Following my fascinating and inspiring conversation on The Novel Experience Podcast with debut thriller author Chevy Stevens, I’ve been pondering the development of another series.
First, as every writer knows, I need an outstanding premise, something that will propel my interest, thoughts and passion through the many weeks of writing and rewriting and result in a ‘can’t be put down’ story.
Not easy.
For my first swinging whodunit, Teed Off!, I wanted to explore the survival of an injured, unhappily retired female athlete, someone who had reached that rare pinnacle of becoming a professional before being forced out of the life and limelight she craved.
In my second mystery, A Hemorrhaging of Souls, I delved more into psychology than physiology, my thoughts springing from a horrific scene of a child strangling herself to death and a seemingly-accomplished young woman’s need for self harm. How might their paths intersect?
I fleshed out both concepts, spending days pondering ‘what if’ scenarios, sometimes biking or gardening and often consuming fudge.
But I didn’t just jump around with no plan of action waiting for the muse to strike. Instead, I reached for two of my how-to non-fiction bibles: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass and 20 Master Plots by Ronald Tobias.
So once again, these two excellent books are open and at my side. Maass says the key ingredients for a break-out premise are:
- plausibility
- inherent conflict
- originality
- gut emotional appeal
I’ve got a glimmer or two for a premise; now comes the hard part, pushing and prying and twisting and juggling to see if it has the key ingredients.
If you’re struggling to find the breakout premise, you may wish to explore these books:
