The Inciting Incident Isn’t Big. It’s Binding.
Update: 2025-11-26
Description
If your opening goes boom but your hero can shrug and carry on, that’s fireworks, not story. In this episode I breaks down the real job of an inciting incident - to bind your protagonist to an obligation that costs something now and points the story arrow.
Here's what you'll learn:
- What “binding” means in plain English and how to spot it fast
- The five ways a moment can stick Bond, Irreversibility, New stakes, Direction, Pressure
- A spoken mini-exercise you can even do while walking the dog
- A quick diagnostic to fix fake incidents that are loud but optional
- A simple before and after that turns a limp delivery into a clock-ticking crisis
We'll also look at:
- Pride and Prejudice Darcy’s slight and Lizzy’s promise to herself
- Legally Blonde Elle’s public vow to Harvard Law
- A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche’s choice to stay and conceal
Want help binding your own opening? Start here and visit https://www.thebookcoach.co
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