TURNING STORIES INTO PLOTS: Part One

All right my lovelies, I've had a look at my previous post about plots, and it occurred to me that, while it might be interesting to a writer who's already completed a few stories or books (like me) who needs some advice about a fine-tuning technique for pacing and structure (like me), it probably wouldn't be terribly helpful to someone who's still trying to work out what a plot actually IS. So, for those of you who are not me, and were actually hoping for something useful? I apologise.

When I...