A simple way to plan a story without over-outlining.

A useful story plan can be small: a character who wants something, an obstacle that matters, and a change the reader can see.

Start with the pressure point

Name the person, want, or moment that keeps tugging at you. You do not need a premise polished enough to pitch.

Make the obstacle specific

Choose the force that makes the want difficult: a person, a rule, a fear, a secret, or a cost.

Plan the next scene, not every scene

Write the next visible change, then let the story reveal what it needs after that.