The chosen one is a great inciting incident, but another that sticks out is the loss of a close friend/family member. Or, in the case of Puss in Boots, his 8th death.
Wrath of Khan, when Chekov realizes what planet he’s on too late and gets captured by Khan. Not just b/c of the return of a classic Star Trek villain and the prospect of an inevitable confrontation with Kirk, but also because at this point we know Kirk is feeling old and worn out and he will need to overcome that to ultimately beat Khan.
@@linusl8252 True. The best books are the ones that people take their time to write them and come up with different characters and people, no matter who they are, mustn't rush writing books.😉
I"m currently editing and after hearing that "Don't let the inciting incident be dangerous for anyone but the protagonist" I realise that's exactly what I needed to do, and I went back to brainstorm the inciting incident. It's now crazy more powerful, and the stakes are far lower. And I LOVE that. Thank you for the inspiration.
@@theseriesofheroesrise2149 It's a YA Light Fantasy about a girl whose dad is a famous hero. Her story is about trying to escape his shadow and make a name for herself. The Inciting Incident I originally had was "Her refugee camp is attacked by local radicals". Which wasn't very personal, so I realized I had to change to "She desperately tries to prove herself, and a respected mentor publicly shames her for her failure." stakes are far lower, but it feels more like a reason why she'd leave to make a name for herself.
@@kcmisulis425 Cool! In 2022, a book series called Heroes Rise: Kingdoms Restored is written by me and it too is a fantasy about **In the faraway kingdom of Avaitopia on Planet Zolderon, peace is disrupted. Princess Laura’s evil and conniving uncle, Loren, joins forces with the ferocious giant rat-like grodents to overthrow her father, King John, and seize power. There is no time to waste. The kingdom’s security and tranquil way of life are under threat. Lives are at stake.** **The intrepid princess and her band of loyal followers’ journey to the Crystal Mountain where the Great Fox guards the Power Crystal, source of life on Planet Zolderon. The perilous quest to save Avaitopia is fraught with setbacks. Danger lurks in unexpected places. It’s up to Laura to put things right - even if it means facing a particularly obnoxious and oversized cat, deadly vipers and malevolent raptors along the way.** You can find it on WWW.AMAZON.COM and if you would like, follow me. I'd appreciate that (if you like reading). Thanks!🌹♥️
I’ve stumbled upon your channel at the perfect time. I’m about 70 percent done with my book. My story has the clunky foundation and solid plot points needed for any book, but man am I excited to go over it again and polish it up.
Hi Abbie! I’m currently reading your book, 100 Days of Summer. For context I’m a 30 yo male and it would not be the normal type of book that I would read, but I want to compare your writing to your advice and see how it effected your story. I had been in a loop of constantly editing and rewriting the science fiction series I’ve been working on and your videos as of late really helped me! To the point where I finally asked my mom and some of my friends/ sister’s husband to be my beta editors for the first book in the series. Thank you so much for your advice! It really means a lot to someone like me, a little too shy and unsure to even try and publish the book before. Oh and by the way, your book is really cute. I love it! I’m assuming Tessa and you have a lot of similarities haha.
That's why I tried 100DOS, too. I'm more a fantasy reader than a romance reader, but I had to try it. Then I had to get Best Christmas Ever. The books are just too irresistible.
I'm so glad to hear that! Seriously, your kind words mean THE WORLD to me 🥹💕 I'm so happy my videos have been helpful and inspiring to you on your writing journey. Best of luck with your science fiction series, I'm sure it will turn out amazing!
I think the inciting incident happening as soon as possible really can vary from book to book. For example, for my character in my novel, I have to show what her daily life looks like (very chaotic, reckless, and unstructured,) for her inciting incident to mean anything. If I had the main inciting incident happen in chapter one it would be boring because you wouldn’t understand why it means anything to my character. I have about 3 chapters of set up that make the inciting incident the most it can be, while still keeping those three chapters relevant to the plot and exciting to read. Execution is key, guys.
I think that's true with any story. It really all depends on what kind of story you are writing. Sometimes having a inciting incident soon is great, sometimes the reader will need a little background story first, sometimes the inciting incident happens really soon but then you need to explain the world so how it's resolved actually makes sense. I think saying that detailing a character's everyday life is Always off limits is not such great advise. It honestly depends on the story. I've read plenty of mystery novels in which the writer doesn't waste any time with the daily details of the main character and the story just seemed shallow and the character seemed very 2D. Likewise, I've read fantasy novels in which the writer went into too much detail and I was tempted to start skipping parts.
I agree, it can definitely vary from book to book. It's vital to spend those first five minutes setting up the character's internal conflict and making us care about them as a person, so as long as that first chapter is helping us see who they are, what they want, what they're afraid of... I'd say you're off to a powerful start 😍
@@AbbieEmmons Thank you so much, glad to hear we are on the same page haha! This is the first novel I believe I’m actually going to finish and publish and your writing tips have been helping me get to this point for years. Thank you so much Abbie!!
I enjoy a little later inciting incident IF there is lots of mystery and breadcrumbs hidden in the status quo that lead up to the inciting incident.. I think Harry Potter book one and The Hunger Games book one.
I’m just barely past my inciting incident right now.I started watching your channel and my story changed. My story started with the main characters too late making them side characters. My second version went so fast it could only end up with 150 pages at the max. I am making the conflict so that you are curious for a chapter and the next one everything unravels. I love watching your videos and imaging what my plot structure would look like and if it seems smooth. It helps me understand things and what actually would make me interested in reading it. I went from getting bored of my book and it being something I wouldn’t read to me wanting to read more.(even though I know what happens next)
I’ve already written my inciting incident and when I saw this I knew I needed to watch it to make sure I had done it right! Luckily it seems I have thank you for this video Abbie
Once again, you’ve uploaded a video advising on the exact struggle I’m going through. I don’t know how you got access to my Google Docs but please let me know what you think of my screenplay next time you’re in it.
Thank you for this video. I read almost everywhere that the Inciting Incident should be around 12 or 15 percent. I struggled with this, because in the story I'm currently writing it naturally presented itself on like page 5. Your video made me realize that I was about to create filler and boring stuff... to excite my readers at 15% into the book. But they would never reach that point because of the filler haha! You have my subscription❤
My favorite inciting incident is in The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang when the MC learns in the very first scene that she is to be married off to a merchant by her foster parents, and she does everything in her power to escape it.
