Writing a novel is easy. All you have to do is sit down at the computer and write.
Writing a good novel? Well, that’s a bit harder.
A good novel starts with a good idea. What we call a premise. A premise is the basic, underlying story. In essence, it is what the book is about. It is the central idea that makes people want to read the book. This is particularly so when it comes to genre fiction, where there is a certain expectation that your novel fit within certain guidelines yet still maintain a sense of originality and uniqueness.
The premise for my Templar Chronicles series (Heretic, A Scream of Angels, and A Tear in the Sky) is that modern Templar Knights are acting as a secret combat squad for the Vatican and protecting mankind from the supernatural threats and enemies that surround us. The premise for my forthcoming novel, The Book of Coming Sorrows, started with a simple question – what if? What if the apostle John wrote another book after he wrote the book of Revelation? What if that book brought about the cataclysmic events in Revelation when it was read aloud? What if that long, lost manuscript was discovered suddenly in New York City and someone began reading it?
It has always been my view that you should be able to define the premise of your book in a single sentence.
Yes, I said one.
One sentence only.
If you can’t, you really don’t know what your book is about. (Some people will argue with that statement, believing that a novel is too complex to be reduce to a single sentence, but I’ve always felt that it needed to be broken down to its smallest denominator.)
So, step one in writing a novel – come up with a premise. Make it interesting. Make it exciting. And make it a single sentence.
Some hints:
- Shorter is definitely better. Try for under twenty words.
- No character names. Be generic. Say “Templar Commander” rather than “Knight Commander Cade Williams,” for instance.
- Reads book summaries from places like the New York Times bestseller list for examples.
- Figure out what character has the most to lose in the story – and then tell what he or she wants to gain.
An interesting aside regarding the premise I mentioned above. In the history of my story world, there had been a reconciliation between the Templar Knights and the Vatican during the Second World War, when it became apparent that Hitler had begun to rely on infernal assistance in his quest for world domination. More than one purist wrote to say that the idea that the Knights would ever cooperate with the Vatican was ridiculous – after all, it had been the Church that had declared them apostate, seized their property and possessions, and had their Grand Master burned at the stake. When the subject was raised during an interview, my response was that I was playing a game of “What If “and having the Templars put away their past grievances to face a threat of that magnitude did not stretch my notions of the Templars’ dedication to their faith and their ideals.
Well, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Several months ago the BBC wrote about a document discovered in the Vatican Secret Archives that is a record of the heresy trials that led to the Order’s excommunication and disbandment by Pope Clement V in the 14th century. It seems that not only did the trial exonerate the Templars on the charge of heresy, but that Clement actually had to ask the Order for their pardon for what had been done to them.
And if this indeed happened, then the idea that the two groups might unite to face a greater threat in the future is not so outlandish after all.
Start with a strong premise and your book will find the legs it needs to stand on its own.
So – what’s the premise of the story you are working on now? Share it with us here in the comments section.
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Great post, Joe. Do you always have a firm premiss before you start? I tend to get mine after a few chapters have been written, it sort of emerges. But if I try to hard to think of it first, then I find I spend too much time staring at a blank screen.
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Well, I have to admit, I had a heck of a time trying to write a query with my whole story condensed to five or six sentences. I don’t think I can pare it down to one.
But I’m like Sasha. I don’t get mine until I’ve gotten through a couple chapters. I just hear the first few sentences and go from there. If it works, perfect. If not, I’ll start something else.
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Great blog post.
The premise of my current WIP is:
“What if a police cadet was suddenly able to channel the instincts of Greek gods and goddesses?”
There’s a whole lot more to my main character’s story, but this is the “what if…” that started this whole story for me.
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Good post. I found Donald Maass’s discussion of premise in his book “Writing the Breakout Novel” particularly helpful with my premise development. He also advises being able to state your premise succinctly.
The book I’m working on now has the following premise:
An estranged daughter takes her mother’s place on a humanitarian trip to Kenya to overcome her guilt at failing to reconcile after the mother dies unexpectedly.
26 words, I’m sure I could make it tighter but I’m posting hurriedly from my day job. >.>
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Joe,
Lovin’ Genreality–you’re off to a great start.
I botched your twenty-word recommendation, but here’s my novel’s premise in a line:
A woman investigates her grandfather’s disappearance, links it to her own abduction twenty years earlier, and discovers both are tied to a Mississippi steamboat that sank 140 years before she was born.
Looking forward to future blogs.
Best,
Joe R.
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Sasha – I usually do have a firm premise before I start writing. The way I write (non-linearly) requires that I do so. Occasionally I will write out a complete scene and then work backward to the premise, but that tends to be rare for me.
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Nightmusic – As Alison said yesterday, we all have to respect our own processes. I’m glad that works for you!
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Willow – Nice job on pairing it down to a short premise. I use the “what if” process a lot myself. If I was an editor who had just heard your premise, my first question would be “What do you mean by instincts?” or “What instincts are you talking about?”
-Joe
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Jess – Very nicely done! Tells what the book is about, hints at the emotional conflict to come, and provides a firm setting. I, too, found Donald’s remarks on building a premise helpful.
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Joe – Interesting premise and one that is full of mystery. My twenty word limit is just a guideline remember. I’ve found that if I personally go too much over twenty words I tend to ramble on…and on…and on…
Here’s another premise, this one from my forthcoming book EYES TO SEE – “A distraught father gives up his eyes to see through the eyes of the ghosts that surround him in order to find the daughter who vanished from his home five years before.” 32 words, but still short enough to be easily said aloud and it communicates the main thrust of the plot.
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Well, it’s a great exercise!
So, here’s my stab at it:
**What if you find that you can’t leave the real ghost in your life behind you, no matter how far you run?**
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Joe —
I like the idea of having some sort of premise before I start writing. However, it’s because I write non-linear, that a premise may come at different points in the story.
Liking this new blog by the way.
R.J.
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I posted my very loose premise (since I was working with already established characters and situations) when I described my creative process at my blog:
“What if an SG-5 operative arrived at his long-abandoned Louisiana home to find an international spokesperson for a fragrance empire in his kitchen wearing nothing but rubber waders and a push-up bra?”
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“What if an Army wife also happened to be something not human, and her two very different lives got slammed together?”
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This is a great exercise Joe. One I must admit have never been good at.
Premise:
The Guardians of the Underworld have protected one woman through all her lives, now she needs to return the favor for the whole human race.
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Glad everyone liked the post and the exercise. Keep ‘em coming folks!
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I went to a bookseller’s convention right before my first book came out and found myself having to sell my novel to dozens of potential booksellers in a very short amount of time. The one-line description was indispensable: “It’s about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged.”
It was so weird it made every single person I told it to do a double take.
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Current: What if Lancelot, Guinevere and Arthur were reincarnated for a second chance?
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Charlene! Is it pubbed yet?
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Nightmusic, sold but not pubbed, coming soon from Ellora’s Cave. : D
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Great blog and great post, Joe. I thought I’d toss one of my current stories in. It’s a short story since I’m writing and mailing one a week. Here goes:
A reformed assassin has to protect an eight year old boy from rogue members of a civil rights organization.
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Harrassed Mum of deaf child meets depressed vampire who helps with evil life sucking witch at local school.
How is that? Very new to writing so still struggling with the idea that I can actually do it. Keep hearing the show dont tell and it is driving me potty. I just sat down and wrote. Does need refining though. Spending too much time on internet. though…
Should do what Sasha did.