It’s no secret that I love screenwriter Blake Snyder’s book Save the Cat. That’s where I first learned the term “promise of the premise.” Every book or movie makes a promise to potential readers and viewers. For a book, this promise comes on the cover, in the back cover copy, and through word-of-mouth recommendations. For a movie, you’ll find the promise on the movie poster, in the movie trailer, and through word-of-mouth recommendations.

That word-of-mouth is a powerful thing.

Structure-wise, the promise of the premise comes during what Blake Snyder calls the “Fun and Games” part of the story. This is when you get to experience all the things that were promised. It’s the reason most people came to watch the movie, or decided to read the book, in the first place. 

In Miss Congeniality, the premise was “Ugly duckling FBI agent goes undercover in a Miss America pageant,” so for the Fun and Games, we get to see Sandra Bullock get a makeover, stumble around on heels, make music with water-glasses as her talent, and make a ton of goof-ups as she bumbles through the pageant with the other contestants. In an action movie, this is where the fast-paced thrills and chase scenes happen. In a romance, this is where the fun, schmoopie courtship takes place.

In the Fun and Games part of the story, we, the author, are not as worried about plot and forward movement as much as we are wanting to deliver to our readers on that promise we made them. We’ve set up the story. We’ve ended act one. We’ve introduced our B Story (if we have one), and now we’re ready for some fun. Below is an image that breaks down Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet, which is a list of structure elements he talks about in his Save the Cat book. Notice that the Fun and Games section comes at the bottom of the first page. It will lead right up to the midpoint.

This is exactly where I am in my Onyx Eyes story right now. I’ve just finished my B story (Drake and Kaitlyn met), and now Drake is going to take Kaitlyn back to Belfaylinn to look for her brother. For my fun and games, the reader gets to experience the fae realm through a Kaitlyn’s human’s eyes. She will explore this new and fantastical world, she’ll see magic cast and mythical creatures, she’ll learn how to interact with the fae, and she and Drake will develop a little chemistry. 😉

That doesn’t mean there is no plot movement in this section.  Drake and Kaitlyn will be investigating as they look for her brother, and they will meet obstacles along the way and find clues, but I’m going to work hard to make these things happen in shiny fantasy ways that will completely entertain my readers. Entertaining them is top priority in this section.

So, how do you make good on your promise of the premise? First, you need to know what promise you’re making. You need to define your premise. Once you know that, you can find ways to deliver on it. For me with Onyx Eyes, I promised to take my human girl into a fairy world. So my Fun and Games scene list looks a little something like this. (Forgive the spoilers!)

• When they arrive in Belfaylinn, Kaitlyn’s is glowing from the inside. This surprises Drake, who explains to her what it means.
• Kaitlyn meets Drake’s wolf, and the animal takes a liking to her, while ignoring Drake (because the wolf is jealous of the dragon Drake has bonded with).
• Kaitlyn sees a full-sized dragon (different from the one Drake bonded with).
• Drake explains the three races of fae to Kaitlyn and how they are different from the Old Ones
• Kaitlyn asks about Drake’s warrior bands, which hold his various magical stones. He explains them to her and how the magic works in Belfaylinn.
• Kaitlyn finds out that Drake isn’t so good at magic. He’s a warrior. That’s why he needs Roose (his second-in-command).
• Kaitlyn discovers that Drake and the missing princess were secretly betrothed.
• The Merrow king demands entertainment, and Kaitlyn volunteers to sing, earning the title Bard.
• Kaitlyn has more opportunities as a bard to sing, which turns out to be a commodity in Belfaylinn. She must sing for pirates so they will give Drake information on her brother.
• Roose tries to teach Kaitlyn some magic, and she gets to tie on some warrior bands. Drake disapproves of this, of course.
• Drake is finding himself a wee bit jealous of how well Kaitlyn and Roose are getting along. But he is betrothed to the princess, so he shouldn’t care, right? 😉

And that’s what I have so far. Now I just have to write it! I hope it’s as fun to write as it will (hopefully) be fun for my readers to read.

What are some of the Fun and Games elements in your story? Share in the comments.