It’s no secret in Hollywood that most stories fail because their concepts were weak. They were too often one-layered, cliched, boring, too niche, etc, etc. And that’s not just the action situation of the premise but also its characters. In your story premise you must be intriguing, even shocking, and have an element of originality in both your main action situation and in your characters.
When developing your story always ask yourself: What is the Hook? What about my premise is original and a real grabber? That is, what is new in my characters and situation?
If creatives are not struggling for months and months to create an original action situation and characters, you are letting yourself down in the worst way. The odds are that you will remain stuck on that narrow and rocky trail of being ignored, forgotten, or unnoticed. A truly original and layered premise can help move you forward down a wide paved road. I think writers should get their premises vetted and tested (before writing your story!) to make it the best it can and should be. Scott McConnell
Right
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You got it right, every story must be born out of a solid premise or it'd fall when a strong whirlwind blows around it.
Dan's on right track here...everything gets rewritten anyways...fine example: spec story "Simon Says" bout a bomber barking puzzles to some cops in order to solve his crimes....studio bought it, threw John McClane in it, uve got "Die Hard with a Vengeance".