Too Early for Inciting Incident?

[MatthewCEarls]

How early is too early for the inciting incident of a novel? I'm currently outlining my YA Fantasy Novel and really need some good advice on inciting incidents. I've heard everything from 10% of the way in to 25% of the way into your novel.

Luckily, I teach 7th graders and am able to poll them often to see when they want the event. The majority (and we're talking vast majority here) say that they wanted major action to occur within the first chapter if not the first few pages. I understand that this doesn't have to be the inciting incident, but why not this early?

Any opinions on this or is it another one of those "what fits best with your story" type of answers?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

In my opinion, there's no such thing. I've read novels (good ones) where the inciting incident has already occurred when the story begins, and we hear about it in flashbacks/memory.

Typically, if your inciting incident hasn't happened within the first couple of chapters, though, then you'd better be a damn good prose stylist to keep the reader's attention.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Yea my most favorable reviews from my peers have come when the action is going on NOW.

 

[Devor]

How early is too early for the inciting incident of a novel? I'm currently outlining my YA Fantasy Novel and really need some good advice on inciting incidents. I've heard everything from 10% of the way in to 25% of the way into your novel.

Too early, for me as a reader, is about the first hundred words. "Inciting Incident" can mean so many different things, and be employed in so many different ways, that it's impossible to set a rule. But unless you're very good, at least give me a few paragraphs before I'm expected to have the slightest investment in the plot.

 

[MatthewCEarls]

Thanks guys and gals. You just made my job much easier!

 

[Queshire]

The faster the action happens the more exciting it is and more likely the reader is to keep reading. It doesn't have to be the inciting incident, but you should have something to hook the readers right away. Or at least that's my opinion.

 

[Rikilamaro]

I agree with what everyone else said, but I would add... whatever works with your characters.

Adding an action scene simply for the sake of an action scene is pandering to the audience and that can be seen as, well, pandering.

 

[Helen]

How early is too early for the inciting incident of a novel? I'm currently outlining my YA Fantasy Novel and really need some good advice on inciting incidents. I've heard everything from 10% of the way in to 25% of the way into your novel.

Luckily, I teach 7th graders and am able to poll them often to see when they want the event. The majority (and we're talking vast majority here) say that they wanted major action to occur within the first chapter if not the first few pages. I understand that this doesn't have to be the inciting incident, but why not this early?

Any opinions on this or is it another one of those "what fits best with your story" type of answers?

Thanks in advance!

In terms of story structure, an inciting incident performs a specific function at the very beginning of the story.

If you include an Inciting Incident, it is the first thing that happens.

If you include that very same scene later in the story, it isn't an inciting incident, it's something else.

Think of it as a driver. The very first driver is called an inciting incident (if it meets certain criteria). Later drivers have different names, because you're further along the cycle and navigating between different buoys.

 

[Devor]

The faster the action happens the more exciting it is and more likely the reader is to keep reading. It doesn't have to be the inciting incident, but you should have something to hook the readers right away. Or at least that's my opinion.

I don't really think that's true. Too much action right away can create a false expectation about the pace of your story. More importantly, readers won't yet care about your characters enough to be invested in what happens. But then, it also depends on what you mean by action. A wizard rapping on the door of a hobbit hole is action, and an inciting incident, even if it's not a sword fight.

 

[MatthewCEarls]

Can I just add that I love the level of respect that everyone has for each other on this forum. It isn't like that everywhere else. Good opinions all around. I greatly respect my writing elders!

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

In terms of story structure, an inciting incident performs a specific function at the very beginning of the story.

If you include an Inciting Incident, it is the first thing that happens.

If you include that very same scene later in the story, it isn't an inciting incident, it's something else.

I don't think this is the case; every discussion I've seen of inciting incidents indicate that it's the event that sets the main storyline in motion, but it doesn't have to be the first thing that happens. Most stories have exposition and introduction before the inciting incident. It doesn't stop being an inciting incident just because it isn't the very first thing. (Unless you just mean the first important thing that happens?)

Not that there's any kind of authoritative answer to this topic, but here's a few articles discussing inciting incidents, and all of them explicitly mention that other things (exposition, introduction) can happen before the inciting incident.

