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If a story is going to fail, it will do so first at the premise level. Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success is the only book of its kind to identify a seven-step development process that can be repeated and applied to any story idea. This process will save you time, money, and potentially months of wasted writing. So whether you are trying to write a feature screenplay, develop a television pilot, or just trying to figure out your next story move as a writer, this book gives you the tools you need to know which ideas are worth pursuing. In addition to the 7-step premise development tool, Anatomy of a Premise Line also presents a premise and idea testing methodology that can be used to test any developed premise line. Customized exercises and worksheets are included to facilitate knowledge transfer, so that by the end of the book, you will have a fully developed premise line, log line, tagline, and a completed premise-testing checklist.
Here is some of what you will learn inside:
Ways to determine whether or not your story is a good fit for print or screen
Case studies and hands-on worksheets to help you learn by participating in the process
Tips on how to effectively work through writer's block
A companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/lyons) with additional worksheets, videos, and interactive tools to help you learn the basics of perfecting a killer premise line
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List of contents
Your First Book in Story Development?; What is Story Development?; The 7-Step Premise Development Process; Step 1: Determine if you Have a Story; Step 2: Map the Invisible Structure of Your Story Idea; Step 3: Write the First Pass of Your Premise Line; Step 4: Determine if Your Premise Is Soft or High Concept; Step 5: Develop the Log Line; Step 6: Finalize the Premise Line; Step 7: Test the Premise and Log Lines; Case Studies: The Godfather; The Great Gatsby; Metamorphosis; Hamlet; Frankenstein; Worksheets and Exercises;
About the author
Jeff Lyons is a freelance writer, story editor, script and book doctor, and has worked in
the film, television, and publishing industries for more than two decades helping literally
thousands of screenwriters and novelists tell better stories. He is an instructor through
Stanford University’s Online Writer’s Studio, and is a regular guest lecturer through the
UCLA Extension Writers Program. Jeff’s writings on the craft of storytelling can be found
in leading industry trade magazines like The Writer’s Digest, Script Magazine, and The
Writer Magazine.
