I often find myself confused, frustrated, and whatnot whenever I am trying to write a short story, fan-fiction, or poem. How do you go about finding the perfect plot for your next work in progress? Of course, the "perfect" storyline is subjective as your personal taste in conflict and genre is quite important to refer to when concocting a storyline. Here are a couple of ways to develop a plot for your next project:

1. Brainstorm your characters

I usually list out the qualities I want my main character to reflect throughout the text. I then think about the main character's surroundings, which people they would associate with (friends and family) and based on the character's personality, create a challenging or mysterious environment that can almost never run out of conflict or questions.

2. Set up the main conflict

Based on the genre you are writing, list out possible conflicts you'd like to discuss in the text. Feel free to write anything that comes to mind, since writing it out can help you think of other conflicts or help you improve your undeveloped ideas.

3. Choose a point of view

The point of view is very important to the plot, are you going to write in a single consistent perspective or switch between perspectives by chapter?

4. Make an outline

Outlining the story in bullet points or in a google document may help you fill out the gao between the beginning and end of the story. An outline can help with the development of the story.