shangrila
Inkling
That's what I said...didn't I?
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Addison
Auror
I see the inciting incident as a game of dominos. First you build the story, you set of all the tiles and the things tht they trigger, like a falling pyramid of toilet paper rolls or something. Then you, the writer, sit at the end and stare at the trigger piece. As a writer you are telling the story from the protag's perspective and that first tile is the story. So you pushing that tile is an incident directly from protag to protag-if that makes sense. But if anyone here has played dominos then you know that anything can set off a game of dominos. A door slamming shut, the dog bolting to the front door, a breeze from the window, who knows! But it's not always you. So the inciting incident isn't always on the protag.
For example the inciting incident could be on a far of town or a side character. The incident which starts the story is not on the hero but, as it's his home town or is girlfriend, he's spurred into the story. It's not on him directly but it is important to him. THAT is what makes the inciting incident, the importance to the character.
For example the inciting incident could be on a far of town or a side character. The incident which starts the story is not on the hero but, as it's his home town or is girlfriend, he's spurred into the story. It's not on him directly but it is important to him. THAT is what makes the inciting incident, the importance to the character.
Mythopoet
Auror
I think using the word "involved" is leading to confusion. "Involved" is a complicated concept. "Related" is a better term but also complicated.
What Helen seems to be saying is that the main character does not have to be actually on the page, participating physically in the inciting incident when it happens and I agree with that. But obviously the inciting incident must have some connection to the main character or it won't have any effect on the main character, which is what's important. What degree of connection is entirely up to the imagination of the writer.
What Helen seems to be saying is that the main character does not have to be actually on the page, participating physically in the inciting incident when it happens and I agree with that. But obviously the inciting incident must have some connection to the main character or it won't have any effect on the main character, which is what's important. What degree of connection is entirely up to the imagination of the writer.
