A good plot and good characters should go together, each complementing the other.

Sometimes the character comes first and you're wondering what to do with it. The best answer is always the simplest one: put your character through hell.

If your character just gains super-powers and has everything going right for him, kill his uncle and force him to learn power and responsibility. If your character has just learned to master the force and goes off to face his greatest nemesis, make his nemesis also his father, so it's not so easy to fight him. If your character wants nothing to do with the corrupt family business but getting involved will save the family, force him to make tough decisions that he can't take back that will corrupt his soul for the rest of his life.

Well, don't do exactly those things or you'll be ripping off "Spider-Man," "Star Wars," and "The Godfather." But try something similar. Here are a few simple techniques that can guide you through the plotting process.

For whatever the plot is, make sure it forces the character to confront what he or she believes in. If your character believes in God, put him or her through circumstances that challenge that belief. Then put your character through circumstances that force a decision. Make the obstacle so large that whatever the character decides, there is no going back, and the character will be forever different for it.

Often the easiest and most fun technique you can use to create a gripping plot is to create one object of desire for two opposing characters. One character has to win and one character has to lose. Then you've got a protagonist and antagonist. Then you pit the characters against each other in a way where one exposes the weaknesses of the other, forcing the protagonist to confront his or her own inner demons in addition to the opposing character. This is external and internal conflict, and is much more engaging than having only one of them.

Conflict is your spine for plot. If you don't have some kind of conflict in every scene, you have no plot. Establish stakes. Establish reasons for pursuing whatever goal your character is pursuing. Then watch as your character overcomes all the obstacles... or tragically fails.