Newsletter “3 in 1” by Albán Brothers
"Tell powerful and commercially successful stories with practical insights."
The Premise
February 27, 2024
Writing Concept
What is it about?
"The Premise", more commonly known as Log-line is a 3 to 4-line text that summarizes the content of a story and presents its main elements.
The goal is to briefly and concisely illustrate what a story is about, who its main character is, what their goal is, and what is preventing them from achieving it.
What is it for?
This exercise is a tool to decode both large and small stories into their simplest form, allowing you to express them to yourself or others.
The long line is the format that my brother and I use when making a sales pitch or simply wanting to explain what our stories are about.
Exercise & Practical Example
A story should work without the fantasy elements or the universe settings. In this exercise, only focus on answering:
Who is your character?
What or who is (in opposition) preventing them from achieving what they want?
What or who do they want or desire?
Formula: Who + Opposition + Desire
Here's an example of the exercise done by us:
"A premise should be able to express the human desires and conflicts of the story; it is essential that these function without the need for fantasy elements like post-apocalyptic worlds or magical powers. It is crucial that a story can operate from the simplest to the most complex view.
Example 1 «Correct» - Spider-Man, 2002: A high school student, Peter Parker, decides to rise above the law and seek justice on his own after a thief leaves his uncle bleeding on the pavement in plain sight.
Example 2 «Incorrect» - Spider-Man, 2002: In a world with powers, a young man, Peter Parker, is attacked by a spider that gives him powers, and he decides to save the world with his new abilities."
-- Excerpt from: Guide for New Writers by Albán Brothers.
"It is not the universe or the powers, once again, what makes the story a commercial success, but the way it can simply express; who the character is, what their desire is, and what prevents him from achieving it, presenting elements as human as the reader or viewer for whom the story was envisioned."
-- Excerpt from: Guide for New Writers by Albán Brothers.
1. Who is the main character? Peter Parker, a high school loser.
2. What does he wants? To protect his loved ones. His aunts; May Parker and Ben. His friend; Harry. The girl of his dreams; Mary Jane.
3. What prevents him from achieving what he wants? Crime and his responsibilities snatch his uncle away and distance him from his loved ones.
A good story should showcase the motivations of each character. Create a premise for the following characters:
Mary Jane. - Love interest.
Norman Osborn. - Antagonist.
Harry Osborn. - Ally.
Jonah Jameson. - Ally/Enemy.
May Parker. - Ally/New Mentor.
Movie Recommendation.
"Northman”, 2022. Prince Amleth is on the verge of manhood when his uncle brutally murders his father and kidnaps his mother. Two decades later, Amleth becomes a Viking raiding Slavic villages, seeking to save his mother and avenge his father.
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Until next week,
Albán Brothers
Authors of ORDER.
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