• How one premise can lead to countless plots—and how to find the one that gets you excited to come to the page
• How to simplify your starting point by approaching your basic fiction premise like a nonfiction writer: who, what, when, where, why, and how
• Why it pays to explore comp titles (on the page and the screen) before you write
• How to have fun with your idea, embrace the brainstorming phase, and find creative ways to "research" a fictional concept
• The art of using thematic story questions to guide your story building
• The importance of keeping in mind what your story is really about
• How to bring your premise to life: choosing the right characters and points of view
• How to think in terms of story beats -- whether you're a pantser or a plotter
• How to put your concept to the test with elevator pitch and synopsis tools—finding what works for you
• How to know when you've mapped out enough to hit the gas pedal and start writing (with or without an outline)

• Beginning writers who have a story idea but don’t know if it translates to a whole novel, are intimidated by the idea of writing it, and/or just don’t know where to begin.
• Writers who worry their premise “has already been done” or is too “derivative” or “generic.”
• Beginning-intermediate writers who keep stalling out in the middle of their manuscript.
• Beginning-intermediate writers looking for creative new ways to think a story through before writing—even if (or especially if) they prefer to write organically instead of outlining.
• Beginning-intermediate writers looking to expand basic story ideas into more complex, layered, compelling stories.
• Writers whose novel is too short for the genre’s conventions and need to expand upon a basic premise and make it fuller 
• Writers with a novel draft that seems too “quiet” or meandering/unfocused.
• Writers with a project that isn’t working, uncertain whether to revise or scrap it and start over.

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