As a task, answer one simple question. What is your theme?
(There are many good books full of quotations. Flick through and pick one at random. Use the wisdom contained within the quote as the central theme of your story.)
The next step in your plan is conflict. All novels need a basic conflict. To establish this conflict, you need two things:
A protagonist(s) (The main character)
An environment
The environment can come from:
Physical setting(s)
Atmosphere created by the social situation
Emotional mood
Once these things have all been established, the protagonsit must be put in conflict with either their own environment or the environment of others. But how is this achieved? What can the conflict be?
Many things can be the cause of the conflict:
Something changes in the environment
Moving the protagonist from one environment to another
Put the protagonist in an environment that is in conflict with other environments
Put the protagonist in an environment he or she wants to change
Give the protagonist an environment to conquer
Put him or her in a environment he or she wants to escape
Put the protagonist in an environment where he or she is not wanted
Put the protagonist in an environment for which he or she is unsuited
Change the protagonist's status quo in his or her environment.
Change the status quo of the environment
Give the protagonist a chief motivating force with a tangible object. His or her response to the environment yields a determination to do something about it (the chief motivating force) to achieve some tangible objective. It helps if you exaggerate the protagonist's reaction to the environment.
Always remember, plot is simply something that happens to your characters. How they react in relation to the conflict (and themes) that makes the story readable.
Bear in mind that different people plan in different ways. Some will make a large and exceptionally detailed plan so they know where to take the story next, some work from nothing more than a basic outline. But noting down all the information mentioned above is vital before you attempt writing your book.