 

[Steerpike]

In my opinion, there's no such thing. I've read novels (good ones) where the inciting incident has already occurred when the story begins, and we hear about it in flashbacks/memory.

Typically, if your inciting incident hasn't happened within the first couple of chapters, though, then you'd better be a damn good prose stylist to keep the reader's attention.

I agree with this. There is no such thing as 'too early.' You don't have to start with it in the first sentence, but you certainly CAN.

 

[shangrila]

The inciting incident is just whatever sets the story in motion. It's what breaks the main character from their "prison" or whatever life they're locked in to. You can't really ever be too early with it.

 

[Penpilot]

How fast you get to the inciting incident depends on the story. To spout a cliche, "In late, out early." You want to start the story as close to the inciting incident as possible. Generally speaking, you'll need a little time devoted to setting up the parts of a characters life that matter to the story before it gets thrown out of whack by the inciting incident. BUT if that pre-inciting incident life really doesn't matter all that much, you could probably start right at the inciting incident or really close to it. The only rule of thumb I've come across is the inciting incident has to be within the first 30% of the book.

 

[MatthewCEarls]

So, if the inciting incident happened even before we met the main characters, would that be the end of the world or would I be able to pull it off. I just really despise stories that start off slow, but at the same time, don't want to risk not having the reader emotionally involved with the characters.

It may be somewhat cliche, but my two main characters' parents are killed while the main characters are away. I was simply going to begin the novel with the murder of the parents while the kids are away.

 

[Penpilot]

Oh... in this case, the inciting incident isn't the murder of the parents. The inciting incident is the kids finding out their parents have died/have been murdered.

 

[MatthewCEarls]

Penpilot - You are correct. See. This is why I love this board. Lot's of quality advice no matter the question and respectful correcting of inaccuracies.

Thanks again everybody! I feel much more comfortable now starting my novel where I was initially going to start it.

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

One other thing to keep in mind from a structural perspective is that the main plot's inciting incident does not have to be the only inciting incident.

Imagine, if you will, a story whose main inciting incident is the murder of the protagonist's parents by evil werewolves, which happens in chapter 3. In the first two chapters, however, we get scenes of a relatively ordinary life--a teenager living in suburbia, dealing with the ordinary trials of adolescence. The very first scene could even be that teenager being confronted by bullies who try to beat him up and steal his lunch money--he escapes by the skin of his teeth. This is not the main plot; it's just a way to introduce us to the character, make us care about him by putting him in (minor) peril almost immediately, and yet let us get used to the world before the inciting incident that drives the main plot.

In other words, everything before the main inciting incident does not have to be peaceful and calm and happy, it just has to be less severe.

 

[Ireth]

I typically have the inciting incident happening within the first ten pages of the story, or the first chapter. To take examples from my own novels: the inciting incident in Winter's Queen, the heroine's abduction by a Fae prince, begins on page 9 when she meets the prince; he then chases her down for a few more pages until finally catching and kidnapping her on page 18. In Low Road, the protagonist is turned into a vampire on page 5.

 

[Poppy]

One other thing to keep in mind from a structural perspective is that the main plot's inciting incident does not have to be the only inciting incident.

Imagine, if you will, a story whose main inciting incident is the murder of the protagonist's parents by evil werewolves, which happens in chapter 3. In the first two chapters, however, we get scenes of a relatively ordinary life--a teenager living in suburbia, dealing with the ordinary trials of adolescence. The very first scene could even be that teenager being confronted by bullies who try to beat him up and steal his lunch money--he escapes by the skin of his teeth. This is not the main plot; it's just a way to introduce us to the character, make us care about him by putting him in (minor) peril almost immediately, and yet let us get used to the world before the inciting incident that drives the main plot.

In other words, everything before the main inciting incident does not have to be peaceful and calm and happy, it just has to be less severe.

No disrespect, but I disagree with this big time.

You can't have an inciting incident in chapter 3. What you're describing is another function altogether - it's not even the Call to Adventure.

Inciting Incident vs Call to Adventure is explained in this youtube video: Inciting Incident vs Call To Adventure - Kal Bashir, 2000+ Stage Hero's Journey - YouTube