Lore & LilacFrom spark to premise: saying your story in two sentences
A premise is the frame everything else hangs on; here's how to build one you can steer a whole draft by.
Loading the guide…
Related glossary terms
- PremiseThe core situation of a story in a sentence or two: who it's about, what they want, what stands in the way and what's at risk.
- LoglineA one- or two-sentence summary of a story that conveys its protagonist, central conflict and stakes, used mainly for pitching.
- Want and needThe pairing of what a character consciously pursues (the want) with what they actually must learn or accept to be whole (the need).
- StakesWhat a character stands to gain or lose depending on whether they succeed, which gives the reader a reason to care about the outcome.
- MisbeliefA false idea about themselves or the world that a character holds at the start and that the story's events put under pressure.
- ProtagonistThe central character whose wants, choices and change drive the main line of the story and give readers someone to follow.
- MotivationThe reasons, felt and stated, that push a character toward a particular action at a particular moment in the story.