Becoming immersed in a well-written and well-thought out story is typically achieved through a character's thoughts, feelings, and deepest emotions. Needless to say, your characters will be one of, if not the most important aspects of your story. Before outlining the plot, conjure up multifaceted characters. Know enough about the characters so that they may live and breathe through your writing. Information such as strengths, weaknesses, address, beliefs, hobbies, heritage and career may seem trivial, but as an author, you must know these facts to bring your character to life. A name alone will not help your reader visualize who your character is, what he looks like, how he reacts in a given situation, or his innermost thoughts. To decide on these characteristics, you'll need to know your character as if you are him, or as if he is your best friend. Show the world what humans are like from the outside looking in.
Determining which point of view you'll use for your story is crucial. It is unacceptable to start a story in third person and then switch to second person in the fourth paragraph. Choose a point of view and stick to it. There are three perspectives, number one being first person. When writing in first person, the story is told from the perspective of "I," for example "I gazed down at my ragged hiking boots, trying to muster enough courage to look her way." From this point of view, typically considered one of the easiest to write, the narrator is either the protagnoist, or a secondary character who recites the story about the main character. In the case of second person, the storyline is interactive, as the reader becomes a character in the story -- "Your eyebrows raised and your eyes widened. Did he really just do what you thought he did?" Finally, third person is told from the perspective of one character, or all characters: "Joshua fidgeted in his seat as he waited the arrival of his boss. Little did Joshua know, his boss would be firing him on the spot."
Like the characters, the setting must have an impact on your readers to make the story worth reading. Readers become more involved in the story if they are able to visualize the character's surroundings and relate the actions with the setting. Visualize your character in a specific place whether its the rugged terrain of the Grand Canyon, the white sandy beaches of the Carribean or a St. Louis suburb. Shape your characters complex personality by using the setting. The most important aspects of the setting are location, atmosphere and time frame. Weather, distances, crime statistics and things of the like are generally useless in a short story. Instead of telling your readers that it's raining, use descriptive words to conjure up an image of rain: "Like the water droplets sliding down her windshield, tears began to flow down her cheeks."
A well-rounded plot is necessary to avoid confusion, impatience or disappointment. A story without a plot isn't a story at all. Without a plot, turning points in the story will not come together properly, let alone the climax. To pick a plot, brainstorm a situation that your character may find himself in. Based on that particular situation, make a list of possible outcomes. For example, if Jane decides to drop out of school, she might end up living off of the government because she cannot find a suitable career. On the other hand, she may end up going back to school. Finally, create another list of possibilities pertaining to the suggested outcome. Each important event in the story should be correctly arranged to lead up to dramatic revelations. Conflicts should be presented in the form of the character challenging himself, another individual or higher power. From a conflict, complications will arise, keeping a character from achieving his goals.