Define your book’s premise
Without a well-founded premise, your book will fail. Discover all there is to know about what a premise is and follow this simple creative exercise to develop yours.
What is a premise?
The premise is your end-to-end story in its most concise form. It is a one- or two-sentence statement which captures who your main character is, the situation/challenge they face, and the goal that they hope to achieve.
This is generally considered to be one of the top reasons that emerging writers will be unable to finish their books. This is because, without a fundamentally compelling premise, the story won’t have the capacity to become compelling. No matter how well you can do all the other things, you will be setting yourself up to fail.
Luckily, devising a premise isn’t that hard or time-consuming compared to actually writing the book. The biggest problem is that most writers don’t know about it or why they need it. By taking a few moments to sit down and flesh it out, you will be opening an entire runway for yourself to not only write a great book but not get blocked along the way. This is because the premise is a question, a question that prompts you, the writer to imagine and to create.
A good premise should be character-centric, be framed by the question ‘What if…’ and pose the challenge they must overcome given a certain inciting incident.
Follow the following exercise to kick-start your premise creation.
Exercise
Begin with your main character
Start by delving into the ideas surrounding your main character or protagonist. What makes them intriguing to you? Allow yourself to explore various iterations of this character, considering different traits, backgrounds, and motivations. Then, make conscious choices about which aspects to retain or discard, and understand why you made those decisions. If you find yourself stuck, continue exploring even seemingly incorrect character options until you stumble upon one that feels right and resonates with you. Alternatively, you can also explore the antagonist, as their purpose often lies in defining the protagonist through contrast.
Situation/Challenge
In your story, something external will happen to the main character to trigger them to make a change or embark on a journey. Explore multiple variations of where this story is set, what your character’s normal life looks like and what the trigger might be that pulls them out of it. Once again, be conscious about why you choose what you choose.
Goal
It is important to give your story direction by giving your character a goal. This should resolve the challenge they face and allow them to get back to life as normal. Brainstorm as many goals as you can think of and then narrow them down to the one you think will do your story the most justice.
Summarise in a premise statement
Now take all the parts you have defined above and craft them into a compelling and succinct statement. Try beginning the statement with ‘What if…’ to help you frame it as a question. This will turn it into a prompt that you can continuously reflect upon as you go to actually write the story.
Examples
Harry Potter
What if a boy, who has just discovered his wizarding abilities and received an invitation to a secret wizarding school, must also overcome the daunting challenge of defeating the most formidable and malevolent wizard in existence?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
What if an extraordinarily dull and timid man suddenly discovers the existence of aliens and learns that Earth is on the verge of destruction to make room for an intergalactic highway, with the daunting task of being the only one who can prevent it?
American Gods
What if a recently released convict discovers that all gods are real, and becomes aware of an impending war between the new gods and the old ones, with the weighty responsibility of being the sole individual capable of preventing it?
Craft your story with Bebop Writer
Most books fail because of common and preventable writing mistakes. Bebop Writer is a writing tool that tackles these blockers head-on and clears the way for emerging writers to successfully finish their books.
When writing your book with Bebop Writer, you will be prompted to follow our get-started guide, which will not only help you set up your premise as described in this article but also help you proactively prevent the other main writing blockers from getting in the way of your writing dreams.
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