Here it is, NaNoEve, and you’re too busy assembling your Halloween costume to think about your novel.  Don’t let me scare you too much, but TOMORROW IS THE DAY YOU START WRITING YOUR NOVEL!  BOO! Ah, fear not.  It is not as scary as you might think.  All you need to do is come up with an inciting incident (fancy writer talk for “the event that started it all”) that will launch your main character into his or her adventure.  What change in his/her life sets the story in motion?  Is it a tragedy?  Or an adventure?  Or simply a change in location/friendships/class schedules?

If you’re still stumped, check out these familiar inciting incidents in literature.  Watch our “how to start” slideshow, which takes inspiration from our favorite published authors: