The Inciting Incident?

[staiger95]

It sounds like you have a good plot projection already established, so you'll forgive me if I say, who the heck cares what you label it. Write the story as you see fit and tweak it as you go. Get some beta readers to give feedback. Fill in the dead spots and intensify the emotional hooks where appropriate. Don't ever get so hung up in the formula that it detracts from the art of writing.

 

[FifthView]

There is also a superhero origin pattern.

Dr. Strange is cruising right along as an egotistical neurosurgeon until he cruises too fast and wrecks his car, destroying his hands in the process. That would be the inciting event. He begins a process of trying to heal himself, going through multiple surgeries and even considering experimental surgeries, and ultimately travels to Kamar-Taj where he meets the Ancient One. She shows him that the universe is more than he thought it was, and he makes the crucial decision, "Teach me!"

I suppose Stephen Strange's search for cures between the inciting incident and his decision to ask for training in the mystic arts is like Devor's example of going to see the spaceship crash: "That's just natural."

Peter Parker is cruising right along as a nerdy student, but on a field trip he is bitten by a radioactive spider. That bite is the inciting event. His body begins to change, he has fun exploring his new powers, he decides to use this newfound ability to earn some extra cash via amateur fighting matches. These are "just natural" also (although perhaps a different person would do some things differently during this phase.) Then his uncle is murdered largely because of Peter's "natural" behavior, and Peter makes the crucial decision to fight crime for the rest of his life.

Wade Wilson cruises right along until he's diagnosed with cancer. But this one trips me up. Is that diagnosis the inciting event? He basically gives up, doesn't seek treatment, just accepts the diagnosis and his coming death as givens. It's just a natural course of his life, from his POV, although unexpected—so still "old world" for him? But then he's approached by someone promising a cure. This is probably the inciting event. He at first ignores that incitement, but thinks better of that decision and goes in for the cure, which would be the crucial decision that leads to his transformation into Deadpool. Then again, I think that for the viewer, that diagnosis of cancer was when the story started; "What's he going to do about this? How's this going to affect things?" was this viewer's reaction. So maybe that diagnosis was the inciting event.

 

[Darkfantasy]

You're dealing with a newbie here. I've heard of a hook but what's an emotional hook?

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

I'd even go so far as to say the inciting incident is the appearance of the disease itself.

The appearance of the disease could be written as the inciting event for the story. To me it would depend on how much the appearance of the disease in someone other than the foster mother impacts the MC. If it doesn't impact the MC enough to help spur her to action at the 25%-point, then I wouldn't think of it as "the" inciting event. When the mother catches the disease, that strikes close to home.

somewhat confused now...

Admittedly, so am I. Even those who are more expert about this topic than I appear not to be in agreement -- not just on this site, but across the internet and in books sold on the subject. Good luck with whatever route you choose.

 

[Michael K. Eidson]

You're dealing with a newbie here. I've heard of a hook but what's an emotional hook?

If a hook appealed solely to a reader's curiosity, but did not stir emotion within the reader, then that would be a non-emotional hook. If the hook also sparked some emotion in the reader, whether it be anger or sympathy or love or whatever, you'd have an emotional hook. In any case, I think an appeal to the reader's curiosity is necessary for an effective hook. The spark of emotion is a plus, and might sink the hook deeper, so to speak.

 

[Penpilot]

Admittedly, so am I. Even those who are more expert about this topic than I appear not to be in agreement -- not just on this site, but across the internet and in books sold on the subject. Good luck with whatever route you choose.

Most definitely it can be confusing. But IMHO, don't get caught up in labels. The basic structure of a story is generally always there, no matter what someone chooses to call the various components or whatever components someone chooses to accentuate.

If one understands what the basic component is and does, then it doesn't matter what it's called, inciting incident, catalyst, call to action, or Uncle Story Time's big kick in the arse.

