A final version of this inciting incident is the “Death Plus MacGuffin,” when a minor character dies. This leaves a clue or piece of a MacGuffin, which is a kind of talisman object that the protagonist has to hunt for over the course of the rest of the story. Examples include: Crowds...
Fun fact: a plot device that can be seen as the opposite of Chekhov’s Gun is the “MacGuffin.” Popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, the MacGuffin typically takes the form of a goal or object of desire for the protagonist that is simply used in order to take the character on a journey —...