Clare K. R. Miller said...
I mean, I'm still not sure what the call to action is, but at least I know it's not the same thing that seems like it should be as early in the story as possible. I wouldn't mind some examples of calls to action, if you have them on hand...
Call to action: Best friend wants to try out but is nervous so begs Callie to come along.
Inciting incident: The doctor points out that the triglycerides are way up.
Call to action: Mike goes the gym and passes the free-weight room, noticing how buff all the weightlifters are... and then catches sight of himself in the mirror... not buff.
Inciting incident: As predicted by the polls, Sarah wins the mayoral election.
Call to action: Her first day on the job, the city comptroller confesses that the city is broke and won't make the next payroll unless Sarah finds $30K quick.
So.... The call to action is what specifically provides the incentive for the protagonist to start acting, going to the draft examination, taking a mortgage on her house to pay the city payroll, enrolling in a weight-training class, trying out for a part in the play, whatever the character must do to get into there and start engaging the conflict and moving the plot. In the original post, I suggest that this be a new action, something he/she hasn't done before-- this isn't just another dead body, not just another day at the office.
Posts
3 comments:
Oh wow! I'd forgotten I even asked the question! XD Thank you! Hmm, I think I get it, though I'm not quite sure how to use it in my own writing... Do you think both elements are necessary?
I'm trying to come up with examples from published stories to get it more concrete for me. In The Hunger Games, the call to action is definitely when Prim gets chosen. But the inciting incident is... the existence of the Hunger Games? Not sure.
I'm reading Graceling right now. The inciting incident--can that happen before the book actually starts? (I love how this book leaps right into the action.) That would be the kidnapping of the Lienid prince. But now I'm not sure what the call to action is. Maybe it happens much later in the book, when Katsa figures out she doesn't have to do everything Randa wants.
Okay, I came up with one where it's clearer to me! In Harry Potter the inciting incident is the murder of his parents. The call to action is the Hogwarts letter. Right?
In Howl's Moving Castle, the inciting incident is the death of Sophie's father. The call to action is when the witch turns Sophie old.
Clare, in the Hunger Games, the inciting incident I think is when it's the annual day where they choose the contestants, when everyone gathers at the town square for the decision.
Right-- when Prim gets called, it's Catniss's call to action.
I haven't read Graceling. But "much later in the book" can't be the call to action-- that happens early.
So the prince gets kidnapped. What gets the protagonist involved? That's the call to action usually.
I wouldn't say the murder of the parents is the inciting incident-- too early compared to the events of the story. (It might be the inciting incident of the whole series, but not the first book.)
You know what I thought was the inciting incident- when the snake talked to Harry, because that was when he realized he was different, and so he's ready for change when the letter comes.
I don't know... these are just terms. But when you have these two events in the opening-- the start of change, and the (perhaps forced) invitation to involvement for the protagonist, you'll have better pacing and deeper reader investment from the start.
Alicia
"So the prince gets kidnapped. What gets the protagonist involved? That's the call to action usually."
Well, she has created a Council--mostly consisting of herself and her friends--that tries to right the wrongs that the kings in the various kingdoms do. That's why she gets involved with rescuing the prince, but while that leads to the main plot, I guess it isn't the plot itself; maybe the call to action is when Po turns up at her castle. The book actually opens on her working to rescue the prince. (I was hoping some other people would comment and we'd get a discussion going with examples!)
"I wouldn't say the murder of the parents is the inciting incident-- too early compared to the events of the story. (It might be the inciting incident of the whole series, but not the first book.)"
Ah, fair enough--I was thinking the whole series. I like the snake talking to him as the inciting incident. Or you could say that all the unexplainable things that happen to him are little inciting incidents.
This is really interesting--thank you!
Post a Comment