In addition, personally, I don't like calling structure formula, because it gives the impression of something rigid that must be followed to exacting parameters. It's just the basic shape of story. Like the skeleton, it's the basic shape of a human. But on that skeleton, look at the infinite variations on a human that exist. It's the flesh of the story that matters most, but without the underlying skeleton to give the story a satisfactory shape, it's just going to be a blob.

I think most writers instinctively follow general story structure, but understanding story structure, whichever one of the gazillion one chooses to follow, allows a person to identify when some element is missing from a story and/or when some element needs to be accentuated or reduced.

 

[FifthView]

somewhat confused now...

I'm thinking, like others, that the labels may not be as important as having an idea of what the inciting incident does for the story. Knowing this could guide you in deciding how to write a story's first act. And a single story concept could be written in multiple ways—surely that's part of the confusing nature!

If the mother and others in the community are already sick when the book opens, then I don't think that onset of the illness can be used as your inciting event. Basically, you are opening with a setting that includes those facts. Something, then, would need to be introduced that causes the reader, and probably also your character in this case, to sit up and take notice that a significant change has occurred.

From the info you've given, the mother's request seems to be your choice. If so, I'd make it unexpected in some way, or pivotal in some way, and not just something that flows naturally from the setup you've already established up to that point.

For instance, maybe her mother has been incredibly stoic or keeping up good humor, trying to keep a smile on her face, and one day the daughter returns home to find her mother writhing in pain on the floor and begging at that point to be killed.

But there are other potential inciting events possible...

A sudden, unexpected worsening of her mother's condition could be the inciting event, even if her mother doesn't ask for release until days later.

If her mother has requested a mercy killing many times already, perhaps in a fatalist way, and the daughter's refused, then maybe I'd borrow from Michael's idea and have your MC witness another member of that community in horrible last stages of the disease and that's the inciting event that leads the MC to accede to her mother's request.

Maybe you've already figured out what makes that request work as the inciting incident; in which case, I'd say stop worrying and just go with what you have, heh.

 

[pmmg]

Wow, so many thoughtful answers. I agree with Devor. The inciting incident is when the mother got sick. That that happens off stage, and before the story begins does not change its impact on the main character. It is the event that caused the other events.

 

[Helen]

somewhat confused now...

haha

I wouldn't worry about it:

So I’m currently working on my Fantasy book but just need a little help. I’m trying to see if my plot line fits into the three act structure. But I’m unsure of a few things. I need some help figuring out my “inciting incident”

My book opens with my protagonist, Emma, in a conflict because a mysterious disease is affecting the race she lives with. (Emma is human but has lived with magical beings her whole life). This disease seems to be sucking the magic out of magical beings and killing them. Her foster mother has this fatal disease and is suffering. So her mother asks her to end her suffering by using magic to kill her. Humans are forbidden to use magic in my world for many reasons but Emma reluctantly for fills her mother’s request.
However, she is caught for it and shunned by her community. Until the king offers her a reprieve. To go outside their community and try and solve the mystery of this disease and how to stop it.

Inciting Incident
There are two major events that happen in Act I. The first event is the one that changes your protagonist's world/life in a way that cannot be reversed–the Inciting Incident. This is to be the big change that is the catalyst for the story to be possible, the bomb that alters everything.

So would it be her mother’s request to kill her? It’s is unexpected and everything that happens after it only happens because she killed her.

Or would it be when the King offers her a chance to clear herself of her “crime”? Things definitely change for Emma after she accepts that offer.

Is either one a good enough inciting incident or could I add more to make it better?
Thanks again for the help guys

You're doing the right thing by engineering it to get the main character out of the Ordinary World and onto the journey...

Whether you call the mother's request or Emma's choice the Inciting Incident, is almost irrelevant (you can drive yourself mad: you can call the King's reprieve the Call to Adventure and then there'd be another event which would be the Refusal of the Call and yet another called Overcoming the Refusal etc etc etc etc etc etc).