Define Premise, using your own words

A premise is a one-sentence description of a story that is designed to capture an audience and entice them into reading. It’s meant to be a hook to pull people in.

Given an example of a premise from a popular movie or story that we might all know. This can be from an anime story or a different kind of story.

Avengers: Infinity War

A disorganized team of misfits must overcome their differences and band together again to save the world and learn to trust each other

W: disorganized team of misfits

A: Overcome differences and band together again

C: Learn to trust each other

(Just chose a popular film—this one was hard to sum up without talking about the villain)

Premise: Two feuding, troubled brothers inherit a magical kingdom in peril and must overcome their own emotions to save their people.

W: feuding, troubled

A: inherit a kingdom in peril

C: Overcome their own emotions to save their people

Possibilities: 

Who were the previous rulers? Who are the people? What emotions must be overcome? Why are they feuding and troubled? What are they saving their people from?

Story Challenges and Problems: 

Make high-ranking individuals into relatable characters

Juggle the stories of both brothers individually and together

Realistically portray mental illness in a brutally honest light

Portray a believable sibling rivalry

Designing Principle: Show how difficult it is to hold a position of power while being mentally disabled, in a “medieval” setting where diagnosis and treatment didn’t exist

Best Character: Sylvius Forsythe — The younger of the two brothers

Conflict: physical antagonist is a spirit who destroyed their kingdom. True antagonist is trauma. Sylvius fights his older brother Azrael over the fact that Azrael is not a proper leader, but does not understand how seriously his mental health is affecting his ability to lead. Sylvius learns about this the hard way, going through trauma of his own.

Basic Action: young man undergoes tragedy and learns to better understand his brother

Character Change:

W: naive, hot-headed, judgemental

A: undergoes trauma

C: learns that he has been treating his brother unfairly, must then learn to cope with what he’s gone through

Moral Choice:

Sylvius must choose between romantic interest and his relationship with his sibling