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Chapter 3 Story Composition
The central premise provides motivation for the characters and can be
developed into a story. To make things easier to understand, try to follow these
keys to a central premise.
• Be brief; about 30 words.
• Answers the question, “What if…?”.
• Identify a character and a conflict.
• Reveal the setting for the conflict.
• Incorporate credible or believable events.
• Make sure it is easily understood by the target audience.
• Determine if it can be developed into a coherent or complete story.
• Be sure it contains elements that are different from other stories.
In many cases, a central premise can fit into a standard fill-in-the-blank model.
Figure 3-6 shows the fill-in-the-blank model.
Myths and legends can be used to generate ideas for the story’s central
premise. Myths and legends are important to society. Through myths and
legends, a culture reveals the values of the society, including moral values, beliefs
on the afterlife, patriotism, social
bonds, the role of community,
and the role of the individual.
A society’s myths and legends
portray the example of what the
ideal citizen would do when facing
a value-based decision. These tales
have a
moral.
In many myths and legends, the sense of individual freedom is sacrificed for
the betterment of the entire community. This might be demonstrated by a soldier
heroically saving his unit by falling on a grenade or a mentor surrendering to the
enemy to keep her apprentice safe. Each culture has developed a set of myths
and legends that offer stories of the defenders of their way of life. However,
throughout the world myths and legends have common themes and characters.
CHEAT CODE: MORAL
A moral is a lesson to be learned.
Myths and legends communicate the
right thing to do.
Figure 3-6.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
The fill-in-the-blank model can be used to construct the central premise
of a story.
Model
What if TIME in PLACE, CHARACTER, had to CONFLICT or TASK to PURPOSE?
Examples
What if in the winter of 1925 in Nome, Alaska, the sled dog Balto had to
cross the Arctic Sea to deliver the medicine needed to save the town?
What if once upon a time in a land far, far away, the knight Sir Joustsalot
had to fight a fire-breathing dragon to rescue the princess?