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Premise of the story

The premise of a story is the initial situation that generates the plot. This is what you'd read in the TV Guide, the initial situation for a TV show. It doesn't reveal everything, which is the point, and gives opportunities for the viewer to be surprised by the story. I'm going to give a long list of examples, so you can pick one, or make your own.

 

 

  1. Your dad wants you to go help the old lady across the street.
  2. You discover that a number of the employees of the amusement parc that you work at are aliens.
  3. Three people have dissapeared at your school this month alone, and no one knows why.
  4. There's strange sounds coming from the basement of your appartment building
  5. Suddenly, your bank account is empty, and there are no records of your identity anywhere.
  6. Your parents kick you out and you have to find a job, any job, within 3 days.
  7. Your hairdresser invites you to a tupperware style party for something called "mood enhancers"
  8. You've lost all your money at poker, and an old friend lends you money... in exchange for a favor.
  9. You've been caught at tax evasion, and either have to pay half a million or spend 10 years in jail. You flee.
  10. An odd shop has opened near your workplace. It's called "Your Secret Wish".
  11. You're planning a surprise party for a friend, but discover she's using a false identity.
  12. The neighbor's dog is missing, and your treehouse gang decides to investigate the Dark Woods to find it.
  13. Your best friend started going out with a cheerleader, and since then he's been avoiding you.
  14. You meet someone on an online role playing game, and would like to meet her. But is she who she claims to be?
  15. The king is looking for his abducted heir. You're the right age. Could it be you?
  16. The newspaper this morning is entirely blank. But everyone else seems to read it as usual. What's going on?
  17. Your shy bookworm sister, a rabid anti smoker, has started smoking. She's also hanging out with a bad crowd.
  18. You get a message on your cell phone: "Please, I need help, call this number!" Who is this?
  19. A german tourist keeps following you around, and the police won't do anything. Surely you can get rid of them!
  20. For only a dollar, you can get a ticket to the space shuttle lottery. You might go to space!

  21. Trade with Mars is going well, or so the media says. But people are saying a genocide is underway.
  22. Those ruins on Mars are astounding, and if you can figure out what they mean, you could be famous!
  23. Your ex husband is stalking you, and you fear for your life. You want to buy a pistol to defend yourself.
  24. Your ex wife is trying to ruin you by claiming bankruptcy. Suddenly, all your loans come due, and you're in trouble.
  25. Your child is getting taunted by bullies in your small town, after a rumor got out. You're thinking of moving.
  26. It's halloween, and the ball should be a blast! If only you hadn't waited till the last day for a costume.
  27. Your boss invites you to join a secret society, implying many employees are also part of it.
  28. A talent search agent hears you sing on the street, and wants to recruit you. But you'll need an image change.
  29. You have the nagging feeling you're forgetting something crucial. This feeling has been with you for months now.
  30. Your teenage daughter keeps slipping out of the house late at night. You decide to follow her.
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  31. You caught a strange disease, and no doctor can figure out what it is. But a fortune teller says she can help.
  32. There's no more freedom of press, you must believe what the government says. But a resistance group contacts you.
  33. You lose your passport in a foreign country, and no one speaks your language. You're also totally lost.
  34. You discover a plant that seems to turn back the aging process. With a few side effects.
  35. Your radio keeps switching channels, in a way that seems to answer whatever you're thinking about.
  36. You find a strange black box on your bed, and can't seem to open it. It has oriental symbols on it.
  37. You discover you're a mutant, and have powers. But mutants are feared, and you can't control your powers yet.
  38. You decide to take a road trip, and the car runs out of gas in what looks like an Amish town.
  39. You get to work, and discover no one remembers ever seeing you before.
  40. You run into a woman you don't know, yet she has some very important things to tell you. She won't tell you what they are, only that she must speak in private as soon as possible.
  41. Your parents just moved to a new town, and it's your first day at this school. You miss your friends, and realize you have to find new friends and figure out what clique you'll belong to. Will you end up with the popular kids or the nerds?

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