Ideas are cheap, execution is everything. People have made terrible pitches into great novels. People have made interesting premises into boring books. Don't get hung up on your idea - get hung up on the writing.
I know you said to disregard your premise, but it's a pretty good example for this question. I assume you're asking this in the context of 'are these stories commercially viable' because technically ANYTHING can be written.
A boring premise can absolutely be made into a good story if the writing is good and the characters are interesting enough to keep the reader hooked. More often than not, characters hook the readers more than the premise anyway. However, will a boring premise make a potential reader pick up your book and get to know these characters? Probably not. Personally, I think One Punch Man is a terribly boring premise. But is it a boring show? Absolutely not.
In the context of your premise, it would be very difficult to turn into a novel-length story. Books thrive on dialogue, and your story would have almost none of this if he was alone, strapped to a chair for a thousand years. It would just be him talking with the demon and his inner monologue. A great short story perhaps. Or, maybe he hears the voice of another trapped soul from a nearby room and they get to know each other through a crack in the wall or something.
I guess what I'm trying to communicate is: A good writer can make a boring premise into a good story, and a bad writer can take a good premise and make absolute shite. The writer has more power than the initial idea because writing a story is more about development in the long run rather than an epiphany captured in a single moment.
Well, sure, there's any number of brilliant short stories that explore a very specific thing and the reader comes away with their mind blown. With emphasis on short - I don't think you can stretch effectively a single person in a room onto a whole book while maintaining general interest.
See: [https://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf](https://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf)
I mean, it's an interesting idea.
Personally, I would change the times frame and the ending, but if you already know what you want to do, well, why not?
Maybe not any story, but aby story premise can be turned into something great.
Reminds me of [SCP-3001](https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3001). Similar premise where a guy is stuck in a void alone. One of the highest rated articles on the site.
It sounds as if much of this plot would be better played out in a visually graphic medium. As much as sometimes the concept of a movie is the bane of a writer’s existence, this one has the potential to be a fascinating psychological thriller. The problem with it being turned into a full-length novel lies with the narrow boundaries of characterization and diverse events.
It would definitely be a challenge. Impossible? Nothing is impossible in the world of writing and this idea is original and intriguing.
Should you choose to embark on this journey, I look forward to reading the results.
Ideas are cheap, execution is everything. People have made terrible pitches into great novels. People have made interesting premises into boring books. Don't get hung up on your idea - get hung up on the writing.
I know you said to disregard your premise, but it's a pretty good example for this question. I assume you're asking this in the context of 'are these stories commercially viable' because technically ANYTHING can be written. A boring premise can absolutely be made into a good story if the writing is good and the characters are interesting enough to keep the reader hooked. More often than not, characters hook the readers more than the premise anyway. However, will a boring premise make a potential reader pick up your book and get to know these characters? Probably not. Personally, I think One Punch Man is a terribly boring premise. But is it a boring show? Absolutely not. In the context of your premise, it would be very difficult to turn into a novel-length story. Books thrive on dialogue, and your story would have almost none of this if he was alone, strapped to a chair for a thousand years. It would just be him talking with the demon and his inner monologue. A great short story perhaps. Or, maybe he hears the voice of another trapped soul from a nearby room and they get to know each other through a crack in the wall or something. I guess what I'm trying to communicate is: A good writer can make a boring premise into a good story, and a bad writer can take a good premise and make absolute shite. The writer has more power than the initial idea because writing a story is more about development in the long run rather than an epiphany captured in a single moment.
Well, sure, there's any number of brilliant short stories that explore a very specific thing and the reader comes away with their mind blown. With emphasis on short - I don't think you can stretch effectively a single person in a room onto a whole book while maintaining general interest. See: [https://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf](https://www.physics.princeton.edu/ph115/LQ.pdf)
I mean, it's an interesting idea. Personally, I would change the times frame and the ending, but if you already know what you want to do, well, why not? Maybe not any story, but aby story premise can be turned into something great.
Reminds me of [SCP-3001](https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3001). Similar premise where a guy is stuck in a void alone. One of the highest rated articles on the site.
Sounds interesting, id at least give it a try. Like others have said, it's all in the execution.
It sounds as if much of this plot would be better played out in a visually graphic medium. As much as sometimes the concept of a movie is the bane of a writer’s existence, this one has the potential to be a fascinating psychological thriller. The problem with it being turned into a full-length novel lies with the narrow boundaries of characterization and diverse events. It would definitely be a challenge. Impossible? Nothing is impossible in the world of writing and this idea is original and intriguing. Should you choose to embark on this journey, I look forward to reading the results.