How to Nail Your Story Premise (and Why it’s Important)
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What is your story about?
When someone asks you that question, what do you say?
Often we don’t think consciously about this. We sort of know what our novel is about, but when someone asks, we fumble around. “It’s about, um, this girl, and she gets a job at this up-and-coming tech company, but then she realizes the head guy is doing some criminal stuff, so she, um, solves the crime, but her life is in danger – and there’s a love interest, and...”
Sometimes, we’re still finding our way into the story, and so we haven’t got a clear premise yet. Even if you’re not a pantser or “discovery writer,” you may not really know your story’s true premise until you write a full draft. You may think you know, but then you get an awesome idea, and you follow that instead.
Why is it important to know your story’s Premise?
The Premise is the point of your story. It’s what hooks readers in. It’s not just what happens, it’s also what it means to the characters.
It’s also the foundation you build on when writing your story. I sometimes call it the Story Spine. It can help orient you when you’re adrift in a sea of ideas. If you get an idea for “what’s next” and it doesn’t fit the story premise, you either ditch it or find a way to make it organically fit (don’t just shove it in, in other words).
I’ve used a couple of terms interchangeably, but they’re not really the same.
Your Point can be simple: Love conquers all. Cheaters never prosper. Yes, it can even be a cliché. It’s the theme, if you will. The point you’re trying to make. It’s the basis of the Premise.
The Premise itself needs to be vivid and specific. Ask yourself:
Who is the protagonist? This means, who are they at the beginning of the novel?
What do they want? What is their ultimate goal, that they will do anything to achieve?
What is at stake if they don’t get it? What conflicts or disasters will occur, personally and publicly?
The goal is to nail your Premise, so you know you have a compelling story. The character has to be someone in a situation we can all relate to in some way. For example: Dina is ready to retire after thirty years with the police force. She wants to tend her garden, see her new grandchild, maybe travel. But then a lead comes in that just might crack a decades-old cold case – the murder of her best friend’s daughter.
Their goal has to really mean something to them. In other words, it can’t just be an external goal. They want to win the race? Why? To beat a rival who’s also an ex-lover? To make their distant parent proud?
This raises the Stakes. There should be an external consequence if something happens (or doesn’t happen) as well as an internal one. If Ron chooses to have an affair with Valerie, he could lose his marriage. He would also lose his self-respect, because he has always thought of himself as a moral man. But he’s never really been tempted – and therefore tested.
From these, we can see that a premise doesn’t have to be “Superman saves the world” level consequences. What makes a story situation and characters unique are the decisions they make when confronted with the antagonistic force of the novel.
Sometimes the antagonist is external – the killer, the ex-lover.
Sometimes the antagonist is themselves – we've all been known to make decisions that were ultimately not doing us any favors!
Sometimes the antagonist is simply a force beyond the character’s control – the hurricane, the flood, the mass shooting that happens while they’re at the mall.
The trick to a great premise is a specific character, with a specific goal/desire, and specific stakes if they do or don’t get it.
Fleshed-out examples:
After thirty years with her small-town police force, Dina is ready to retire. She wants to tend her garden, see her new grandchild, maybe travel. But then a lead comes in that just might crack a decades-old cold case – the murder of her best friend’s daughter. When a copycat murder occurs, she has to figure out if the old killer is back or if they have a new one on their hands – before he or she strikes again.
Danni loves motocross racing. They’ve been on a bike since they were ten, and now, they can end their senior year on a high note if they win the regional championship. Their dad has always disapproved of everything Danni does. Maybe if they win, they can prove to their distant, critical dad that racing isn‘t a waste of time, and finally win his approval.
Ron has a loving wife, beautiful home, two great kids, he’s just been promoted at work, and he’s a Deacon in his church. He considers himself blessed, even if his life lacks excitement. But then he meets Valerie while volunteering at the local food bank, and soon he can’t stop thinking about her. When she reveals she feels the same way, Ron faces more temptation than he’s ever known. Is he the “good guy” he always thought? Or will his demons cause him to blow up everything good in his life?
What is your story premise? Can you nail it down in just a few sentences? Is it compelling? Does it have a clear character, with a clear problem/goal/desire? Does it have clear Inner and Outer stakes?
The clearer you are on your premise before you start writing, the easier your draft will be. You should definitely at least nail down your premise before you start revising. In the end, it will also help you sell your story to an agent or editor, or provide a compelling blurb if you self-publish. So don’t skip this step!
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