I’ve been working on my next book, called The Giant’s Giant, and I’ve had a lot of trouble getting it going. For some reason, I start writing a couple of chapters, then get stuck and don’t know where the story is going. I start over, and again I’ve gotten stuck. It’s as if the story I’m working on just sort of fizzles out and disappears. I realized I hadn’t fully defined the concept and premise of the story. So I’m taking a break from writing to write this mini-lesson, in hopes that it helps me with my story.

Story Concept – When I’m thinking about a new story, I always start with the story concept. The story concept is the bones of the story. It’s the basic skeletal structure onto which the complete story, with its plot, character arc, twists and obstacles will be attached.

The story concept can usually be phrased in a What If question. Here’s an example:

What if a comet was about to hit the Earth and scientists had to find a way to stop it.

That’s great. It tells us, at a very general level, what our story is about, but there’s noting interesting here that makes me think, I have to write that story. That’s because it’s just a concept, and it’s missing the characters, and the obstacles, and the relationships that make us need to read a book. 

One method I’ve found for figuring out my story concept is to use what’s referred to as Pixar Rule #4. Using this template will help you organize your thoughts in a concise manner. So think about your story and fill in the blanks of this sentence:

Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

You can use this, to sketch out your ideas, but it’s important to note; this does not give you a premise, it just gives you a rough sketch of your story. Try using it and see what you can come up with, then look at the next section below to further develop the concept into a premise.

For my next book, not written yet, The Giant’s Giant, my story concept is this:

What if a giant is exiled from her clan. She must find a way to prove herself and gain acceptance again.

OK, I get it, The Giant’s Giant will be about a certain giant and he must do something to prove he still belongs in the clan. That’s a good concept, but I need more before I start writing. I need the story premise.Story Premise – The story premise has your concept at its core, but it also includes more details about the characters, their struggles, the villain, the character arc. The details in the premise are what makes the story pop off the page, and make a reader keep turning the page. As a result, you need to keep this in mind as you are outlining and/or writing your story. 

If you think about The Titanic, the story concept was a big ship sinks, but the premise is much more complicated. The Story Premise for The Titanic is about the characters in the story, and how the sinking of the Titanic changes their lives in very significant ways. The Titanic’s story premise will tell about the characters and their obstacles, as well as their desires. If you have a good premise for your story, you’ll found outlining it, if you’re a Plotter, much easier, and if you’re a Pantser, you’ll find getting the words onto the page much easier.

Before I start writing my premise, I ask myself the following questions:

1. Who is my protagonist?
2. What is their inner flaw, or inner demons. What are they afraid of and what motivates them.
3. What does the protagonist want/need. Is it money, power, love, safety . . . it must be something.
4. What relationships does the protagonist build throughout the story. These relationships will form a secondary plot line under the main plot.
5. What obstacles will the protagonist encounter? This includes the antagonist, but also any other external force that will get in their way. These are extremely important, for they will form the backbone of your plot.
6. How will the protagonist change throughout the story? This the most important thing to think about when writing your premise, because it is the most important part of your story. We loved Harry Potter, because he see him grow through the story and defeated Quirrell/Voldermort by using powerful he wasn’t sure he really possessed.

For my story, The Giant’s Giant, my story is going to involve not only a Giant, but a Plainsman and a Dryad (sorta like an elf). There will be racial tensions between the three companions, and they’ll have to learn how to trust each other in order to be victorious.

Here’s my first attempt at the story premise for The Giant’s Giant:

Brianna StormFist, a giant from the Diorite Clan is exiled from her home and sent to Harmony, a school for the incorrigibles and the misfits. At the school, she learns people are being murdered and believes there is a conspiracy within the races of Giants, Plainsmen and Dryads. Befriended by Stannis Cunningham, a Plainsman boy, and Rayel Juniperus, a Dryad girl, the three outcasts will journey to the Wastelands, looking for the truth about the conspiracy, but what they will find will chill them to the bone. Can they stop the disastrous plot being hatched by the Scavengers of the Wastelands, or will everything they love be destroyed. 

Now, let’s see if I answered all the questions in my premise:

1. Who is my protagonist? Brianna StormFist
2. What is their inner flaw, or inner demons. Didn’t answer this
3. What does the protagonist want/need. Didn’t answer this
4. What relationships does the protagonist build throughout the story. She will befriend Stannis and Rayel.
5. What obstacles will the protagonist encounter? Didn’t answer this
6. How will the protagonist change throughout the story? Didn’t answer this.

I need to do a better job. I’ll try again, but keep in mind, you want your premise short and concise, but still cover everything. Here’s attempt #2.

Brianna StormFist, a giant from the Diorite Clan is exiled from her home and sent to Harmony, a school for incorrigibles and misfits. Desperate to be accepted by the other Giants, Brianna tries to fit in, but being shorter than all the others, she fails miserably, is now further isolated and alone. While at the school, Brianna learns people are being murdered and believes there is a conspiracy within the races of Giants, Plainsmen and Dryads. Tensions are rising between the races, potentially leading to war. Brianna, knowing how to detect the murderers, must go into the Wastelands and find proof and bring the races back from the brink of war. Befriended by Stannis Cunningham, a Plainsman boy, and Rayel Juniperus, a Dryad girl, the three outcasts will journey into the dangerous land of the Scavengers to find their proof. On the way, they will each learn they are more than what others think of them, and belief in themselves will let them find the truth about the conspiracy and hopefully stop the Second War of the Races.

This time, I think I hit all the marks. I mentioned some of Brianna’s inner flaw, her need for acceptance while being shorter than the others; height is the most important thing to a Giant. I also covered what Brianna needs, acceptance. I mentioned the obstacles they’ll see as they journey into the Wastelands, though I haven’t figured them out specifically right now, I’ll do that next. And lastly, I mentioned that the three kids will come to believe in themselves and stop the Second War of the Races before it begins, hopefully.

This has really helped me to get a picture of my story in my head. I’d been floundering for a while. I wrote a couple of chapters, but they seemed to head nowhere, and that’s because I didn’t have a clear idea where I was going; now I do and I can start writing again.

Tell your story that way it was meant to be told, with lots of emotion and details and conflict and tension and twists and excitement. And to do this, you must prepare, like a soldier going to battle, but your battle field is the empty page, and your weapons are words. Prepare first, then write second and you’ll be happier with the results. 

Mark