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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27992
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> My novel technically has two inciting incidents: One in the first chapter, and another five chapters later. The later incident really kicks off the story.

So... that makes me think that the first incident kicks off a subplot that allows the world and the characters to be set. Then there's a second incident that kicks off the main plot.

I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, I've just been tutoring a kid (highschool level Portuguese literature) where he's studying a novel that has that exact structure. Subplot with a tragic family story that sets up the stage for the main plot, where the main character, while showing himself superior to his tragic family member, ends up in a greater tragedy.

All you have to make sure is that the initial subplot is important to the setting and has an interesting arc of itself. Imagine you're writing a short-story that is composed solely of that initial subplot: would it make an interesting read? If not, either cut it out or make it interesting per se. How? Ignore the fact that this is supposed to be the setting for something greater and treat it as a story per se: make sure that there's a goal driving the main character(s) and that the characters are interesting.

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