ben-Hur”)

2. Carl meets Russell; Carl is taken to court and forced to sell his house (“Up”)

3. George’s father dies (“It’s a Wonderful Life”)

4. Riley moves; Sadness touches a memory (“Inside Out”)

(Note: The plotting in both “Up” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” are a bit different because of the uniqueness of the stories. This is why there is so much space in between the movies’ Hooks and Inciting Events. In both cases, there is much to be introduced during the First Act, shoving the Inciting Event closer to the First Plot Point. But, as we’ll see throughout this series, deviating from plot structure sometimes actually works—as long as it’s done very artistically and carefully.)

That’s all I’ll say about the Inciting Event for now. In two weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the First Plot Point, the gateway into the 2^nd Act.

Comment below what your favorite Inciting Event is!