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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36671
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/36671
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

A start, a setup, is not a story. Consider, for example, how many different adventure stories start with "enemies" attacking the protagonist's home town, forcing him to leave home. From the _Wheel of Time_ series, to _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. There are infinite possibilities of where you can go with any given setup.

Here's an exercise I was once offered at a writing seminar, and since then found very useful whenever my story stalls:

**You've got a situation**. Your "start", for example. **What conflicts can arise from this situation?** Take a pencil, write down about 5-10 different possible conflicts. Now pick one conflict - the one that feels most interesting to you, the one you want to write about. **How do your characters attempt to solve the conflict?** Write down 5-10 possible solutions. **What complications arise?** Write down 5-10 complications for each of 2-3 most interesting possible attempts to solve the conflict.  
Rinse and repeat.

A story is not just a string of conflicts, attempted solutions and complications either. Eventually, as @DPT points out, you want a story arch, a moral journey, an overarching dilemma. This overarching dilemma would eventually influence _which_ conflict, out of those you've written on the page, you choose to write about, _which_ solutions, _which_ complications. But start out with brainstorming on paper, creating multiple ideas. Choosing between them comes next.

Original score: 3