Skip to content
Home/ Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success
Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success

Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9781138917583

If a story is going to fail, it will do so first at the premise level. Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Master Premise and Story Development for Writing Success is the only book of its kind to identify a seven-step development process that can be repeated and applied to any story idea. This process will save you time, money, and potentially months of wasted writing. So whether you are trying to write a feature screenplay, develop a television pilot, or just trying to figure out your next story move as a writer, this book gives you the tools you need to know which ideas are worth pursuing. In addition to the 7-step premise development tool, Anatomy of a Premise Line also presents a premise and idea testing methodology that can be used to test any developed premise line. Customized exercises and worksheets are included to facilitate knowledge transfer, so that by the end of the book, you will have a fully developed premise line, log line, tagline, and a completed premise-testing checklist.

Here is some of what you will learn inside:

  • Ways to determine whether or not your story is a good fit for print or screen
  • Case studies and hands-on worksheets to help you learn by participating in the process
  • Tips on how to effectively work through writer's block
  • A companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/lyons) with additional worksheets, videos, and interactive tools to help you learn the basics of perfecting a killer premise line

About the author

Product details

Pub dateJul 9, 2015
ISBN-101138917583
ISBN-139781138917583
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-07-27 17:57
$260.17
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Monday, September 14, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Writing - Fiction Writing
See all
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club
Winner of the H.R.F. Keating Award for best biographical/critical book related to crime fiction, and nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe and Macavity Awards for Best Critical/Biographical book.<p><strong>Ninety crime writers from the world's oldest and most famous crime writing network give tips and insights into successful crime and thriller fiction.</strong></p><p><em>Howdunit</em> offers a fresh perspective on the craft of crime writing from leading exponents of the genre, past and present. The book offers invaluable advice to people interested in writing crime fiction, but it also provides a fascinating picture of the way that the best crime writers have honed their skills over the years. Its unique construction and content mean that it will appeal not only to would-be writers but also to a very wide readership of crime fans.</p><p>The principal contributors are current members of the legendary Detection Club, including Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Peter James, Peter Robinson, Ann Cleeves, Andrew Taylor, Elly Griffiths, Sophie Hannah, Stella Duffy, Alexander McCall Smith, John Le Carré and many more.</p><p>Interwoven with their contributions are shorter pieces by past Detection Club members ranging from G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr to Desmond Bagley and H.R.F. Keating.</p><p>The book is dedicated to Len Deighton, who is celebrating 50 years as a Detection Club member and has also penned an essay for the book.</p><p>The contributions are linked by short sections written by Martin Edwards, the current President of the Club and author of the award-winning <em>The Golden Age of Murder</em>.</p>