Where to start your story/book?
And what is an inciting incident?
Personally, I feel most professional writers are far too critical of themselves. As long as you’re writing something readers will find useful, they will certainly be forgiving of the inevitable flaws in a work.
Here’s a post from best selling author Jerry Jenkins that I hope you will enjoy:
Wondering where to start your story/book?
Chances are, you already have engaging scenes planned—exhilarating battles, passionate romances, and life-changing adventures await your main character (or yourself if you’re writing a memoir.)
But to get to these valuable plot points, you have to actually begin your story.
Trust me, I know how hard that can be.
Does every line you write seem silly? Does every predicament in which you place your character turn out boring? You want to get to the good stuff in your story, but even just starting has you writing in circles!
If you’re bored with your opening, your reader will feel the same, maybe ten times over. A dull first chapter guarantees you’ll lose readers in no time.
I don’t tell you this to scare you away from writing your book. In fact, I come bearing a solution: grabbing readers from the get-go with The Inciting Incident.
An inciting incident irrevocably changes things for your character—it forces them to act now or face dire consequences…
The inciting incident in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes when Lucy steps through the wardrobe into Narnia and is plunged into an adventure she cannot ignore without losing everything.
In The Hunger Games, the inciting incident comes when Katniss volunteers to substitute for her sister Prim as a tribute. Once Katniss raises her hand, there’s no turning back.
And the inciting incident of Pride and Prejudice occurs when Mr. Darcy rejects a dance with Elizabeth, sparking in her a flurry of emotions she can’t seem to shake.
View the inciting incident as the lit fuse to your stick of dynamite. It grabs attention and keeps readers engaged until the big boom.
Getting this right can be tricky. To start your story with a strong inciting incident, keep these tips in mind:
1. Have it occur early and unexpectedly — Nobody wants to wade through chapters before anything interesting happens. Get your inciting incident in there early enough to keep readers turning the pages.
This goes double for memoirs and other nonfiction. It’s a rookie mistake to tell your story chronologically, as this often delays the action and bores. Get right to the heart of the adventure.
2. Make it life-changing — Your inciting incident should be beyond your main character’s control and change them so dramatically that they cannot return to normal life without acting.
3. Make it meaningful — Your story’s theme (the message you want your reader to gain) should shine through your inciting incident.
Crafting the most evocative inciting incident takes time, so be prepared to return to it and rewrite it as many times as you must.
Good luck!
Jerry
P.S. If you need a boost to get started, enroll in my Confidence Jumpstart course! Click here to get all the details and start your writing this year with a plan.
Oooooh, this is gold dust! Thanks, Laura! 🙌