On writing: Developing the premise #5
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Are you happy with your concept? Then grow a premise out of it. Premises involve a task to be accomplished and a character that must accomplish it in the midst of conflict.
The following notes, gathered years ago from many books on writing, focus on developing the main character involved in your premise, which will usually be the protagonist.
-Can you find a character you love implied in the story idea? If not, your story may be toast, and you need to move on to another idea.
-What character would be the best in the idea? Can you make him the hero?
-Is there one character whom the audience will choose to be their hero?
-Identify what the focal character wants to attain or avoid.
-What character’s serious problem and how does he try to get out of the predicament rides the plot?
-Can you make your hero active and resourceful?
-How do you make sure your hero has compelling contradictions?
-How is he someone who wants to unravel the story? That’s all a hero is: the character who has to solve this problem. You audience wants the entire story to come out, but they can’t do it themselves. Instead, they have to trust your hero to get to the bottom of it for them. If the hero doesn’t care, what is the audience supposed to do?
-If you are writing about rookies, you need to ask yourself why the audience should trust them to be the heroes instead of their boss. Is there a value to their newness that makes them more interesting heroes?
-Could you make your hero unhappy with the status quo?
-Are you sure the character isn’t flat and lacks a fresh edge?
-Would the protagonist be so strong as to be conceptual in nature (such as Batman, Holden Caulfield, etc.).
-There is a glimpse at how and why we will find this character or arena interesting (that is, conceptual). If she isn’t all that interesting, then your premise is already suspect.
-How is the hero compelling? How could he be by nature someone we root for, and like (not necessity, but it can help). How would he be associated with a quest with a specific goal, something that has stakes?
-The hero’s motivations are critical to making a story work. Why does he want to do what he wants to do? And why will we care?
-Try to give your hero an ironic backstory, an ironic contrast between their exterior and interior, and a great flaw that’s the ironic flip side of a great strength.
-How would this story force the character to show his true self?
-How is this story about a character who changes in a significant way?
-Can you make the character face his demons, learn important truths, cause readers to ponder deeper issues and themes?
-In what ways is your kicker tied in with your protagonist’s core need? Greatest fear? Deepest desire? How does his/her goal embody the concept?
-What does your hero need or want in this story? What is his or her “story journey”?
-How is the story about overcoming the protagonist’s flaw/misbelief?
-How do you make sure that you won’t write about your hero’s life, but about your hero’s problem? Don’t open your story with your hero waking up. Your story is not about your hero’s day. It’s about his problem.
-How do you make sure that your hero affects the events and the events affect the hero?
-See how this would apply: when the story begins, heroes shouldn’t know what they need to win. That’s the point. they have to go on this journey to figure it out.
-How is he trying to improve his life, not just return to zero?
-Does this challenge represent the hero’s greatest hope and/or greatest fear and/or ironic answer to the hero’s question?
-In the end, is the hero the only one who can solve the problem?
-How is your character’s overall plot goal a dilemma that will require the entire story to solve?
-How does he either succeed or fail?
-How does the premise give something to do to the hero?
-How is the premise the personalized antidote to his lie/flaw?
-Is the arc you’ve identified your strongest possible option?
-Does your story present a unique central relationship? For example, could you take two familiar characters and give them a believable but never-seen-before relationship? Could you take two very different types of characters and force them to rely on each other in an unique way?
Are you happy with your concept? Then grow a premise out of it. Premises involve a task to be accomplished and a character that must accomplish it in the midst of conflict.
The following notes, gathered years ago from many books on writing, focus on developing the main character involved in your premise, which will usually be the protagonist.
-Can you find a character you love implied in the story idea? If not, your story may be toast, and you need to move on to another idea.
-What character would be the best in the idea? Can you make him the hero?
-Is there one character whom the audience will choose to be their hero?
-Identify what the focal character wants to attain or avoid.
-What character’s serious problem and how does he try to get out of the predicament rides the plot?
-Can you make your hero active and resourceful?
-How do you make sure your hero has compelling contradictions?
-How is he someone who wants to unravel the story? That’s all a hero is: the character who has to solve this problem. You audience wants the entire story to come out, but they can’t do it themselves. Instead, they have to trust your hero to get to the bottom of it for them. If the hero doesn’t care, what is the audience supposed to do?
-If you are writing about rookies, you need to ask yourself why the audience should trust them to be the heroes instead of their boss. Is there a value to their newness that makes them more interesting heroes?
-Could you make your hero unhappy with the status quo?
-Are you sure the character isn’t flat and lacks a fresh edge?
-Would the protagonist be so strong as to be conceptual in nature (such as Batman, Holden Caulfield, etc.).
-There is a glimpse at how and why we will find this character or arena interesting (that is, conceptual). If she isn’t all that interesting, then your premise is already suspect.
-How is the hero compelling? How could he be by nature someone we root for, and like (not necessity, but it can help). How would he be associated with a quest with a specific goal, something that has stakes?
-The hero’s motivations are critical to making a story work. Why does he want to do what he wants to do? And why will we care?
-Try to give your hero an ironic backstory, an ironic contrast between their exterior and interior, and a great flaw that’s the ironic flip side of a great strength.
-How would this story force the character to show his true self?
-How is this story about a character who changes in a significant way?
-Can you make the character face his demons, learn important truths, cause readers to ponder deeper issues and themes?
-In what ways is your kicker tied in with your protagonist’s core need? Greatest fear? Deepest desire? How does his/her goal embody the concept?
-What does your hero need or want in this story? What is his or her “story journey”?
-How is the story about overcoming the protagonist’s flaw/misbelief?
-How do you make sure that you won’t write about your hero’s life, but about your hero’s problem? Don’t open your story with your hero waking up. Your story is not about your hero’s day. It’s about his problem.
-How do you make sure that your hero affects the events and the events affect the hero?
-See how this would apply: when the story begins, heroes shouldn’t know what they need to win. That’s the point. they have to go on this journey to figure it out.
-How is he trying to improve his life, not just return to zero?
-Does this challenge represent the hero’s greatest hope and/or greatest fear and/or ironic answer to the hero’s question?
-In the end, is the hero the only one who can solve the problem?
-How is your character’s overall plot goal a dilemma that will require the entire story to solve?
-How does he either succeed or fail?
-How does the premise give something to do to the hero?
-How is the premise the personalized antidote to his lie/flaw?
-Is the arc you’ve identified your strongest possible option?
-Does your story present a unique central relationship? For example, could you take two familiar characters and give them a believable but never-seen-before relationship? Could you take two very different types of characters and force them to rely on each other in an unique way?
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