Hi Reader!
Welcome to everyone who just joined this newsletter from Develop Your Premise! I had so much fun chatting worldbuilding & story logic with Daniel and I loved seeing all the ideas that our discussion sparked.
It was a lovely reminder that people are what makes fiction special. Every writer in that session could take the same exact premise and come away with a completely different novel.
We would focus on different aspects of the world; our main characters would have different traits and backstories and character arcs; we would come up with different conflicts, different obstacles, different twists—and that’s just scratching the surface.
Every detail we add to our stories comes from somewhere personal. Something we saw, experienced, read, dreamed about, and so on. That’s one of the reasons I’m against using AI in the writing process. I don’t need a computer aping human emotion and regurgitating it back at me. I may be an introvert, but I’ve always believed that stories are a way for humans to connect with humans, not just computers.
If you want to check out my session, it’s not too late! Daniel is offering an encore for the entire summit tomorrow. All sessions are available again for free for twelve hours from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
You can register for free or upgrade to the all-access pass here (full disclosure, I’m an affiliate of the summit).
Better Writing
The premise of your novel is important. What’s even more important? Delivering on it.
It may seem obvious—the story you tell readers to expect needs to match the story between the pages of your cover—but even the best-laid plans can go off the rails when you start drafting your story.
This can happen because the story idea shifted along the way, you got distracted by a plot bunny, or you started writing in response to a different problem and let that aspect of the story take over.
Regardless of how you got there, one of two things needs to happen in response: you need to update your premise/pitch to match the story you actually wrote, OR you need to revise your story to match your original idea.
There is no right or wrong answer to that question. You may like the new version of your story more than the original. You may not. It’s your choice.
But first, let’s look at what it actually means to deliver on your premise.
I threw a dart at the bookshelf and chose a random title to analyze: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn* (which has been languishing in my TBR for far too long).
Here’s the blurb (not identical to a premise statement, but suitable for our purposes):
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants to escape. A residential programme for bright high-schoolers seems like the perfect opportunity – until she witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus . . .
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so-called “Legendborn” that hunt the creatures down.
A mysterious mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts – and fails – to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory about her mother. Now Bree will do whatever it takes to discover the truth, even infiltrate the Legendborn. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and foretell a magical war, Bree must decide how far she’ll go for the truth. Should she use her magic to take the society down – or join the fight?
Sounds fun, right? Now, here's what needs to happen to deliver on that premise:
- Grief from our main character (assuming she felt something about her mother)
- A well-developed school setting
- Enough characters to make the school feel real (though not an overwhelming number)
- A magic system that follows its own rules
- An internally consistent world with a developed history for the secret society
- High-stakes, life and death conflict (implied by the description of the main conflict)
- A difficult choice for the main character. The setup tells us she’s choosing between two valid options and both should appeal to her for different reasons (and those two sides will also likely be linked to specific people on either side, though that isn’t a requirement). If one side is infinitely more desirable than the other, this conflict will fall flat.
- Reveal moments in which Bree and readers learn more about the world and conflict.
- A main character with agency. We’re told that Bree will do “whatever it takes” and that means she needs to make choices, seek information, and take action to get what she needs.
And that’s just my initial impression. If I were working with this writer (not that Deonn actually needs my help at this point), there would likely be even more for us to discuss.
The point: the words you use to describe your story matter. They represent a commitment to readers, and you need to make sure that you deliver.
Wherever you are in the writing process, take a moment to analyze your premise. Turn it into a checklist. What do you need to do to fully deliver on this premise? Then, make sure it happens!
Better Living
With so many new people joining this list, it’s time for another round of Minerva pics! Some new, some old, all cute!
For anyone just joining this newsletter, please say hello to the Chief Fun Officer here at Olivia Helps Writers (and if you’re wondering, she was named after the Roman goddess, not the Harry Potter character).
Here she is napping, adventuring, helping me with work, and meeting her Seattle grandparents for the first time!!
Better Reading
We had our first beach day of the year last weekend, and it was the perfect time to pick up book two of Sylvie Cathrall’s Sunken Archive series, A Letter from the Lonesome Shore.
I started the first book on a beach in Maine a couple of years ago and loved the epistolary format. The entire series is told in a series of letters, journal entries, and messages. I’d say this book is more on the literary side of the spectrum, and that makes it the perfect vacation read for me.
Thank you for reading, have a wonderful week, and happy writing!
With love,
Olivia
P.S. I’m running a series of summer workshops in August. Stay tuned for an official announcement later this week!!
Your story matters. Let's make it great.
Curious to know how I can help? Check out my services here. I can't wait to work with you, so you can write the book your future readers are waiting for!
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