Loved this! I am in the middle of outlining my "official inciting incedent", though because it's a series and of all the things I want to happen( and following your three act story structure..), it seems I have at least 3 inciting incidents that trigger each other😅💕 Thanks for all your tips and advice!❤
Great video! I would personally argue that you don't need the inciting incident to happen immediately, provided that what's happening is engaging, creating questions and intrigue, and necessary to the story. If you have to rely on the inciting incident to have any sort of interest from the reader, then I personally think that you're probably doing it wrong. Idk, just my two cents. What you said about asking 'what does your character not want to confront' really piqued my curiosity. I had to pause the video and ask that question of each of my characters, and it really helped me to understand them better.
I paused my novel to write some prequel novella's. I wrote is more like a pantser and I'm on to chapter six already and I still didn't figure out the inciting incident. Thanks for the thought provoking questions. It helped me clarify what I need to do now. Thankfully I don't have to ditch the 13k + words I already wrote but it will be something that happens before that I can put in my prologue that pushes my character to make the decision to move back to Shanghai form Paris where she'll end up being forced by her family into a business based marriage.
Yesterday, I saw the movie Meet Joe Black. I loved how a couple of 'serious incidents' occurred (a heart attack, speaking with Death, a flirtation, a lethal accident) in the first scenes. But then: Protagonist X sees Antagonist Y at an unexpected place and time, and THAT sets the story of. It's a clever film, I liked it. (Anthony Hopkins playing another great role.)
I LOVEEE writers life Wednesdays!! Looking forward to this vid bc I always end up stuck on the inciting incident…hoping this one will give me insight into what it should look like with my screenplay!
You and your advisers are AWESOME! Thank you!! I am doing the dos and not the don'ts! I didn't know the dos but I am enjoying writing and again, thank you, Abbie! You rock!❤🎉
My protagonist's first introduction is waking up in the middle of the street without her memories. She believes she must retrieve them and makes that her goal, but she ends up getting involved in magical shenanigans and that goal slowly shifts. I don't know if that counts as an inciting incident, but there are stakes and it triggers her inner conflict, so I guess it does?
Interesting. I just finished the first draft of a similar story. One thing that worked for me if you want to try is include a small prologue of the protagonist before her memories were erased. This worked for me in my story because you got to know what it was the protagonist forgot and what it would mean to get them back. That helped show why this problem was unique to THIS particular character and not just bad because nobody wants their memories erased.
@@TheDoctor398 Oh, I did add a prologue, but in a different way, so your idea is actually quite helpful! I also want to touch on the theme of how our memories shape us and how it affects her when interacting with others, because she wants to keep it secret. Thank you for your suggestion!
Firstly, thank you for your great videos. I'm currently working on my debut novel and I think the inciting incident of my heroine turned out quite well (at least I like it). She is still a child and loses her parents in a werewolf attack. This not only traumatises her, but also causes her to struggle with herself, as she is also a shapeshifter.
In the novel I am currently pitching at a publisher, the inciting incident (invasion of slavers), the internal conflict (not the Chosen One), desire (help his people & prove himself),flaw (too young and eager) and obstacle (father forbids only son to fight) of the main character are all on page one. Guess that's why they already liked my first 50 pages and asked for the full manuscript! So good call here Abbie :)
My protag's inciting incident is being bitten by a vampire. He's a young single guy approaching 30 with no money and a boss who dislikes him and no real direction in life because he sees no way out of his mundane uneventful present. So i basically give him what he wanted but in a way he would never have asked for.
Love this video!! And my favorite example of a great inciting incident, is the Hunger Games, where the MC 's sister gets drawn to be in the hunger games.
I do this thing in my story where it LOOKS like the inciting incident happens in chapter 1, but the REAL inciting incident happens in chapter 3. My hook was the main character deciding to leave his comfort zone; to risk it all and run away, following a plan that might not even work. But then chapter 3 happens, and instead of going a ~*little bit*~ out of his comfort zone, all of his life plans crumble around him in an instant. And although this inciting incident affects all my main characters, it affects them in very different ways.
Thanks Abbie! I'm a young teenage writer, and you've helped me with writing my fantasy/psychological thriller. You might not see this, but I just wanted to ask. Do you have any tips on writing a character's inner monologue when they are in the thought process of manipulating someone? How do you write a manipulative MC without making them seem edgy or snobby?
I hope Abbie does a video on how to intentionally decrease your protagonist's likeability and make them progressively unlikable, especially for a negative character arc
Hi Abbie as usual you blow us away with your brilliantly logical discourse. In a matter of a few minutes, you have taken us ( Both Jekyll and Hyde) on a revelation of possibility on the subject of inciting incidents and the pitfalls new authors can stumble into when writing them. Thank you maestro , you are amazing Appreciate your presence in my writer's world
IIRC In some Sherlock Holmes stories the inciting incident happens before the story begins. It is the first thing the client tells the great detective.
i love watching this and smiling to myself because in like both stories i have that i'm writing the inciting incident happens like basically page 1. in both you can also say that it happens before page 1 depending if you actually count a prior action as the inciting incident. you can also count a later action but either way it's still in chapter 1. this is probably because they're both more slice of life and part of the inciting incident is just two guys meet but idk. i do know that it's be weird to have these things happen later, though.
There's a reason the inciting incident is the third step in the heroes' journey. Call to action, refuse to call, but then something makes the hero go anyway.
thanks for all the videos. You helped me so much. I just started writing a few months ago, because a story and my protagonist came into my head asking me to write them down. After a time with a lot of enthusiasm, I struggle to get myself to sit down after a long day with work, two small children, a house to be repaired and so on. And if I have time and energy I feel like I'm choosing between my relationship and the story. At the end of most of the days I just don't have the energy to continue and I don't really know what to do about it - so it progresses really slow at the moment. Do you guys struggle with similar problems and how do you deal with it? I really want to see the story evolving...
This maybe unrelated but I was reading a manual on how to be a great DM a few years ago. And, the number one piece of advice was: Use your best ideas now!
Hey Abbie! Right now I'm writing a teen dystopian novel and sometimes I think I'm copying plots from different stories. Is there any advice you could give for that?
My dos and donts: Number 1, dont: I dont have the plot just push my characters around. They fight. They try. They struggle. They make mistakes. Number 2, dont: I dont wait too long. Usally the incident starts a few chapters in. Number 3, dont: the conflict is not easily resolved. It takes my characters ages. They usually solve it by the end of the book. Number 4, do: although some of my characters conflicts may effect other characters. They have a unique experience to the conflict. Number 5, do: usally the conflict starts when i think its ready which I said is usally a few characters in Number 6, do: The internal conflict just causes more and more conflict and effects the characters and the worst ways.
Could you make a video about a chapter-by-chapter outline that tells us what points of the 3 act story structure that chapter should include? I have trouble not knowing what points the chapter should consist of.
I got feedback from a beta reader on my first chapter, and she mentioned that some parts were boring because she didn't feel super attached to the main character yet. The first do/don't was really helpful!
Hi Abbie, I'm a 13 year old author, I take huge inspiration from your videos! I was wanting to ask you, how can I write a flashback for my VILLAIN? I don't know how to explain why he's evil effectively using flashbacks. Thanks for all the videos, they really pushed my story forwards!
I'm a writer myself, but I also do a lot of beta reading and some developmental editing. I wish I could bottle this advice and spray it on my writers. I've lost track of the number of times that my first piece of advice is, "I'd make your current chapter three your new chapter one." I know we all love our characters and want others to love them too, but the best reader/MC love story (I don't mean this in a 2nd person POV kind of way) is a slow burn.
I recently started reading a book that had the inciting incident happen more quickly than I had ever seen, should he a world record. Short time in chapter one having an emotional talk with his mum, goes outside... Bam! Hit by car! Recovers, magic powers!!!
Hi, the introduction has quite a few bright flashing images. It would help to either make it a little less bright or to slow the image transition a little (though maybe that doesn't work well with the upbeat music). :)
I realize now that I have to research this topic a little bit more. I am writing about astronauts and space exploration. The inciting incident I had in mind for my story was less about the characters but rather a reveal about the world they are living in and what it means for the future of their story. It's not that the character is pushed into a challenge or conflict, except maybe for an internal struggle about the burden of their mission. Also there is not just one main character but several. Maybe the scene I was concepting is not the inciting incident but something else or perhaps this story is different from the type you were talking about. I don't know. What I do know however is that I have a lot to look up tomorrow 😅
i love this idea and the box-is-bigger-than-we-thought reveal of the greater world, but i agree with you that it’s not the inciting incident. however, i think this is easily workable. what about this world being the way it is can specifically affect your main character? what are the stakes for them personally in this environment? what can you include in this revelation that will make ur reader say “uh oh, that’s not gonna go well for him/her”. try to find some specificity that directly impacts your character’s internal conflict that can be encased in the overarching revelation you already have planned. i hope you can figure something out and keep working out details!
Interestingly enough, I was just thinking that my inciting event needed an entire overhaul 😅 It was bland, cliche, and it now annoys me. Thanks for the tips! The rewrite has been stewing the last week while I've been working on the ending (did I skip Act 2 and decide to write the ending so I had a place to go? Why yes I did. Discovery writing/pantsing is so fun 😅).
I will push back a little on the first "don't", however, you bring up a vital point about how it has to be specific to the character. In the fantasy novel Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, not only would I say the inciting incident (or what felt to me to be the true inciting incident) happens at page 130 and is almost too tragic for anyone to bear, which leads him down a dark path of his adolescence (where he IS pretty much a punching bag), we understand that there is something significant building up. At the start of the book (before the flashback) we know he's done insane things, he's what legends are made of, but we have to see first how, where, and why this all came to pass. One could also argue that the inciting incident happens at the very beginning, but it's not enough really, to drive anything forward. It's almost as though there are two of them: one in the present day before the backstory starts that is more subtle, and one within the backstory... which is absolutely unbearable. And by this time, we don't necessarily know what his internal conflict is... we only know what his comfort zone was, and we understand that he will never access that again. If both of these could be considered inciting incidents, then he's a damn BOSS.
Almost every writing "rule" can be bent or broken in the right circumstance.The stories within stories set-up allows the long build up to the inciting incident, in my opinion.
Hi Abbie! Love the tips, but I have a quick question. So my story kicks into the action (plane crash) in chapter 2, but the inciting incident appears to more match a personal first confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist where the protagonist’s and the antagonist’s fatal flaw is first unveiled. This happens in chapter 6. So I wanted to know: does your first conflict of the story have to be your inciting incident. The personal conflict with the contagonist begins as early as chapter one, which I hope will keep individual stakes high during the more generic first action scene. Maybe I’m rambling, but I’d like to know: is the contagonist’s first conflict, the first action set piece or the confrontation with the antagonist the inciting incident in this scenario? Thanks so much for the video and I will be intending the live training!
I'm not Abbie, but allow me to answer: The inciting incident is when the protagonist is 'forced' into action for the first time. Now, this is also kind of a 'definition question': every incident incites something (or otherwise it's questionable it should be in the book). The idea that there is only 1 inciting incident, comes from the point that there is a 'tension arrow' that carries the whole book. The opening sentence creates tension, which grows over the course of the story, and then comes to conclusion. Hoping this was helpful. Good luck!
That reminds me of how I described the moments before the meeting of the main characters of my favourite series I wrote. Two of the characters- Romanian women- got fired from their jobs, while the male characters, also two, left their countries for good. A man is from Wales, the other one from Spain. For the Welsh, his departure is 100% because of the lack of attencion he got in the artistic world. In the case of the Spanish man, alongside the attencion fact, he broke up with his girlfriend and decided to leave Spain.
No book has to have subplots, but without them the story can be rather boring and lacking in parts. Besides, a small subplot is another way to build character.
I love incidents happening in the first sentence. Like Franz Kafka's story about Gregor Samsa. Or the beginning of Peter Handke's "Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter". In I just started to write a story wich starts right in the first sentence. You said it should be as early as possible. Could it be earlier?
The way you were talking about inciting incident seemed more like what I would define as the first plot point. What makes your inciting incident different from your first plot point? Or did you explain it and I just missed it? I know screenwriting terms better than novel writing terms. Thanks!
