The secrets of story structure: the triggering event and the key event

The first quarter of your story hinges on two important and irreversible moments: the triggering event and the key event. I have deferred our discussion of the trigger event and key events to this point in our series of articles, because these events can take place at any of the points in the story structure we have already discussed. Now that we have an idea of the hook, the first act and the first major plot point, we can see more clearly how and where the triggering event and the key events influence these moments.

Sometimes the key events and the triggering event are the same event (for example, the arrival of the Great Sebastian in The Greatest Show on Earth ); sometimes they follow one another (for example, the children's arrival in Narnia through the painting and their subsequent reunion with Caspian in Voyage of the Tall Ship ); sometimes the entire first act separates them (such as the arrival of the prisoners in the camp and the digging of the first tunnel in The Great Escape ), and sometimes one or the other occurs before the actual story even own begins (e.g., the war in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ). Most writers are familiar with the idea of the trigger event as the moment when the story "officially" begins and the character's life changes forever. However, we find many misconceptions circulating about the trigger event, and many of them stem from the simple fact that the "key event" is often forgotten altogether.

What are the key and triggering events?

In the words of Syd Field in her legendary book The Screenplay , "the triggering event ... sets the story in motion ... [while] the key event [is] what the story is about , and drags the character along main in the plot. If we were to imagine our story as a row of dominoes, the trigger event would be the first domino. When we flip this particular domino, we set the entire line in motion. Generally, the trigger event is not difficult to find. It's the moment that changes everything for the main character and sets him on the path he will travel for the rest of the story. There's no need to be too specific about this. Of course, every life event is connected to an event that preceded him. If the character hadn't been born (and if his parents hadn't met, and if their parents had n't met), he surely would n't have embarked on his current adventure. But unless you're writing the next David Copperfield , his birth or his grandparents' wedding is unlikely to be your trigger event. Look closer to home to find the event directly affecting the plot.

While the trigger event and the key event may sometimes be the same thing, they are usually distinct. The key event is the moment in which the character is involved in the triggering event. For example, in most crime novels, the triggering event (the crime) occurs separately from the main character, who is unaffected by it until the key event,
when handling the case. The key event is the glue that binds the character to the impetus of the triggering event.

Where should key and trigger events be inserted?

Generally, we find two schools of thought about the appropriate place for the inciting event. It should either be in the hook, in the first chapter, no exceptions, or it should be in the first plot point around 25% of your story, no exceptions. I've subscribed to both of these philosophies at some point in my career, however, now I think both are too dogmatic. The hook and first plot point belongs to the structure of the stories, regardless of where the triggering event ends. Often the triggering event is the hook; it is often the first plot point; and it is often somewhere in between. What's important isn't so much nailing your trigger event to a specific point in the story, but rather presenting the trigger event at the optimal moment. Sometimes that means throwing the trigger event at the reader right away, other times it means waiting for maximum impact on the reader in the first quarter of the story.

The key event, on the other hand, almost always takes place after the triggering event, as its job is to build on that event and make it impossible for the main character to walk away from it. The earlier in the story you place your trigger event, the more time you have to work on your trigger event. But if the triggering event doesn't occur until the last useful point (i.e. the first major plot point in the first quarter of the story), then the pivotal event must occur immediately afterwards.

Examples from cinema and literature

The best way to get an idea of the differences between the triggering event and the key event, as well as the correct positioning of both in relation to each other, is to study them in action in the works of professionals. Let's look at the books and movies we've chosen.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)

The arrival of the Bingleys and Darcys in Meryton is the trigger event that starts the chain of events moving irreversibly. But the main character, Lizzy, doesn't get caught up in the triggering event until she meets and is rejected by Darcy at the Meryton assembly ball. This is the key event .

It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1947)

This classic film uses its entire first act to quietly introduce and build its characters. Its triggering event doesn't occur until the first major plot point, when George's father dies of a stroke. This is the moment that changes George's life forever and sets the next plot points in motion. But until George made the decision to take over from his father as executive secretary of Bailey Brothers' Building and Loan, he could have left at any time. His decision to stay in Bedford Falls is the key event because it officially involves him in the plot.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1977)

The triggering event that initiates the plot in this sci-fi classic is the invasion of the Formic aliens eighty years earlier. Without this invasion, Ender (as the third child) would never have been allowed to be born. This event takes place long before the beginning of the book and is only discussed in retrospect. The key event that irrevocably draws Ender into battle is his brutally efficient response to the overbearing Stilson, prompting Col. Graff and the International Fleet Selective Service to requisition Ender as a Battle School student.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (2004)

Again, here we find the triggering event taking place before the film begins. After the opening credits, viewers are informed that the British Admiralty has tasked Captain Jack Aubrey to intercept "the French privateer Acheron en route to the Pacific with the intent of carrying the war there...to sink her , burn it or take it as a prize". But only when the pivotal event occurs , when the Acheron attacks HMS Surprise during the opening sequence, do the characters become inextricably enmeshed in the events of the plot.

What do we take with us from these examples?

By studying the location, use, and relationship of the trigger and key events in our examples, what can we learn about integrating these important moments in history into our books?

1. The triggering event and key events must take place in the first quarter of the book, probably at the beginning of the chapter or at the first major plot point, but we are free to choose the most suitable moment in our stories.

2. The triggering event sets the sequence of events of the plot in motion.

3. The key event pulls the main character into that storyline.

4. The key event almost always follows the trigger event.

5. Sometimes the triggering event may take place before the chapter begins, but, for maximum effect, the key event should take place within the actual story so that the reader can experience it.

The integral relationship between the triggering event and the key event will feed into your entire story. Don't settle for anything less than the most potent and memorable combination you can concoct. Place them strategically in the first quarter of the story and use them to engage your reader as irretrievably as you do your main character.