In
my online book -structuring classes, we always write a premise
statement. Most new writers have never heard of this focusing tool for
books. It's borrowed from the film world. Screenwriters use it as
their pitch line to sell movies to producers.
How does it help book writers--say, if you're writing a memoir or a novel or a nonfiction book?
It
is the easiest way to see if you have a book at all. Why? Because it
immediately lets you "test" your book idea in terms of inner and outer
story balance (the inner meaning versus the outer event or topic) to see
if a reader would be engaged.