Inciting Incident

The first 15 pages of any script are the most important. Every story needs a creative and unique inciting incident. What's yours?

Whether it's a short film or a feature, you need to grab the reader's attention within the first few pages.

"Yes, it’s true a writer might only get the opening pages of their script read -- and it will likely be put down right away if those pages don’t immediately engage the busy industry professional who has given it a chance by opening it." (Erik Bork, Band Of Brothers)

Inciting Incident Script Competition aims to help writers discover if their work is engaging enough to captivate the Hollywood gatekeeper to receive the elusive “Recommend.” Inciting Incident accepts your screenplay (only the first 15 pages needed), short script or play. The Grand Prize Winner receives $300, a Winner’s Laurel, and written feedback from the festival directors with additional prizes for second and third place entries. Written feedback is also available for all submissions as an additional category entry.

Your opening pages will be read by select industry professionals. The team scores the scripts based on seven professional writing criteria. The readers assign scores of 1 to 10 for each of the following elements: Concept/Originality, Structure, Plot, Pacing, Characters, Dialogue & Inciting Incident.

Indie Pathways Magazine Feature Category gives poets, short story writers and photographers an opportunity to jump past gate keepers and be published. Each Deadline will offer one Short Story Winner, Photography Winner and/or Poem Winner to be featured in an upcoming edition of Indie Pathways Magazine. Winners will also receive a contest Laurel.

Inciting Incident was founded by Industry Professionals Laura Fortino-Zeni and Debra Stolberg who also serve on the Editorial Board of Indie Pathways Magazine.

Laura is an award winning Writer and Filmmaker. As a Producer and the founder of VincI Productions she has written, directed and produced numerous international stage and film productions. A film festival judge for over 23 years as well as co-director of Cinematic Scribe Short Screenplay Competition, Laura is well versed with industry standards.

Debra has been writing professionally for 25 years, first as an entertainment journalist who segued into entertainment publicity.As a screenwriter, she has sold and optioned numerous projects. After writing and directing Spanish for Your Nanny, which went viral on YouTube, she began working as a contracted writer for online content providers. She has worked internationally with writers and actors to help them hone and improve their work.