Concept and Premise: What Is the Difference?

In writing, a concept and premise are often used interchangeably. However, while they are linked, the two are not the same.

Both are different steps in the story-building process. Let’s talk about the reasons why you, as a writer, need to know their differences.

What is a concept?

When writing a story, there is no plot, characters, or settings. All you have is the idea—your concept.

It’s the line of thought that makes you think, “Huh, that could make an awesome novel.” Think of it as the foundation which your story will be built upon.

There are two types of concepts: high and low. One is not necessarily better than the other; they just have different priorities and advantages.

A high concept is plot-driven, easily explained, and summarized. Many popular stories (no matter the medium) are high concept because they are quicker to understand, pitch, and market to a wide audience. Some examples are:

• A world where people pay to have their memories erased. (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
• What if the Axis powers won World War 2? (The Man in the High Castle)
• People’s dreams are the scene of corporate espionage. (Inception)
• A future where humanity is at war with an alien species. (Ender’s Game)
• Humanity lives in a virtual world controlled by machines. (The Matrix)

On the other hand, a low concept is more difficult to explain as it is character-driven and focuses more on depth and complexity. As such, it is harder to market and is usually meant for a specific audience. 

Think of stories like Birdman, Manchester By The Sea, and This Is Us. Their titles don’t give any hints about their narratives. Their plots aren’t easily described, and each one delves into the lives of extremely complex characters.

What both are not though, is generic. You can easily say that “a man fights a woman” or “two people fall in love” are story concepts. But these are ideas that have been done countless times. For a story to be a success, its concept should be unique and entertaining enough to catch your audience’s attention.

What is a premise?

A premise is the next step after a concept. This is where you get more specific with the details.

This can also be your logline—a short description of your story that will help you pitch and promote it to potential agents, publishers, and readers. It’s the hook.

Let’s take the bulleted examples above and develop them further:

• Heartbroken, two ex-lovers have their memories of each other erased. However, both are inexplicably drawn to one another again despite the memory erasure. 
• 15 years after the Axis won the war, a reclusive author appears with an incendiary novel: one that describes a world where the Allies are victorious. 
• In a world where corporate secrets can be stolen from dreams, a thief is given the impossible task of planting an idea into his target’s subconscious. 
• A young prodigy is trained to become an exceptional commander in preparation for war against an alien threat. 
• A hacker realizes that the reality he knows is an illusion made by sentient machines. Recruited by rebels, he fights to free humanity from this simulated world. 

You’ve introduced the main characters, set their goals, and revealed the conflict. It’s an outline of your story that has just enough details to catch people’s attention and kickstart their imagination.

Unlike a concept, a premise is already a story. You just need to flesh it out. To turn it into a full-length story, you’ll need to develop both plot and characters, explore your chosen themes, resolve narrative threads, and carry it all to a satisfying conclusion. 

Why You Should Know the Difference

There are a two reasons why you should differentiate a concept from a premise.

Building a story won’t be so painful.

Developing your narrative can be difficult if you’re skipping steps. Many writers rush off to write a novel just with a concept. The result? A story that lacks details and no direction. 

How are you supposed to write a good story if all you have is something as generic as “man fights aliens”? While pantsers might get by, there’s no reason you can’t write a proper premise to act as a reference. Take the time to transform your concept into something workable. 

Easy marketing

Imagine how difficult it would be to pitch your story if, again, all you have is “man fights aliens”. Where’s the unique element that sets your story apart from thousands of others? How will you excite people into checking it out? 

Knowing the difference between a concept and a premise is knowing which one to pitch to possible agents, publishers, and readers. A concept is vague, a premise is a condensed, spoiler-free preview of your story. 

In Summary

It is good to know the difference between a concept and a premise. They are similar but have fundamental differences. If the first is a foundation, then the second is the beginning framework of a proper story.

What are the other differences between a concept and a premise? Share them in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• How to Write a Logline for Your Fiction Manuscript (with Template)
• High Concept Fiction: What It Is and How to Write It
• How to Write Story Hooks that Keep Your Readers Engaged