P.S. There's a gift for you at the end of this post!
Last winter I was in the middle of a rehearsal when I got a phone call. It was from a woman by the name of Sarah Cunningham. I'd known Sarah just a bit from her involvement in Ben Arment's brainchild, STORY. As far as I understand it, she is a big part of making sure STORY happens. For that, we should be greatful.
However, she was not calling about STORY. She was calling about a new project. A book project. A book she wanted to call, Inciting Incidents. I was hooked.
In the first year of our marriage my wife went out to L.A. for 8 weeks to study at a screenwriting program. As I'm prone to do (and in such a way I'm postive my wife finds positively annoying) I'm always curious to learn whatever she's learning. A few weeks before she was to leave, a big heavy purple book arrived in the mail: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting. While she was away, I secretly bought my own copy and read it cover to cover.
During the first few chapters Robert tells us that without something called an "inciting incident" a story cannot move forward.
"For better or for worse, an event throws a character's life out of balance, arousing in him the conscious and/or unconscious desire for that which he feels will restore balance, launching him on a Quest against the forces of antagonism (inner, personal, etc.) He may or may not achieve it."
Of course our lives aren't movies and are indeed filled with many such "inciting incidents." What Sarah was calling about last winter was to inquire if I'd be willing to explore one such moment of my own.
The book would be created by a collective of authors and artists, and I'm excited to share that it is officially on sale.
As is always the case with a new book, the publisher wants to make sure you get a taste of what's inside by giving something away.
Well in this case, the chapter they are giving away is actually mine. I do hope you'll download my chapter and then also go and buy the book to read the rest of the amazing stories.
ALSO, if you get your copy between now and September 14th, you’ll get these freebies along with it:
- Free eBook copy of Inciting Incidents
- Free eBook copy of The Art of Storytelling, by John Walsh
- A set of 3 wallpapers featuring quotes and artwork from Inciting Incidents
- A digital portfolio of the 6 pieces of original artwork included in Inciting Incidents
READY TO DO THIS? Buy a copy of Inciting Incidents at your favorite retailer within the first 2 weeks before September 14th and submit a copy of your receipt to incitingincidents@moody.edu.