Hey abbie I love your videos and it helped write a mystery dark romance novel of enemies to loves... so thankyou u so much for your videos. I'm really sorry I can't join your channel due to the denied permission from my oarent to pay money but I really love ur and content as well as u❤
The first chapter of my book will be a sort of flash back type of scene, it's essentially going to setting up the over arching connection between all of the characters, and lead into the next chapter, where we propel into present day and see how the events in the first chapter have unfolded and affect the story where we currently are. And how it will lead into what happens to our leading lady
What about the inciting incident actually being a relatively GOOD thing that allows the character to begin exercising agency? Example: a sI@ve gaining their freedom? Should this always come with a cost? Be a blessing in disguise? Or is the opportunity to face new obstacles good enough?
I'm trying to understand mistake #1 a bit better, specifically when it comes to portal fantasies like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. When you have multiple characters travelling through a portal, especially if they all go through it together, how do you avoid this mistake?
I've mentioned this before and these do's and don'ts also apply to the problem I have with this anime's direction in terms of the plot. The anime, Gate JSDF had the siting incident down. But because of the lack of powerful fantasy elements, the JSDF easily defeating the fantasy troops falls under the category of making the siting incident easily resolved. I would have liked it if the struggle between Japan and the fantasy world wouldn't be as easy as just running in and shooting the fantasy troops and monsters. It could have been a bigger struggle. Like if the fantasy world wouldn't be just as easy to settle in regardless of the power of modern technology. Like they have to use new strategies to fight against monsters that have fantasy logic that makes them bullet resistant. Not to mention the potential behind its politics plotline. But instead, it's nothing but irrelevant side quests that barely have anything to do with the main plot. Those side quests got so distracting that the bread and butter of the show didn't show much. I left the series disappointed at the lack of what I came here for and it all started with the siting incident being easily resolved.
I know it may sound a litte weired, but two and a half man has a great exiting incident, that directly starts in the first minutes of the first episode and triggers the domino effect for the upcomming episodes and seasons
Resolving the inciting incident quickly works if the method by which it is solved intrinsically causes the next incident, then the next, then the next, .... creating a whole series of unfortunate incidents.
Abbie already covered this here: ruclips.net/user/shortsjwydFOdgi9A she started her debut novel "100 Days Of Sunlight" with a dream- proving it can be done well with the correct techniques.
I gotta push back a little here on point two (have the inciting incident happen asap). In the first Star Wars 17 MINUTES go by before we even meet our hero, after which the inciting incident (Uncle Owen buying the droids) happens. Almost 15% of the movie's run-time has been eaten up without either the hero or the inciting incident, and yet you don't hear many folks talk about how the movie takes too long to get going.
The sooner the better? Well, I just did it in the first sentence. Is that early enough? It's like Franz Kafka (Die Verwandlung) or Peter Handke did it (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter).
Then maybe a good inciting incident can be something like “character sees a way out of the mundane, ray of hope, then a disaster happens that forces the character back into the mundane… but now the character knows there’s a way out and intends to fight that much harder”
I disagree about the supposed failures of a plot-driven story. Some of the best stories, I would argue, minimize the character to barely existing. Like The House on the Borderlands or the short stories of individuals like Clark Ashton Smith or H.P.L. . The best stories, I think, diminish the character to allow the setting and sense of place take center-stage. But then, I find people (mostly) to be profoundly boring.
Hi Abbie, I have a quick question. Can an inciting incident be a protagonist having a sudden long-term (at school/work place) encounter with a character who has changed their life for the worse and evoked and still evokes trauma in the protagonist?
My inciting incident happens in the last third of C1 and continues into C2. I'm thinking of taking parts of C2 and instead making them part of C1, and there are clear breaks where this could be done, but i'm worried this would make C1 far too long.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
What is your favorite example of a great inciting incident? 👇💬
IT by Stephen King is My fav book😅
The chosen one is a great inciting incident, but another that sticks out is the loss of a close friend/family member. Or, in the case of Puss in Boots, his 8th death.
Thirteen uninvited dwarves coming for tea
Wrath of Khan, when Chekov realizes what planet he’s on too late and gets captured by Khan. Not just b/c of the return of a classic Star Trek villain and the prospect of an inevitable confrontation with Kirk, but also because at this point we know Kirk is feeling old and worn out and he will need to overcome that to ultimately beat Khan.
A moral conflict regarding a character's insecurities and the villain using that against him!
"It's never too soon to push your character outside of their comfort zone."
Exactly and it is the best top tier writing advice ever!❤
Louder for the people in the back!! 😎
@@AbbieEmmons Exactly, like "screaming" to the back of an audience to hear.🙂😉🤭
@@linusl8252 True. The best books are the ones that people take their time to write them and come up with different characters and people, no matter who they are, mustn't rush writing books.😉
I know right? Just ask Indiana Jones! 😆😆
Pro-tip: whenever characters make future plans, especially in the middle of tge story, that character will usually die
Yip, unfortunately that does happen
“I can’t wait to see my girl back home once this war ends……”
Now that you mention it, you see that a lot with antagonists.
@@nrop000 Exactly
I also see it a lot in the beginning. "We're having a picnic tomorrow." The aliens invade tonight.
I love how all these writers are telling me that im doing the right thing in my story cause its my first book and im 14
I"m currently editing and after hearing that "Don't let the inciting incident be dangerous for anyone but the protagonist" I realise that's exactly what I needed to do, and I went back to brainstorm the inciting incident. It's now crazy more powerful, and the stakes are far lower. And I LOVE that. Thank you for the inspiration.
@@kcmisulis425 Cool! What book are you writing/editing on?
@@theseriesofheroesrise2149 It's a YA Light Fantasy about a girl whose dad is a famous hero. Her story is about trying to escape his shadow and make a name for herself. The Inciting Incident I originally had was "Her refugee camp is attacked by local radicals". Which wasn't very personal, so I realized I had to change to "She desperately tries to prove herself, and a respected mentor publicly shames her for her failure." stakes are far lower, but it feels more like a reason why she'd leave to make a name for herself.
