This week: The Call to Adventure Edited by: Jeff  
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"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."
— Amelia Earhart
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of the regular editors of the official Action/Adventure Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site in that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly or submit feedback in the comment box at the bottom of this newsletter. |
The Call to Adventure
From a character's perspective, action and adventure can be scary. Dangerous, even. After all, these characters are leaving behind any semblance of a normal life to solve crimes, embark on expeditions to the other side of the world (or galaxy!), or face off against heavily armed and well-trained bad guys.
So what is it that entices a protagonist to actually undertake all the action and adventure?
The most popular story structure for stories in the action/adventure genre is the three-act structure. While specific definitions, plot points, and literary theorists may differ, the first act almost always includes the following elements:
 Hook
Exposition
Inciting Incident
The Hook is something that happens immediately to grab the reader or audience's attention. In police procedurals like Law & Order, it's the "cold open" where the viewer gets a sneak peak at either the crime being committed, or the investigators discovering the crime scene and some kind of unique element of it (a VIP victim, a unique circumstances, etc.). In The Bourne Identity, it's discovering the body of our protagonist Jason Bourne floating in the ocean, suffering from amnesia. In The Rock, it's when Ed Harris' soldiers steal the deadly VX gas from a military installation for use in their extortion plot.
Exposition is the essential background information that's presented about the characters or world to help the reader or audience understand the world and the context for the story. In Die Hard, we learn that John McClane is a NYPD cop visiting his estranged wife in Los Angeles. We're given information that's critical to story points later, like why he removes his shoes, and what steps Hans Gruber and his terrorists undertake to seal off the building.
The Inciting Incident is the event that disrupts the character's status quo. Also called the "point of no return," in most action and adventure stories, this is the moment where the character cannot go back to their old life again; they must move forward. In Minority Report, it's when the system predicts that John Anderson would commit murder in the future, kicking off a race for Anderson to prove why he shouldn't be prosecuted like everyone else. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's[Philosopher's] Stone, Harry is accepted into Hogwarts and that changes everything. And in The Matrix, Neo takes the red pill and literally wakes up in a world he didn't realize even existed.
For the purposes of this newsletter, the Inciting Incident is what we're specifically looking at. It needs to be something that precludes the character from going back to their regular life, otherwise that will always be a question hanging over your narrative. Rather than dealing with this messy/dangerous situation, why doesn't the protagonist just give up and go home?
The Call to Adventure isn't just an invitation. It's an ultimatum.
Some mechanics that can create an ultimatum include:
Physical prohibition
Personal stakes
A ticking clock
Being physically prohibited from returning home is a great way to get your character to a point of no return. They can't return home if there's no home (or status quo) to return to. That's why so many action stories feature a reluctant hero embarking on a quest after their home, family, etc. are completely destroyed.
That goes hand in hand with personal stakes, which is when you give your protagonist a character-driven reason to pursue the adventure. If your character loves their child and their child is kidnapped, the reason for trying to rescue their child is the motivation that will push them to keep going. If your protagonist is an employee who got taken advantage of in a heist, recovering what was stolen might be a matter of personal pride or professional necessity. In a lot of cases, action/adventure stories are built around the protagonist having a special set of skills or being the only person who can resolve the conflict. See: Taken and pretty much every Jason Statham movie in existence.
Last but not least, a ticking clock can be a great way to compel people to ask. If a bomb is going to go off in 24 hours, spending 24 hours trying to prevent that is an obvious course of action for the character. If the character needs to get across the country before the love of their life gets on a plane and flies out of their life forever, that deadline is what spurs the action.
As you're planning out your next piece of writing in the action/adventure genre, I'd encourage you to really dig into your protagonist's motivations and what would create a Call to Adventure that they can't resist or run away from. It will help spur your story on and avoid picky readers questioning why your character subjects themselves to the trials and tribulations of your narrative.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations" |
This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
You are also invited to check out these items from members of the community:
| |  | The Chunnel (13+) A traveler with nothing comes up with a plan on the train under the Channel. |
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Action/Adventure: February 04, 2026 Issue [#13575]
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