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StudioBinder
studiobinder.com › scriptwriting › what is the premise of a story — definition and examples
What is the Premise of a Story — Definition and Examples
May 28, 2025 - What if? What if this situation happened to this character? The what if questions are a way to brainstorm different circumstances that can lead to a premise and eventually a story. For example you might ask what if a teenage boy was able to time travel? What if time was the currency of the future?
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Writers Write
writerswrite.com › fiction › egri
The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri
QUESTION: Can I use a premise, let us say, "Great love defies even death," without being accused of plagiarism? ANSWER: You can use it with safety. Although the seed is the same as that of Romeo and Juliet, the play will be different. You never have seen, and never will see, two exactly similar oak trees. The shape of a tree, its height and strength, will be determined by the place and the surroundings where the seeds happen to fall and germinate. No two dramatists think or write alike.
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Script Magazine
scriptmag.com › features › script-notes-where-story-begins-premise
SCRIPT NOTES: Where Story Begins - Premise - Script Magazine
January 8, 2016 - Your premise is the subtext of the overall story. Double, double toil and trouble... Orson Welles and Jeanette Nolan star in the silver screen adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tale of ruthless ambition, Macbeth. For the original master of defining a strong, dramatic premise, we look to Lajos ...
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MasterClass
masterclass.com › articles › how-to-ensure-your-story-has-a-strong-premise
How to Ensure Your Story Has a Strong Premise - 2026 - MasterClass
August 23, 2021 - Then, ask yourself questions that begin with “What if?” What if when a twelve-year-old boy discovers he’s a wizard? What if a girl could talk to her pets? Answering these questions can help expand your kernel into a full-fledged idea and, eventually, a solid premise.
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MasterClass
masterclass.com › articles › how-to-find-the-central-dramatic-question-of-your-story
How to Find the Central Dramatic Question of Your Story - 2026 - MasterClass
July 28, 2021 - The focus of a dramatic question can vary depending on the genre you’re writing. For instance, if you’re writing romance, the question centers around whether or not the love interests will end up together. If you’re writing fantasy or sci-fi, the question is usually about whether the protagonist will be able to save the world and its people. Below are a few famous examples of dramatic questions posed in plays, novels, and film:
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Donald L. Vasicek
donvasicek.com › home › screenwriting › “how to establish the dramatic premise of your screenplay and beyond”
“How To Establish the Dramatic Premise of your Screenplay and Beyond” | Donald L. Vasicek
March 14, 2009 - About Page 10, establish the dramatic premise. At about Page 30, something extraordinary should happen that spins your character and story around 360 degrees and sends it off in another direction. At about page 45, foreshadow how your main character is going to be at the end of your story.
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Writing.Com
writing.com › main › view_item › item_id › 1831509-Dramatic-Premise
Dramatic Premise - Writing.Com
June 20, 2020 - Places of Interest: Unique Wedding Invitations for unique wedding needs. Color Copiers found here. Baby Names can be hard to pick. Hands-free hygenic toilet seats covers. Dramatic Music rocks. Vampires are people too. Write Poetry here. Try this Stock Market quiz.
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Invisiblethemepark
invisiblethemepark.com › 2019 › 10 › 500-sample-story-premises
Story Premise Examples: 500 Sample Story Premise/Loglines to Work From – Invisible Themepark
This table contains 500 story premise examples derived from an anonymous list I found online. The original list included over 1,000 premises.
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The Writer
writermag.com › home › improve your writing › how to structure a premise for stronger stories
How to structure a premise for stronger stories - The Writer
July 3, 2024 - The writer identifies the nature of the “serious pushback” and the chaos that will ensue, including the final outcome if the pushback wins. Here is the force defined, as well as the tendency toward disorder, in a clear and dramatic statement that fits perfectly with the idea as a whole.
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Pearltrees
pearltrees.com › imagineall › story-premises › id7386897 › item70756065
Dramatic Premise steps | Pearltrees
February 5, 2013 - that directly pinpoints the theme of your story. About Page 10, establish the dramatic · premise. At about Page 30, something extraordinary should happen that spins your · character and story around 360 degrees and sends it off in another direction. At · about page 45, foreshadow how your main character is going to be at the end of ·
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Bookshep
bookshep.com › dramatic storytelling › premise defined
Premise Defined - Dramatic Storytelling - Book Shepherd
January 4, 2024 - He wanted to elope because he was madly in love. Therefore, his being madly in love is what got him killed; "great love leads to death" is the premise. If the end of the story does not have a cause-and-effect relationship with what came before, it is not a dramatic story.
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LAFPI
lafpi.com › 2010 › 07 › dramatic-premise
Dramatic Premise | LAFPI
July 2, 2010 - The dramatic premise of Death of a Salesman could be, “Looking for fulfillment in worldly success leads to disillusionment.” For The Crucible it could be, “Honor and integrity conquer sin and evil,” Buzz says.
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Literary Terms
literaryterms.net › home › premise
Premise: Definitions and Examples | Literary Terms
March 9, 2019 - Premises don’t appear as parts of popular culture; rather, each film, TV series, or other form of media initially began based on a premise. Here are some examples of premises that things were built upon:
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Holly Ostrout
hollyostrout.com › home › your novel’s central dramatic question changes everything
Your Novel's Central Dramatic Question Changes Everything
July 19, 2024 - Ultimately, the central dramatic question of your novel should be something that your readers will care about and be invested in seeing resolved. It should be the driving force behind your plot, and it should create a tension that the reader needs to have resolved, but it should stay flexible and allow the story to evolve. The CDQ may change (often at the Midpoint) or become more nuanced as the story develops, and that’s okay. ... Premise: When Nick Dunne’s wife Amy disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, he becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Premise_(narrative)
Premise (narrative) - Wikipedia
January 7, 2026 - Wikipedia does not have an article on "premise (narrative)", but its sister project Wiktionary does:
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Story Forms
spectv.wordpress.com › 2009 › 10 › 14 › the-meaning-of-premise
The Meaning of Premise | Story Forms - WordPress.com
October 14, 2009 - The Meaning of Premise · Quick Start to Writing a new Scene · Hard to Believe I Was Ever That Young Whelp! Love Amongst The Carnage · Secrets in the Surprise. The Dramatic Question · WordPress.com · WordPress.org · Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.