@@kcmisulis425 Cool! In 2022, a book series called Heroes Rise: Kingdoms Restored is written by me and it too is a fantasy about **In the faraway kingdom of Avaitopia on Planet Zolderon, peace is disrupted. Princess Laura’s evil and conniving uncle, Loren, joins forces with the ferocious giant rat-like grodents to overthrow her father, King John, and seize power. There is no time to waste. The kingdom’s security and tranquil way of life are under threat. Lives are at stake.**
**The intrepid princess and her band of loyal followers’ journey to the Crystal Mountain where the Great Fox guards the Power Crystal, source of life on Planet Zolderon. The perilous quest to save Avaitopia is fraught with setbacks. Danger lurks in unexpected places. It’s up to Laura to put things right - even if it means facing a particularly obnoxious and oversized cat, deadly vipers and malevolent raptors along the way.**
You can find it on WWW.AMAZON.COM and if you would like, follow me. I'd appreciate that (if you like reading).
Thanks!🌹♥️
As a murder mystery writer, I thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤ This is a lifesaver Abbie!
@@Art1tseL1lac Doing one for that genre is easy. You just have MC be roped into an investigation, that ends up with a loved one involved somehow
I recommend "How to Write a Damn Good Mystery" by James N. Frey.
@@unicorntomboy9736 Uhh.. Ig my plotline is a little cliche 😭😭
I'm so glad you got inspired from this video! Good luck with the murder mystery 🕵
@@AbbieEmmons Thanks Abbie ❤️
I’ve stumbled upon your channel at the perfect time. I’m about 70 percent done with my book. My story has the clunky foundation and solid plot points needed for any book, but man am I excited to go over it again and polish it up.
Tell me about your book!
Hi Abbie! I’m currently reading your book, 100 Days of Summer. For context I’m a 30 yo male and it would not be the normal type of book that I would read, but I want to compare your writing to your advice and see how it effected your story. I had been in a loop of constantly editing and rewriting the science fiction series I’ve been working on and your videos as of late really helped me! To the point where I finally asked my mom and some of my friends/ sister’s husband to be my beta editors for the first book in the series. Thank you so much for your advice! It really means a lot to someone like me, a little too shy and unsure to even try and publish the book before. Oh and by the way, your book is really cute. I love it! I’m assuming Tessa and you have a lot of similarities haha.
That's why I tried 100DOS, too. I'm more a fantasy reader than a romance reader, but I had to try it.
Then I had to get Best Christmas Ever. The books are just too irresistible.
I'm so glad to hear that! Seriously, your kind words mean THE WORLD to me 🥹💕 I'm so happy my videos have been helpful and inspiring to you on your writing journey. Best of luck with your science fiction series, I'm sure it will turn out amazing!
@@AbbieEmmons thank you so much! 🙏
I think the inciting incident happening as soon as possible really can vary from book to book. For example, for my character in my novel, I have to show what her daily life looks like (very chaotic, reckless, and unstructured,) for her inciting incident to mean anything. If I had the main inciting incident happen in chapter one it would be boring because you wouldn’t understand why it means anything to my character. I have about 3 chapters of set up that make the inciting incident the most it can be, while still keeping those three chapters relevant to the plot and exciting to read. Execution is key, guys.
I think that's true with any story. It really all depends on what kind of story you are writing. Sometimes having a inciting incident soon is great, sometimes the reader will need a little background story first, sometimes the inciting incident happens really soon but then you need to explain the world so how it's resolved actually makes sense. I think saying that detailing a character's everyday life is Always off limits is not such great advise. It honestly depends on the story. I've read plenty of mystery novels in which the writer doesn't waste any time with the daily details of the main character and the story just seemed shallow and the character seemed very 2D. Likewise, I've read fantasy novels in which the writer went into too much detail and I was tempted to start skipping parts.
I agree, it can definitely vary from book to book. It's vital to spend those first five minutes setting up the character's internal conflict and making us care about them as a person, so as long as that first chapter is helping us see who they are, what they want, what they're afraid of... I'd say you're off to a powerful start 😍
@@AbbieEmmons Thank you so much, glad to hear we are on the same page haha! This is the first novel I believe I’m actually going to finish and publish and your writing tips have been helping me get to this point for years. Thank you so much Abbie!!
I enjoy a little later inciting incident IF there is lots of mystery and breadcrumbs hidden in the status quo that lead up to the inciting incident.. I think Harry Potter book one and The Hunger Games book one.
I’m just barely past my inciting incident right now.I started watching your channel and my story changed. My story started with the main characters too late making them side characters. My second version went so fast it could only end up with 150 pages at the max. I am making the conflict so that you are curious for a chapter and the next one everything unravels. I love watching your videos and imaging what my plot structure would look like and if it seems smooth. It helps me understand things and what actually would make me interested in reading it. I went from getting bored of my book and it being something I wouldn’t read to me wanting to read more.(even though I know what happens next)
I’ve already written my inciting incident and when I saw this I knew I needed to watch it to make sure I had done it right! Luckily it seems I have thank you for this video Abbie
Once again, you’ve uploaded a video advising on the exact struggle I’m going through. I don’t know how you got access to my Google Docs but please let me know what you think of my screenplay next time you’re in it.
Hahahaha I'm glad I was able to telepathically know exactly what video would be helpful to you this week! 🤣
Your comment here speaks a volume about your imagination. Sounds as a useful thing to have when writing a screenplay. Way to go, Paulie!
Thank you for this video. I read almost everywhere that the Inciting Incident should be around 12 or 15 percent. I struggled with this, because in the story I'm currently writing it naturally presented itself on like page 5.
Your video made me realize that I was about to create filler and boring stuff... to excite my readers at 15% into the book. But they would never reach that point because of the filler haha!
You have my subscription❤
I was just writing the start of my new story and thinking about whether my inciting incident was "good" enough. Abbie is psychic😂
My favorite inciting incident is in The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang when the MC learns in the very first scene that she is to be married off to a merchant by her foster parents, and she does everything in her power to escape it.
Abey is the best writing teacher out there!
Great advice Abbie. The inciting incident truly is the difference between a meh story and a wow story. Please make more gems like these.😄
I'm so glad you enjoyed this video! Thank you for watching 💗
Loved this! I am in the middle of outlining my "official inciting incedent", though because it's a series and of all the things I want to happen( and following your three act story structure..), it seems I have at least 3 inciting incidents that trigger each other😅💕
Thanks for all your tips and advice!❤
Great video! I would personally argue that you don't need the inciting incident to happen immediately, provided that what's happening is engaging, creating questions and intrigue, and necessary to the story. If you have to rely on the inciting incident to have any sort of interest from the reader, then I personally think that you're probably doing it wrong. Idk, just my two cents.
