Plotting is the foundation of every story. No matter what method you use for planning - or if you don't plan at all! - you have to know the basics of your new story.

A quick way to plot a story is to answer these questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Very basic, right? Why are these important? Well, before you begin, you need to know the time period your story is taking place, where it's happening, who your main character is, what their goal is, why they want it to happen, and, if you're not a pantser, how they achieve it. These answers are what you build your story around.

Of course, you don't have to sit down and answer each question one by one, but when you write out the basics, make sure these are answered by your description. A pantser often answers some of these as they go, but the who, what, where, and when are answered before they begin writing.

For more detailed plotting, take your time and give as much information as you can for each question. You may still need to tweak the answers as you go once the creative juices really get to flowing, though.