Develop Story Premises from Quotes

A story concept is a basic idea or theme. The premise is that concept/theme fleshed out to make a viable story idea.

Family first. Blood is thicker than water. Love conquers all. Shared love is multiplied love. And many more concepts come readily to mind.

A premise however has to have more detail. The premise builds on the theme or concept to add in characters and their conflicts. As an example for “family first”,

You might block out a story premise like this:

       Alli is caught between loyalty to a friend who needs her support and her family who see the friend as a liar and betrayer who is taking advantage of Alli’s good nature. Does she stick with the friend who might destroy what she loves or desert the friend to save her family?

A premise is very close to a mini-book blurb.

I typically know my premise first and then examine it to pick a concept/theme and a sub-theme or two to weave into my stories. Others start with the concept/theme and develop the premise. 

I’ve found a short cut way to premises. Read quotes on a topic. I love the website www.brainyquote.com  It has quotes on hundreds of topics.

Here’s what you do: read the quote that speaks to you, identify the concept/theme, and fill in the missing parts of the premise.

For example, for the John Woodern quote, “The most important thing in the world is family and love,” you could develop the premise I created above.

         The most important thing in the world is family and love, and Alli is caught between loyalty to a friend and her family threatened by this liar and betrayer. She must choose between the friend who might destroy what she loves and the family she needs.

See how that works? Now you try it. I have ten quotes for you to play with. Show me what you come up with in the Comments section. Have fun!

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.    George Sand

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.   Lao Tzu

Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness. Euripides

Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.  Mother Teresa

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.  Ann Landers

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Love yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out.   Jenn Proske

The most important thing in the world is family and love.  John Wooden

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.  Bradley Whitford

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Facebook: Writers, Angelica French shares an easier way to create story premises using quotes. Check out her suggestions and give it a try. http://bit.ly/2yjqItm

Twitter: #Writers, @RomanceRighter offers ideas for using quotes to find story concepts and create story premises. http://bit.ly/2yjqItm