What you said about asking 'what does your character not want to confront' really piqued my curiosity. I had to pause the video and ask that question of each of my characters, and it really helped me to understand them better.
I paused my novel to write some prequel novella's. I wrote is more like a pantser and I'm on to chapter six already and I still didn't figure out the inciting incident. Thanks for the thought provoking questions. It helped me clarify what I need to do now. Thankfully I don't have to ditch the 13k + words I already wrote but it will be something that happens before that I can put in my prologue that pushes my character to make the decision to move back to Shanghai form Paris where she'll end up being forced by her family into a business based marriage.
Exactly what I needed today, Thanks!
In the previous video, was that car Abbie's actual car? My car is a 2016 jet black Mini Cooper
Yesterday, I saw the movie Meet Joe Black. I loved how a couple of 'serious incidents' occurred (a heart attack, speaking with Death, a flirtation, a lethal accident) in the first scenes. But then: Protagonist X sees Antagonist Y at an unexpected place and time, and THAT sets the story of. It's a clever film, I liked it. (Anthony Hopkins playing another great role.)
I LOVEEE writers life Wednesdays!! Looking forward to this vid bc I always end up stuck on the inciting incident…hoping this one will give me insight into what it should look like with my screenplay!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this video! Best of luck with your screenplay! 💕
You and your advisers are AWESOME! Thank you!! I am doing the dos and not the don'ts! I didn't know the dos but I am enjoying writing and again, thank you, Abbie! You rock!❤🎉
Wooow Abbie thank you sooooo much for uploading this video. I was really really wishing for this
I really needed this, thanks Abbie ❤
My protagonist's first introduction is waking up in the middle of the street without her memories. She believes she must retrieve them and makes that her goal, but she ends up getting involved in magical shenanigans and that goal slowly shifts.
I don't know if that counts as an inciting incident, but there are stakes and it triggers her inner conflict, so I guess it does?
Interesting. I just finished the first draft of a similar story. One thing that worked for me if you want to try is include a small prologue of the protagonist before her memories were erased. This worked for me in my story because you got to know what it was the protagonist forgot and what it would mean to get them back. That helped show why this problem was unique to THIS particular character and not just bad because nobody wants their memories erased.
@@TheDoctor398 Oh, I did add a prologue, but in a different way, so your idea is actually quite helpful! I also want to touch on the theme of how our memories shape us and how it affects her when interacting with others, because she wants to keep it secret. Thank you for your suggestion!
I pretty much put my inciting incident at the end of chapter one.
Firstly, thank you for your great videos. I'm currently working on my debut novel and I think the inciting incident of my heroine turned out quite well (at least I like it). She is still a child and loses her parents in a werewolf attack. This not only traumatises her, but also causes her to struggle with herself, as she is also a shapeshifter.
In the novel I am currently pitching at a publisher, the inciting incident (invasion of slavers), the internal conflict (not the Chosen One), desire (help his people & prove himself),flaw (too young and eager) and obstacle (father forbids only son to fight) of the main character are all on page one. Guess that's why they already liked my first 50 pages and asked for the full manuscript! So good call here Abbie :)
Abbie is the best writing teacher out there!
LOL....my inciting incident is my character dies....dont think he is going to be resolving that one anytime soon. 🤣
I really like the comparison to getting in and driving a car vs learning how an engine works.
My protag's inciting incident is being bitten by a vampire.
He's a young single guy approaching 30 with no money and a boss who dislikes him and no real direction in life because he sees no way out of his mundane uneventful present.
So i basically give him what he wanted but in a way he would never have asked for.
Love this video!! And my favorite example of a great inciting incident, is the Hunger Games, where the MC 's sister gets drawn to be in the hunger games.
I do this thing in my story where it LOOKS like the inciting incident happens in chapter 1, but the REAL inciting incident happens in chapter 3. My hook was the main character deciding to leave his comfort zone; to risk it all and run away, following a plan that might not even work. But then chapter 3 happens, and instead of going a ~*little bit*~ out of his comfort zone, all of his life plans crumble around him in an instant. And although this inciting incident affects all my main characters, it affects them in very different ways.
Like it! Giving your reader surprises keeps them engaged.
Hey you aremy true inspiration ❤❤
I am just 15 but i am sure i will come up with a good story.
Lots of love, that's too from India🎉
Great video as always Abbie, you hero me so much, I'm in Chapter 4 of my story where the protagonist is now taking actions and seeking what he wants.
Your videos are so well done and look very professional. Did you take classes on this or everything was self-taught?
I'm not even a writer, I just watch this for my imaginations to go on when I'm about to drift off to sleep lolll 😂😂
You’re still participating in the joy of creation. If it’s just for you, if it’s just for now, it’s art that is just as worthy!
Thanks Abbie! I'm a young teenage writer, and you've helped me with writing my fantasy/psychological thriller. You might not see this, but I just wanted to ask. Do you have any tips on writing a character's inner monologue when they are in the thought process of manipulating someone? How do you write a manipulative MC without making them seem edgy or snobby?
Great video! Making me rethink my beginning. 😅
Love your videos!❤really needed this
This is definitely what I need. Since that I'm writing my first book, this helps a lot. Thanks Abbie😊
I hope Abbie does a video on how to intentionally decrease your protagonist's likeability and make them progressively unlikable, especially for a negative character arc
See you all Sunday!
Hi Abbie as usual you blow us away with your brilliantly logical discourse. In a matter of a few minutes, you have taken us ( Both Jekyll and Hyde) on a revelation of possibility on the subject of inciting incidents and the pitfalls new authors can stumble into when writing them. Thank you maestro , you are amazing
Appreciate your presence in my writer's world
Thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! 😊 it totally brightened my day! I'm so glad this video inspired you!
🙏🌹❤
You have inspired me at every step of the way to completion. My novel is almost done and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏🙏🙏🙏
So helpful, thank you! Would you ever consider taking submissions to review on video? 😊
IIRC In some Sherlock Holmes stories the inciting incident happens before the story begins. It is the first thing the client tells the great detective.
I could see that my birthday wish came true because a video on my birthday is everything I need ❤️
i love watching this and smiling to myself because in like both stories i have that i'm writing the inciting incident happens like basically page 1. in both you can also say that it happens before page 1 depending if you actually count a prior action as the inciting incident. you can also count a later action but either way it's still in chapter 1. this is probably because they're both more slice of life and part of the inciting incident is just two guys meet but idk. i do know that it's be weird to have these things happen later, though.
