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Recent Posts
The Inciting Incident (Part Two)
We’re still talking about the inciting incident. Last month, I gave you three rules it must do for your story. As promised, here are the last two rules.
- The inciting incident must create a point of no return.
This event, this moment must be irreversible. This happens when:
- a secret is revealed
- a crime is committed or witnessed
- a moral line is crossed
- a promise is made
- a divine calling is heard
- someone dies
- someone enters a new world or realm
- and so on
Examples
Psychological / Emotional
- The Masterpiece (Francine Rivers): Grace agrees to work for Roman.
*This single decision intertwines their lives in life-changing ways.
Action / Suspense
- If I Run: Casey runs.
*There is no undoing that choice.
Fantasy
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Lucy steps through the wardrobe.
*You cannot unsee Narnia.
Faith Journey
- Redeeming Love: Michael obeys God’s instruction to marry Angel.
*From that moment, he cannot return to “normal.”
A true inciting incident changes the story landscape forever.
- And, finally, it must catalyze change.
The inciting incident pushes the protagonist toward transformation—internally and externally.
It should target:
- their greatest fear
- their deepest wound
- their strongest desire
- their weakest point
See how all of your character development from the first chapter will pay off here?
Examples
Character Wounds Revealed
- Redeeming Love: Angel’s trauma colliding with Michael’s love exposes her core wound—self-worth.
*The incident forces her into a growth arc she didn’t choose.
Faith Tested
- The Shack: Mack’s grief and anger confront the mystery of God’s character.
*His worldview is torn open.
Identity Questioned
- The Shunning (Beverly Lewis): Katie discovers the hidden satin baby gown.
*Her entire identity and place in the Amish community are upended.
Good inciting incidents don’t only change circumstances. They change people.
So, let’s put it all together. What makes a powerful inciting incident?
It’s one that:
- Happens early—frankly, the earlier the better—and I know someone is thinking, can it happen off screen? Yes, yes it can.
- Is an external, concrete event
- Disrupts the protagonist’s world
- Launches the main plot
- Creates an irreversible shift
- Catalyzes transformation
- Establishes stakes
- Foreshadows theme
When all these elements work together, the moment becomes the earthquake that cracks open your protagonist’s life and puts the plot in motion.
Think about your current project and tell me your inciting incident. Then ask yourself if you took that out, would the story still happen?
Leave a CommentDeadlines Born – Deadlines Made
Deadlines. The bane of every writer’s existence. “A necessary evil.” “My nemesis.” I talked to an author who changed the internal time clock on his computer just so he could have three extra hours, claiming he was writing on the West coast (USA) instead of where his office was (East coast USA). Writing Without a Deadline (Deadlines Born) Not everyone, however, is writing under a deadline. How does an unpublished or uncontracted author write without a deadline? This takes discipline. An unnatural discipline for some creatives. I’ve heard of authors using their friends as accountability partners. Or their spouse (be careful …
Fun Fridays – March 20, 2026
It’s springtime somewhere. The rabbits are eating your garden. Today, let them make you laugh. Or at least read these to your kids or grandkids. At least they will appreciate the puns! Funny Punny Bunnies What do you get when you cross a rabbit with a leaf blower? A hare dryer! What kind of books do rabbits read? Ones with hoppy endings. Where do rabbits work? At IHOP restaurants! I bought a bunny because everyone needs a friend who is all ears. What do you call rabbits that live at the North Pole? Cold. What do you get when you pour hot …
Lose Your Shoes
Who doesn’t want to be a gifted writer? You know, the next Shakespeare. Or Hemingway. Or Hostetler. Stop laughing. Still, anyone who senses a call from God to write for Him hopes to get really good at it. And the path to the mountaintop, so to speak, will look different for every writer. But we might all do well to take a cue from one of the most reputedly prolific writers in history: Moses. Remember? He literally reached the mountaintop. And thereafter produced writings that are credited to him as “the books of Moses.” Maybe you’ve heard of them. But …
Six Things That Changed the Publishing World
Over the past thirty-plus years, several developments have changed the publishing industry forever. (The first two occurred in 1995.) Amazon.com Dan Balow wrote an excellent piece on this in 2015. It still is quite astounding when you think about it. In 30 years, this little online startup (founded in 1995) became the most dominant online retailer in the Western world. Bookselling will never be the same. Google.com While Google officially did not begin until 1998 (the year they incorporated), it was in 1995 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google as a research project while Ph.D. students at Stanford …