How to Identify and Create an Inciting Incident in Your Novel
If you’ve ever been hooked by the very first twist in a novel—the moment everything changes for the main character—you’ve experienced an inciting incident. This is the event that catapults your character out of their ordinary world and into the main conflict of the story. Without it, there’s no story—just a character going about their life with no reason to change.
Whether you’re writing fiction or memoir, understanding and crafting a compelling inciting incident is crucial. Let’s break it down.
What Is an Inciting Incident?
The inciting incident is the event—big or small—that disrupts your character’s status quo. It introduces the central problem or goal that will drive the rest of the story.
It often happens within the first 10–15% of your book, but it’s not just about early placement. It’s about impact. The inciting incident sets the trajectory for the entire narrative.
Examples:
In The Hunger Games, Katniss volunteering for Prim is the inciting incident.
In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley’s arrival sets the Bennet family into a flurry of new possibilities and tensions.
In memoir, it might be the day you received a life-changing diagnosis, lost a job, or met someone who altered the course of your life.
How to Identify the Inciting Incident in Your Story
If you already have a draft, here are some questions to find it:
What’s the moment my main character’s “normal” life is interrupted? This could be external (a letter arrives, a storm hits) or internal (a sudden realization or decision).
What event launches the central conflict or goal? Without this moment, would the rest of the story happen? If not, you’ve found your inciting incident.
How does it force my character to act? The inciting incident demands a response—your character can’t just ignore it.
How to Create a Strong Inciting Incident
If you’re still planning your story, here’s how to make the moment land with impact:
1. Make It Unignorable
The event should be disruptive enough that your character must take action. This doesn’t mean it has to be dramatic—it can be subtle—but it should feel urgent and unavoidable to them.
2. Tie It to Your Character’s Core Desire or Fear
The most powerful inciting incidents tap into something your character deeply wants or desperately wants to avoid. This connection raises the emotional stakes.
3. Hint at the Bigger Story to Come
The inciting incident doesn’t need to reveal the entire plot, but it should point toward the journey ahead. Think of it as a door opening—your reader can’t see the whole hallway, but they know there’s something beyond it.
4. Create Immediate Tension
Conflict drives stories. Your inciting incident should create friction—either between characters, within the protagonist, or with the world around them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Starting too late: If your inciting incident happens too far into the book, readers may lose interest before the story gets moving.
Making it irrelevant: The event must connect directly to the main plot. If it’s just exciting but unrelated, it won’t carry the narrative.
Failing to raise stakes: If the incident doesn’t matter to your protagonist, it won’t matter to your reader.
The inciting incident is more than just the “first exciting thing” in your story—it’s the spark that ignites the entire plot. Done well, it pulls readers in, sets the tone, and gives your character a reason to embark on their journey.
Ask yourself: What event in my character’s life changes everything? Once you’ve found it—or created it—you’ll have the foundation for a story readers can’t put down.
If you want more help identifying the right starting point for your story, my Manuscript Review service offers in-depth feedback on your plot structure, pacing, and opening scenes so you can hook readers from page one.
