How to create a plot?

Okay, here's my problem. Whenever I try to write a story(And I've tried quite a few times), I would create a main cast, a setting, and even how the story would end, generally. However, I for some reason cannot think up the most important part that connects all these together. The main plot. I don't know why, and I'm not even sure if creating characters and settings first is the right way. I tried thinking up plot first, everything else later, but even then I couldn't think of one. It's like there's this huge block blocking my mind.(Thus, why I'm posting it here.)

For example, I want to write a mystery story. I would then create up the main character(detective), the Watson, the Suspects, the Criminal. Then I would think up the setting(for example, an abandoned island. cliched, but works in this situation). However, I could not for the life of me think of how to make the detective and the Watson get involved in the case at all. Why would they visit an abandoned island? Why did the criminal commit the murder? Why were the suspects there on the island? My actual case is similar, except that it's a High School setting, so it's even harder to get a school boy involved in a serial murder case. I can't create a plot that would naturally involve the character into the mystery, nor do I know how to lead the plot from there.

Um, so...any tips, advices, suggestions, or such? I could use it right now, and would be really grateful if I received any.

Try skimming through the relevant Plot tropes and their examples here and see if that sparks anything. It's what I do when I'm stuck on something, and it often actually works.

Try different approaches. Everyone plots differently; since you seem to come up with characters first, try looking at them and think about what matters to them, what it is they want. Pretty much all plots can be boiled down to a character trying to get or do something that they really want, only there's something in their way.

With your mystery example, I thought that the hypothetical detective and his partner were taking a boat somewhere, and shipwrecked on the island. Sherlock Holmes stories are full of that stuff. In the case of the highschooler, maybe he's curious, or bored, or kinda knew the victim, or thinks that honing his brain here would make a good use of his time.

Personally, that's how I go about plotting. I can't force myself to go into plotting mode and usually have to let things sit for at least a few hours or days or whatever it takes until something suddenly hits me.

This. What do your characters want? leads directly to How might they come into conflict? For a murder mystery in particular you want to work your way up to Under what circumstances might one of these characters decide that murdering another is the best way to get what they want? Link drop: Writing Excuses has had several podcasts about this, I don't remember all of them but The Hollywood Formula was among them.

Which could actually be especially useful, because your detective might end up going through the same process in order to work out which of these seemingly innocent characters had a motive to commit the crime, too. :D

This is a problem that I suffer often. I make characters, then a setting, but then I have like no idea what to do afterwards. My villains may not be bland but they don't have any motivation or reason to their schemes, I have no idea how to write a good Chessmaster, etc.

It can get irritating when you brilliant ideas are all not related to the plot.

Short answers:

Plot it backwards — AKA "What happened right before this to get them here?"

Start writing from the beginning and try pantsing it for a while. See if you stumble on something.

Inspect motivations and pressures. What would motivate someone to go to an abandoned island? What could compel your characters to act out or force their hand? Brainstorm.

Alter things. Maybe someone's family has a boat. Maybe the island is actually on a lake, or in swimmable water. Maybe your character doesn't find a body, but someone with a concussion and retrograde amnesia, and therefore can't remember what happened. Maybe your Watson is secretly a girl and decides to tell you the truth now. Play with it.

What would fuck up someone's day the most? Rain? A flood? Being soaked with a hose? Play with mundane to extreme and extrapolate from there. Interesting things can happen on bad days.

Etc., etc., etc.

Seriously, whatever way works. Find one and try it.

Long answer:

I don't know how in-depth of a plotter you are, as this is easier with more material, but oh well.

If you already have a bunch of information just sitting around, try looking through it to spot commonalities. Two characters having similar hobbies, a setting quirk that keeps showing up — even a metaphor you can't let go of, if you've got some of the story written already. You don't always have to delete something just because it seems meaninglessly repetitive right now — echoes can be nice, if you execute them properly, and even better forces for foreshadowing. A lot of my best ideas come about when I notice a pattern that's already there and play off of it.

When that's done, read it again. And again a few days later. And think about it, a lot. And when you get sick of it put it all down for a while, spend some time not thinking about it, and pick it up again. Give yourself some time to go over it, sit on it, and let it stew in your head. While that's happening, try seeing if you can spot more disparate patterns. A piece in one part fitting another piece somewhere else. A repercussion of something you didn't consider before affecting something that happens later. A line suddenly implying something you didn't even think about.

That's the sort of thing I end up doing constantly. I've got my own problems finishing things, mind you — my stories are filled with literal gaps often up until the last few edits — but I have managed to generate some interesting plot points that way. Hope some part of this helps.

edited 27th Sep '12 7:30:04 PM by Dec

Thanks a lot, you guys. Appreciate all the help so far. I tried some of your methods(and some others I've already tried be4), and I'm coming up with some ideas, but nothing definite yet. Well, I guess more specifics from me is in order.(And the whole island murder case thing was an example actually. Sorry to cause the confusion. The advices still helped a bit despite that though, so its good)

Um, the first third of my story(my story's a 3 story thing) is about a High School stereotypical boy. One day he finds a person sleeping on his door(The Watson), who he lets live with him temporarily. The next day, he hears news of a murder case, and avoids the area where its said to happen in.

Now, how do I get him involved in this murder case? Without making him related to it too much, if possible.

edited 28th Sep '12 6:27:34 AM by danna45

If your detective is bent on avoiding the case, maybe have the Watson take an interest and drag him into it?

edited 28th Sep '12 10:22:42 AM by YamiiDenryuu

Hm...Very well, I'll try that for now. Thanks again!

What I've found is the same i create characters even outline what i want to happen then making it happen is the hard part, i've found sometimes the best way is to just write the character specific scenes then when your done go back and write the interludes and villian perspectives tieing into the character sets already written.

Or i just write a fun vinigrette like "Ethan and the gang go to the beach" and said vinigrettes sometimes evolve into their own stories