Writing Your Novel’s Premise

Writing a strong premise before you begin working on story structure (if you are a plotter) or just starting to write (if you are a panster) is important for a number of reasons. First, it will help you bring the idea for your story to life, and it is one of the foundational steps in the novel writing process. Second, it will provide you with a storytelling roadmap that you can follow from the first page. If you have a premise, you will have an easier time writing your story.

As James Scott Bell in Plot & Structure says: Why spend six months, a year—ten years!—hammering out something that editors and agents, not to mention readers, will not care about? You need to come up with hundreds of ideas, toss out the ones that don’t grab you, and then nurture and develop what’s left.

You will have an easier time of writing the synopsis, pitch, concept, and marketing copy if you have a good premise. As painful as figuring out the premise in advance of writing can be, don’t skip this step.

What is a premise? In short, a premise is a simple and brief description of what your story is about. It’s the main idea and is the reason you are spending hours and hours at your keyboard (or with pen and paper if you lean that way).

The premise is not the concept (high or low).

• Concept: The concept refers to the idea for a novel. Writers often phrase the concept as a what-if question. EX: What if a burglar saw the president commit murder? Absolute Power by David Baldacci
• Premise: The premise gives a story’s big picture and writer’s development strategy. EX: In a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality, Neo is led out of the simulation but then must war against deadly to free humanity from slavery. The Matrix

How do you write a premise? It’s easy in theory but can be difficult in practice. There’s only one way to get it done, though. Just keep kicking it around until it’s exactly what you want.

There are four parts to a premise:

1 – When

2 – Action

3 – But

4 – Point

1 –When. When equates to the event in your story which provokes your protagonist to act. It most likely is the inciting incident of your story. The when is your story problem that your character needs to solve, and it gives the reader a sense of what your character is up against.

2 – Action. The action clause defines the character’s goals, motivations, and relationships, and tells the reader who the character is.

3 – But. But is a big deal and is all about the conflict. The but section shows the opposing force and all the peril that your character must overcome to solve the story problem.

4 – Point. The point clause is the chaos component of those events in which all potentially could be lost. The point clause clarifies the stakes and shows what is at risk for your character. The reader can see how the potential loss will lead to (point to) the resolution of the story.

So, if you have an idea for a novel, figure out the four parts and weave them together. Kick the premise around with your writer friends. Polish. Polish again. Eventually, you will have something great that you can move forward with on your journey to published author.