There's a reason the inciting incident is the third step in the heroes' journey. Call to action, refuse to call, but then something makes the hero go anyway.
thanks for all the videos. You helped me so much. I just started writing a few months ago, because a story and my protagonist came into my head asking me to write them down.
After a time with a lot of enthusiasm, I struggle to get myself to sit down after a long day with work, two small children, a house to be repaired and so on. And if I have time and energy I feel like I'm choosing between my relationship and the story. At the end of most of the days I just don't have the energy to continue and I don't really know what to do about it - so it progresses really slow at the moment. Do you guys struggle with similar problems and how do you deal with it?
I really want to see the story evolving...
This is such, such good writing advice.
This maybe unrelated but I was reading a manual on how to be a great DM a few years ago. And, the number one piece of advice was: Use your best ideas now!
Hey Abbie! Right now I'm writing a teen dystopian novel and sometimes I think I'm copying plots from different stories. Is there any advice you could give for that?
How did you get your house to match your book? That's really cool and clever too! 🤗
My dos and donts:
Number 1, dont: I dont have the plot just push my characters around. They fight. They try. They struggle. They make mistakes.
Number 2, dont: I dont wait too long. Usally the incident starts a few chapters in.
Number 3, dont: the conflict is not easily resolved. It takes my characters ages. They usually solve it by the end of the book.
Number 4, do: although some of my characters conflicts may effect other characters. They have a unique experience to the conflict.
Number 5, do: usally the conflict starts when i think its ready which I said is usally a few characters in
Number 6, do: The internal conflict just causes more and more conflict and effects the characters and the worst ways.
Could you make a video about a chapter-by-chapter outline that tells us what points of the 3 act story structure that chapter should include? I have trouble not knowing what points the chapter should consist of.
I got feedback from a beta reader on my first chapter, and she mentioned that some parts were boring because she didn't feel super attached to the main character yet. The first do/don't was really helpful!
Hey Abbie I think you should read Heir sun and moon ! It's a tangled retelling and I think you'll like it
Great Video. This is helpful. This is well explained.
Hi Abbie, I'm a 13 year old author, I take huge inspiration from your videos! I was wanting to ask you, how can I write a flashback for my VILLAIN? I don't know how to explain why he's evil effectively using flashbacks. Thanks for all the videos, they really pushed my story forwards!
I'm a writer myself, but I also do a lot of beta reading and some developmental editing. I wish I could bottle this advice and spray it on my writers. I've lost track of the number of times that my first piece of advice is, "I'd make your current chapter three your new chapter one." I know we all love our characters and want others to love them too, but the best reader/MC love story (I don't mean this in a 2nd person POV kind of way) is a slow burn.
I recently started reading a book that had the inciting incident happen more quickly than I had ever seen, should he a world record. Short time in chapter one having an emotional talk with his mum, goes outside... Bam! Hit by car! Recovers, magic powers!!!
10:30 Zombie fallout is a perfect example, Tufo makes the inciting incident happen in the first page, with Taubot still in the shower
Awesome! Thanks Abbie! ❤
Not religious, but I watch your video lessons religiously Abbie
Hi, the introduction has quite a few bright flashing images. It would help to either make it a little less bright or to slow the image transition a little (though maybe that doesn't work well with the upbeat music). :)
I realize now that I have to research this topic a little bit more. I am writing about astronauts and space exploration. The inciting incident I had in mind for my story was less about the characters but rather a reveal about the world they are living in and what it means for the future of their story. It's not that the character is pushed into a challenge or conflict, except maybe for an internal struggle about the burden of their mission. Also there is not just one main character but several. Maybe the scene I was concepting is not the inciting incident but something else or perhaps this story is different from the type you were talking about. I don't know. What I do know however is that I have a lot to look up tomorrow 😅
i love this idea and the box-is-bigger-than-we-thought reveal of the greater world, but i agree with you that it’s not the inciting incident. however, i think this is easily workable. what about this world being the way it is can specifically affect your main character? what are the stakes for them personally in this environment? what can you include in this revelation that will make ur reader say “uh oh, that’s not gonna go well for him/her”. try to find some specificity that directly impacts your character’s internal conflict that can be encased in the overarching revelation you already have planned. i hope you can figure something out and keep working out details!
Alice in wonderland is a good example. You meet Alice, then the bunny appears, and next thing you know, she's diving head first into wonderland.
Interestingly enough, I was just thinking that my inciting event needed an entire overhaul 😅 It was bland, cliche, and it now annoys me. Thanks for the tips! The rewrite has been stewing the last week while I've been working on the ending (did I skip Act 2 and decide to write the ending so I had a place to go? Why yes I did. Discovery writing/pantsing is so fun 😅).
I will push back a little on the first "don't", however, you bring up a vital point about how it has to be specific to the character. In the fantasy novel Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, not only would I say the inciting incident (or what felt to me to be the true inciting incident) happens at page 130 and is almost too tragic for anyone to bear, which leads him down a dark path of his adolescence (where he IS pretty much a punching bag), we understand that there is something significant building up. At the start of the book (before the flashback) we know he's done insane things, he's what legends are made of, but we have to see first how, where, and why this all came to pass. One could also argue that the inciting incident happens at the very beginning, but it's not enough really, to drive anything forward. It's almost as though there are two of them: one in the present day before the backstory starts that is more subtle, and one within the backstory... which is absolutely unbearable. And by this time, we don't necessarily know what his internal conflict is... we only know what his comfort zone was, and we understand that he will never access that again. If both of these could be considered inciting incidents, then he's a damn BOSS.
Almost every writing "rule" can be bent or broken in the right circumstance.The stories within stories set-up allows the long build up to the inciting incident, in my opinion.
Mine is on page one!
I love her videos sooo much !!!!!
Hi Abbie! Love the tips, but I have a quick question.
So my story kicks into the action (plane crash) in chapter 2, but the inciting incident appears to more match a personal first confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist where the protagonist’s and the antagonist’s fatal flaw is first unveiled. This happens in chapter 6. So I wanted to know: does your first conflict of the story have to be your inciting incident. The personal conflict with the contagonist begins as early as chapter one, which I hope will keep individual stakes high during the more generic first action scene. Maybe I’m rambling, but I’d like to know: is the contagonist’s first conflict, the first action set piece or the confrontation with the antagonist the inciting incident in this scenario?
