Part 1: How is a plot created?
The plot is the foundation of every story and the origin of every plot is an idea. Just a few words could already be an idea, or a game. J. K. Rowling for example came up with the idea for a scene in Harry Potter while playing chess and developed the entire story around this. A song could also bring up some ideas or what some hobby-writers do is give each other a set of three words and then they try to create an idea with those words.
Even though you can get far with an idea itself, most writers really need a plot to write an entire story, some even need a step by step manual for each chapter. However, it is not impossible to start to write with just an idea, as long as you know where you want to end or what the story is about. For example, if your idea is to write a story about eight clans from which three form a pact and attack the others, the end may be that the three clans will be wiped out. And the main course of the story is about the fighting of the clans. Create some characters and you're good to go.
Despite this sounding really easy, it is not. What happens most of the time is that the writer's inspiration runs out and the story ends without it being finished. This is why a plot is important. It gives your novel structure. If we take the same example about the eight clans, this could be a plot written in a small story:
"Eight clans have lived peacefully together for many years, but when three clans form a pact and betray the others, a war is sure to come. Altair, the leader of the Dragon Clan, Goku, the leader of the Lightning clan, and Ash, the daughter of the Rose Clan leader, are trying to come up with a plan for the war. After this plan has finally been made, they're travelling across the entire planet to find the two remaining clan leaders and all the people who belong to the five betrayed clans. They want to create an army big enough and strong enough to stand against the Wolf, the Onyx and the Crimson Clan. The biggest problem they're facing now is how to find all the clan members without revealing the existence of non-humans on the planet Earth. Altair, Goku and Ash split up and search the entire world, but when Altair and Ash have managed to gather quite a large army, Goku is nowhere to be found and it appears the Wolf Clan has kidnapped him. Altair and Ash set out on a journey to find Goku and while they do this, the battle of the Eight Clans is about to begin. When Goku has been saved, the three join the battle and they defeat the leaders of the enemy clans. After the fight, all clans have suffered losses, but they're all really grateful to Altair, Goku and Ash. A new peace treaty is made and the Rose Clan even makes Ash their leader. Together with Goku and Altair, she becomes the Guardian of the Eight Clans who now live peacefully together again."
