Pitch Dictionary by pitch.dog
Plot structure & turning points · Core

Inciting incident

Also called: inciting event

ELI5

The event that disturbs normal life and starts the main story moving.

Used in conversation

“The inciting incident arrives too late in the current outline.”

Definition

The event that disrupts the starting situation and sets the main story in motion.

Here “Inciting incident” means: The event that disrupts the starting situation and sets the main story in motion.

Pitch context

Use this when explaining how the story works on the page or across the finished screen experience.

Why it matters: Helps describe how a story works on the page and how its dramatic parts fit together.

Connected terms

  • CatalystBoth disturb the status quo; “inciting incident” usually names the event launching the central action, while “catalyst” may be used more loosely.
Sources & evidence · 6

Direct term-level sources and supporting source families.