This is a checklist for a successful premise, from the blog Storyfix, by author Larry Brooks. It’s pretty solid.
- A protagonist/hero whose life (within a given time, place, location, sociopolitical subtext) is interrupted, disrupted, or otherwise leads toward… (this being the setup of the story)
- a specific problem, need, or opportunity to which the hero must respond,
- launching a quest with a mission about, and toward, a specific desired outcome, beginning with a response to the need or problem, launching a journey that the reader will engage with and root for, rather than simply observe,
- for reasons (stakes) that compel the character to respond, then resolve the issue (motivation),
- in the face of opposition from an antagonistic force or person(s) with opposing goals and their own motivations,
- calling for higher and stronger responses and courses of action, causing the story to both intensify and accelerate as it evolves along a dramatic path),
- moving toward an ultimate confrontation or strategy that leads toward brilliant and courageous resolution resulting from the hero’s decisions and actions,
- which become the primary catalyst that manifests a specific outcome, returning the hero to a life that is contextually different than where the story began.