I love crafting a premise – it’s one of the first things I do after I get a story in my head. With my premise as my guide, I know where the story is headed, the main themes, and the stakes. For those who are SOTPs – (Seat of the Pants plotters) – you can STILL do this – you don’t have to nail down every scene and nuance right now. But I’ll bet you have in your head the theme, the characters, and what the story is about. That’s all you need to craft a great premise. Let’s get started. Step One: Name your character, and their significance. For example, if the story is about a veterinarian, and her job is crucial to the story, then her occupation should […]
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Crafting your premise ~ The tools and secrets!
I love crafting a premise – -it’s one of the first things I do after I get a story in my head. With my premise as my guide, I know where the story is headed, the main themes, and the stakes. For those who are SOTPs – (Seat of the Pants plotters) – you can STILL do this – you don’t have to nail down every scene and nuance right now. But I’ll bet you have in your head the theme, the characters, and what the story is about. That’s all you need to craft a great premise. Let’s get started. Step One: Name your character, and their significance. For example, if the story is about a veterinarian, and her job is crucial to the story, then her occupation should […]
Read the RestWhere are we going? (Constructing the premise of your story!)
Okay, here we go – we’re off our journey! But…wait! What kind of journey are we going to take? I hike in the Himalayas? A beach vacation in Cancun? Skiing in Vermont? How about a canoe trip in Minnesota? (come visit me!) Before you take your first step, you need to know what your journey is all about! And that means – PREMISE. A premise is simply a 2-5 sentence blurb of your story. It’s zeroing in on the MOST important elements of your book – the stakes, the fears, the dreams, the theme and plot, and the main players. You’ll use your premise to grab your editor’s attention in your query letter, or pitch at a conference. And you’ll paste it above your computer as your write as a […]
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