This beat has many names, and you find it in almost every proper story ever told.
Its common monikers include: The Catalyst or The Inciting Incident.
More casually, it can be referred to: When the Story Starts.
Or you can simply call it: The Hook.
The Catalyst is the thing at the start of the story that sets everything in motion. It propels your protagonists into action (typically against their desires). It hooks the Reader’s attention, forcing an early and powerful, “I must know more.”
It’s also your salesperson. Readers will decide pretty early on if they’re interested in reading your story. If you can’t hook ‘em early, they’ll go look for something else. The entertainment business is tough!
The Ink Well Writing Tip #19: Hook Your Readers gets into the details, and provides some excellent examples. I’ll quickly cover the points in there, but highly recommend you check that article out. Few things are as important as getting Beat 4 right and timed properly.
Get to Beat 4 ASAP
The first chapter (or main part, or whatever) of your story needs to contain Beat 4.
It’s a very common editorial decision to take a look at a first draft, discover that the inciting incident happens somewhere in chapter 5, and simply lop off chapters 1 through 4.
You can get away with a few pages of build up and lead in (making some room for Beats 1 to 3), but a Reader only has so much patience for that before their mind starts to wander. They’re not picking up your story to read your character notes or learn the history of this or that. Hook ‘em! 🎣
The inciting incident forces a new world onto your protagonist
This Beat is where everything gets set in motion for the whole story. It’s the first domino to fall, and it usually puts the protagonist in a tough spot.
It doesn’t always need to be something obvious either. It could be a snap-decision that the protagonist makes. It could be a job interview that goes unexpectedly well. It could be something random, like a chance glance out a window.
If you’ve done the previous beats well, then often you need not be clamorous with the catalyst. If the protagonist’s ‘current world’ is vibrant, then you can use contrast to highlight the catalyst without whacking your Reader over the head with it.
💡 Example
The other night I watched the Oscar-winning movie CODA (which hit many of the Save The Cat! beats). The setup is pretty straightforward—our protagonist is an awkward high-school girl whose parents and brother are all deaf. (CODA = Child of Deaf Adults). She has been bullied and struggles with friends.
The Catalyst is when she makes a snap decision to join the school choir.
It’s not a huge moment. No explosions, no screams, no exuberance. It’s subtle and masterful. Joining a choir is a departure for a girl who loves and lives with people who cannot hear her sing.
The next two beats deal with closing Act One. These transitory beats can be tough, but get them right and you’ll feel the flow of a well-structured story coming together!
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