Thanks so much for the video and I will be intending the live training!
I'm not Abbie, but allow me to answer: The inciting incident is when the protagonist is 'forced' into action for the first time. Now, this is also kind of a 'definition question': every incident incites something (or otherwise it's questionable it should be in the book). The idea that there is only 1 inciting incident, comes from the point that there is a 'tension arrow' that carries the whole book. The opening sentence creates tension, which grows over the course of the story, and then comes to conclusion. Hoping this was helpful. Good luck!
@@TonBil1 Thanks! Useful to know!
Ya I think it Varies book to book. Sometimes it makes no sense to drop in in with no context at all
Very helpful
That reminds me of how I described the moments before the meeting of the main characters of my favourite series I wrote.
Two of the characters- Romanian women- got fired from their jobs, while the male characters, also two, left their countries for good.
A man is from Wales, the other one from Spain.
For the Welsh, his departure is 100% because of the lack of attencion he got in the artistic world.
In the case of the Spanish man, alongside the attencion fact, he broke up with his girlfriend and decided to leave Spain.
Hi Abby, is it required for a book to have subplots? Or can it work without them in any way?
No book has to have subplots, but without them the story can be rather boring and lacking in parts. Besides, a small subplot is another way to build character.
I love incidents happening in the first sentence. Like Franz Kafka's story about Gregor Samsa. Or the beginning of Peter Handke's "Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter". In I just started to write a story wich starts right in the first sentence. You said it should be as early as possible. Could it be earlier?
The way you were talking about inciting incident seemed more like what I would define as the first plot point. What makes your inciting incident different from your first plot point?
Or did you explain it and I just missed it? I know screenwriting terms better than novel writing terms. Thanks!
Hey abbie I love your videos and it helped write a mystery dark romance novel of enemies to loves... so thankyou u so much for your videos. I'm really sorry I can't join your channel due to the denied permission from my oarent to pay money but I really love ur and content as well as u❤
The first chapter of my book will be a sort of flash back type of scene, it's essentially going to setting up the over arching connection between all of the characters, and lead into the next chapter, where we propel into present day and see how the events in the first chapter have unfolded and affect the story where we currently are. And how it will lead into what happens to our leading lady
So it's not that anymore but I liked the idea at the time!
Great reminders
What about the inciting incident actually being a relatively GOOD thing that allows the character to begin exercising agency? Example: a sI@ve gaining their freedom?
Should this always come with a cost? Be a blessing in disguise? Or is the opportunity to face new obstacles good enough?
If your writing a book from two different perspectives should their be one inciting incident or two?
I'm trying to understand mistake #1 a bit better, specifically when it comes to portal fantasies like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. When you have multiple characters travelling through a portal, especially if they all go through it together, how do you avoid this mistake?
I've mentioned this before and these do's and don'ts also apply to the problem I have with this anime's direction in terms of the plot.
The anime, Gate JSDF had the siting incident down. But because of the lack of powerful fantasy elements, the JSDF easily defeating the fantasy troops falls under the category of making the siting incident easily resolved. I would have liked it if the struggle between Japan and the fantasy world wouldn't be as easy as just running in and shooting the fantasy troops and monsters. It could have been a bigger struggle. Like if the fantasy world wouldn't be just as easy to settle in regardless of the power of modern technology. Like they have to use new strategies to fight against monsters that have fantasy logic that makes them bullet resistant. Not to mention the potential behind its politics plotline. But instead, it's nothing but irrelevant side quests that barely have anything to do with the main plot. Those side quests got so distracting that the bread and butter of the show didn't show much. I left the series disappointed at the lack of what I came here for and it all started with the siting incident being easily resolved.
I know it may sound a litte weired, but two and a half man has a great exiting incident, that directly starts in the first minutes of the first episode and triggers the domino effect for the upcomming episodes and seasons
September 1st is Eastern Daylight Time (from March to November), not Eastern Standard Time (from November to March).
Resolving the inciting incident quickly works if the method by which it is solved intrinsically causes the next incident, then the next, then the next, .... creating a whole series of unfortunate incidents.
Your videos are literally lifesaves Abbie!! :D
Also #Askabbie: What's your opinion on dream openings?
Abbie already covered this here: ruclips.net/user/shortsjwydFOdgi9A
she started her debut novel "100 Days Of Sunlight" with a dream- proving it can be done well with the correct techniques.
Thank you! :D
I gotta push back a little here on point two (have the inciting incident happen asap). In the first Star Wars 17 MINUTES go by before we even meet our hero, after which the inciting incident (Uncle Owen buying the droids) happens. Almost 15% of the movie's run-time has been eaten up without either the hero or the inciting incident, and yet you don't hear many folks talk about how the movie takes too long to get going.
Can the inciting incident work well as a hidden backstory that gets revealed little by little as the story goes on?
The sooner the better? Well, I just did it in the first sentence. Is that early enough? It's like Franz Kafka (Die Verwandlung) or Peter Handke did it (Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter).
What if the mundane is part of the internal conflict. Like a jaded character who wishes for more?
What about an insecure character who desires for external validation from others
Then maybe a good inciting incident can be something like “character sees a way out of the mundane, ray of hope, then a disaster happens that forces the character back into the mundane… but now the character knows there’s a way out and intends to fight that much harder”
I disagree about the supposed failures of a plot-driven story. Some of the best stories, I would argue, minimize the character to barely existing. Like The House on the Borderlands or the short stories of individuals like Clark Ashton Smith or H.P.L. . The best stories, I think, diminish the character to allow the setting and sense of place take center-stage. But then, I find people (mostly) to be profoundly boring.
Hi Abbie, I have a quick question. Can an inciting incident be a protagonist having a sudden long-term (at school/work place) encounter with a character who has changed their life for the worse and evoked and still evokes trauma in the protagonist?
If the story does not grab the reader from page one, the hook, we are in trouble. And the ending must be even more compelling, if possible.
My inciting incident happens in the last third of C1 and continues into C2. I'm thinking of taking parts of C2 and instead making them part of C1, and there are clear breaks where this could be done, but i'm worried this would make C1 far too long.