The Inciting Event is one of the most crucial turning points in story structure. It can either make or break your narrative. Many writers, however, struggle with its intricacies and timing. Is the Inciting Event the initial brush with the main conflict? Is it a Call to Adventure met with refusal? Where does it belong […]
November 8, 2021 by 62 Comments PodcastThe Two Halves of the Inciting Event
Stories are made of scenes. By one of their simplest definitions, scenes are transitions. They signify a change of some sort—an arc. They start in one place (whether a physical place or an abstract “place”), and they end in another. This is how we determine whether something happens in a scene and whether it “moves […]
September 14, 2020 by 76 Comments PodcastThe Crucial Link Between Your Story’s Inciting Event and Climactic Moment
We talk about story being an arc, but in many ways it is more of a circle. A well-constructed story is a seamless whole in which its two halves reflect each other. We see this clearly in classic story structure, and perhaps nowhere more crucially than in the link between a story’s Inciting Event and […]
June 25, 2017 by 21 Comments Beginning Your BookHow to Ace the First Act in Your Sequel
Part 15 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel Sequels are special. On the one hand, they still must follow all the same basic rules of good storytelling. But on the other hand, they both simplify and complicate various aspeof that approach. While the burden of introducing important elements (characters, settings, conflicts) is […]
January 2, 2017 by 89 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 55: Beginning Your Story Too Late
Story beginnings are fraught with important decisions. But perhaps none of those decisions is more important than the question of when to begin your story. Too early or too late—either one can prevent readers from engaging with the story and obsessively reading on to find out what happens. Perhaps the more common mistake is beginning your story […]
October 31, 2016 by 43 Comments Outlining Your Novel4 Ways to Write Backstory That Matters (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 5)
There are two equally vital parts to any story: the part you see and the part you don’t. The context and subtext. The story and the backstory. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to outline for NaNoWriMo (only one day away!) or just needing a game plan for your next work-in-progress, one of the most […]
March 22, 2015 by 101 Comments Structuring Your NovelYour Book’s Inciting Event: It’s Not What You Think It Is
What the heck is the Inciting Event? That’s a question just about any writer can answer. The trouble is that sometimes we all have a different answer. Is the Inciting Event the first thing that happens in the story? Is it the moment that kicks off the plot and the conflict? Is it the First Plot […]
January 18, 2013 by 19 Comments Structuring Your Novel5 Elements of Story Structure
A few years ago, on the West Side of Manhattan, a rusting hulk of elevated railroad tracks metamorphosed into a promenade called High Line Park. Its transformation soon turned the Meatpacking District, through which it passes, into one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York. If you go visit the park, you’ll see a relatively new hotel called The Standard, […]
March 25, 2012 by 73 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 5: Inciting Event and Key Event
The first quarter of your story hinges upon two important and irreversible moments: the inciting event and the key event. I’ve saved our discussion of inciting and key events until this late into the series because these events can take place at any number of the structure points we’ve already discussed. Now that we’ve got a sense of […]
March 18, 2012 by 69 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 4: The First Plot Point
Stories are a series of scenes. Some of those scenes are expected, some of them are even purposefully repetitious for the sake of emphasis. But some scenes change everything. These game changers are the plot points. They introduce significant elements and events that alter the subsequent course of the story. Your story can have any […]
