Creating a Novel Premise and Story Arc
A sample lesson from Write YOUR Novel YOUR Way Course
Announcing Write YOUR Novel YOUR Way Spring 2024 Session.
I’m accepting registrations for our Spring 2024 term of a favorite course of mine. Many people dream of writing a novel. Many have even started and stalled. Part of the reason is they don’t know where to start. For others, it’s a lonely pursuit and without support their efforts fall by the wayside. Others have been taught a process that just doesn’t work for them, and they give up thinking they can’t write.
This novel writing course is different. First, this is a cooperative effort. We work together as a class supporting each other. Second, we recognize that different people have different writing personalities. What works for one writer doesn’t for all writers. We help you discover the process that works best for you. Finally, this course is taught by an author who is also an accomplished online instructor. Being an excellent writer is not the same as being an effective teacher. I bring both 50 years experience as a writer and 40 years experience as a teacher to the table.
This course takes you from framing a premise to editing the final draft. You will receive eleven courses in all. You will have access to a secure discussion forum where you can engage with both the other students and the instructor. You will receive feedback from the instructor on all exercises. And, those who complete all the exercises will receive a critique of the first 20,000 words of the finished novel.
These courses individually sold at $35 each. That’s nearly $400 worth of instruction. And the critique is worth $200 if you contracted with me to provide a professional evaluation. That makes this package worth nearly $600. However, I’m offering it for just $47. However, I only have 15 openings. They will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. So, registering early provides you with the best possibility to join this class.
Click Here to find out more and to register.
Still not sure! Here’s a sample lesson from the course.
Creating a Novel Premise and Story Arc
When I was 12, I started work on my first novel. I had this idea about a fellow living in the mid-21st Century. He was a normal sort of guy. He was living a quiet ordinary life as an accountant. He was living in the family home that had been occupied by his family for generations. One day, his scientist great-grandfather appears from the 20th century in his basement. Not long after that his great-grand son arrives from the 22nd century in his attic.
That’s as far as I ever got with the story. I had an idea, but I didn’t have a premise. I still think it might be an interesting idea. Maybe sixty years later it’s worth pursuing. But that’s for another day. Today, let’s talk about creating a premise and story arc for your novel.
Creating a Novel Premise
A premise for your novel is the starting point for writing. The premise is your basic novel idea condensed down to 25 words or less. This is sometimes called the elevator pitch. You are in an elevator and discover you are next to the acquisition’s editor at a major publisher. You have until the elevator reaches the next floor to pitch your story idea.
The premise shouldn't be fancy or long but should contain certain basic elements: character, setting, action, and conflict. First, you need to establish the character. Stories are about people. We are not talking developing a full character dossier here, just identifying the basics. If there are two main characters, mention both.
Second, identify the general setting of the story. Is it contemporary urban? Civil War Plantation? Distant Future on a spaceship? A fantasy world?
Third, what is happening at the beginning of the story that sets the events in motion. Did Jane rent a seaside cottage to complete her doctoral dissertation? Did the P.I. take a case to prove marital infidelity? Was Captain Konner demoted to commanding an interstellar garbage scow?
Fourth, establish the problem or conflict (also known as the inciting incident) that the main character must address through the story. For instance, the captain of the garbage scow may find the body of a murdered crew member mixed in with the garbage, and he needs to find the killer.
So, I’m working on a story that has the following premise:
Dick TR8C, a robotic P.I., is hired to find a blackmailer, but the stakes are raised when his client is arrested for murdering the man.
This is your starting point for your story. It might help if you printed it out and put it on the wall behind your computer so you can remind yourself of it as you write.
Story Arc
Whether you like to have a detailed plan, or you are someone who prefers to "write by the seat of your pants," you probably have some idea of where the story is going in very general terms. This is what we are calling the Story Arc in this lesson.
The story arc is a bit more detailed than the premise but is not a full plot outline. It is a description of where you think the story is going at this time. You may not even have a completely well-formed idea of the total story as it will unfold. This simply gives you more than a simple one-line premise.
This can be just a few paragraphs. If you are a pioneer, for instance, you might just have something like this:
Robotic P.I. Dick TR8C, an emancipated AI, is hired by the wife of a wealthy, if shady, industrialist to discover who snapped pictures of her in bed with another man using a drone camera. Dick traces the drone to a suspect, but before he can confront the man, the blackmailer is murdered, and Dick’s client is being held for murder.
Dick discovers that the “blackmailer” was an undercover agent investigating the industrialist. He discovers the industrialist was also running a “no-questions-asked” delivery service for a mix of legitimate businesses, less than honest individuals, intelligence agencies, and a few criminal organizations.
Just as Dick concludes the industrialist is the murderer, his main suspect is killed. Now, he sifts through the clues to discover just why he was killed, and by whom.
(You didn’t really think I was going to reveal the murderer here, did you?)
It can also be a bit longer. But try to keep it under a page. This is not a plot outline just a general idea of where the story is going.
With your premise and your story arc in mind, you can begin to flesh out your story. We will begin by creating the characters that populate the story. That comes in the next lesson.