Screenwriting : Difference Between Inciting Incident & Plot Points by NicKhil Chavan

Deferring to Ron's fine answer, but with one tweak: it depends on the definition of Plot Point. According to Syd Field there are (I think) only two plot points, around the Act breaks. So the inciting incident is before the first plot point, as Ron describes above. But some other paradigms might consider every major event a "plot point", with the inciting incident being one of many.

The inciting incident starts the story in a different direction. The Shining has some cool points, and many films show them.

I've understood that the inciting incident is a plot point and a plot point is any "switch" in the plot that either changes the direction or the intensity of the plot.

I wrote about these at www.tonymcfadden.net/structure The inciting incident sets up the first plot point. The first plot point knocks the protagonist out of their status quo, committing them to the journey they must take.

Inciting incident is simply the 'first' plot point turn in the story. A plot point is a turning point when the story seems to be heading in a known direction then something happens and the story 'turns' into a new direction. There can be 5 major turning points. The first that gets the story started, an opportunity of some sort, then at the end of the first act, the mid-point, the end of the second act, and the climax. But the truth is there can be many turns in a story. The terms can vary, too. Don't get caught up in the 'terms' just know that things have to happen in a movie, and when they change the direction of the story-- it's all the more interesting.

Okay picture this, your character is plodding along in normal life. he goes to work, he goes home, eats dinner, goes to bed, gets up catches the train to work, there is a train accident. it crashes into another train. this incident propels this character to re-evaluate his life and he decides to start living life differently. if he hadn't been in the accident that killed many, but not him then he'd still be doing his normal life. the train accident is the inciting incident. it's propels your character into a different direction and into the actual story.

Thank you all for taking your time & reverting on my query. Really, appreciate it.

awesome thread! thanks!

Inciting incident kicks off the story, a plot point spins the story in a new direction.