Yesterday Suz talked about those moments or incidents in our lives that provoke us to change. They can be small or large events, but something in them jump starts our hearts to do something different.

Susie wrote: Inciting Incidents don’t have to derail us. And whatever path we then take, we can know, despite our feelings, God is always with us, and will greet us when we get to our destination.

Today, let’s talk about the inciting incidents of our stories.

First, what is the inciting incident? One thing I’ve learned from studying the writing craft is the language used to describe story telling doesn’t always compute with our various brains.

The inciting incident is the event, moment of truth, issue, problem, quandary, whatever, that sends your hero (or heroine) on the story journey.

It often sets up the overall story question that the protagonist seeks to answer.

For example, I’m reading a book now called “Standing Still” about a woman who suffers from panic attacks, is very fearful, and finds one evening while her husband is out of town, a kidnapper in her daughter’s bedroom.

She convinces him to take her instead.

This inciting incident – protagonist kidnapped – launches us into the story. Because we know she suffers from fear and panic, and is without her medication, we are compelled to keep reading to see how this frightening situation will resolve.

Now, here are the story questions this kidnapping raises. Why was she kidnapped? Will her husband pay the ransom. The protag refers to a man she thinks might be behind all of this – David. There’s a child, not currently living with her, she wonders about.

We begin to see our heroine has some wounds, some unanswered questions, perhaps an enemy.

As you develop your story, and define the inciting incident, be sure to delve deep into your protagonist background to make sure the incident works in his or her life.

In Lost In NashVegas, Robin McAfee wanted to be a songwriter. But she was afraid, terrified, to sing in front of people. The inciting incident that brings her to the stage is when disaster happens to clogging triplets.

We see two things about Robin: she has the power to overcome, and she cares about others. Fortified with character, this launches her into her journey to overcoming fear and making it as a song writer.

Inciting incidents don’t have to be so large as a kidnapping or murder. It can be a situation that sets up the story question. Some refer to it as the story HOOK.

For example, in Sweet Caroline, Caroline inherits a run-down lowcountry cafe. Not so much a huge incident, but certainly something she doesn’t want, nor afford. The story question: will she keep the cafe?

As you develop your plot and characters, keep this inciting incident in mind. Hop over to the Voices forum where we’re discussing inciting incidents.