Don't sweat it, it are busy days for everyone I bet ^___^

I get what you mean in terms of plot, but I believe that there are plenty of ways to approach it. Some of my stories begin in my head as a twist, and I write the "meat" around it. Other stories (lke the one I'm writing right now) start from one moment that I think is cool or relatable or interesting, and I begin snowballing from there: "what would be gripping and tense to happen next, and after that, and after that?" Then, when I have a full page of such a moment, I start looking for ways to give this or these moment(s) meaning and context by tying them together with a story. That's why I write horror/thriller/suspense for the time being, it, has an audience that's accustomed to suspend disbelief (sci-fi and fantasy as well, but they require a fleshed out world that I'm not yet ready to commit to writing) which means I can go wild on these moments :D

Remember that certain moments or characters can be just as memorable as a story itself, and some of the most involving stories I've experienced have a run-of-the-mill plot but an expert execution (Memento, for example). My first book has a very simple story on the surface as well, the true depth of it is hidden in what isn't explicitely said. It's a thin line, really between this empowering feeling to tease your reader and dangle a few red herrings before them, and the danger of revealing too little. That why Ard isn't actually one of my long-standing stories. I've a bunch of twisting and writhing plots but I figured, for a first book, I needed something simple enough so that I wouldn't demotivate myself halfway through and leave it as another unfinished project. I came up with the very first ideas for Ard, last year on October 20th. The second draft of the book was finished on October 18th.

Perhaps, if you really like writing and you're serious about it as a hobby, why not start with short stories, or even fan fiction? I know my roots in dialogue came from writing a Resident Evil parody :P (but don't tell anyone! Haha ;D ) Or, try something else entirely! For my giveaway train, I just bought a bunch of games randomly. Games that looked cool, or that had positive reviews, or games that I personally liked. Once I had all the games, I thought up and wrote a story around them. It took about a week and a half to finish, but was still challenging in its own way ^___^

Don't know if it can help you, but this my "planning" for writing:

As I said, it begins with a twist or a moment or a bunch of moments. With all that information, I form the basics.

Once I have the basics, I begin to write the Progression. That means I list everything that happens or needs to happen in chronological order, from the beginning to the end. This is all very basic. At this point, I don't even have characters or names yet. I just refer to people by their roles. I'd say that this is the most difficult part, but when I put my head into it, I can write the progression to one of my stories in a full week.

When I'm happy with the Progression, I move on to the Treatment. This is when I divide the Progression up in their respective Chapters, and I start playing with jumps in time and character viewpoints. Even here, everything can still change. For my first book, I was halfway into the Treatment before realizing that I wasn't happy anymore with the way things were moving, and I restarted everything.

Then, after the Treatment is completed, I move on to Detailing. I flesh out the characters, name them, give them backstories and purposes and goals. I establish the exact time and place of the story, and research if there are any actual events or history from that time and place that can benefit my story. There's no guarantee that the reader will ever read these things, or that I will process them into my story, but it's important to me so that I can properly frame the plot and draw from reality when I need to. A sense of place to me is equally important as the story itself. Since this is the part where I add details, this is also where the backstories begin to form themselves. When all those pieces begin to click into the greater whole, this becomes the most exciting part right behind the actual writing.

When the Treatment is done, it's go time! Even during the writing, the story can still change. Some things are scrapped, other things get added, all in service of what you're trying to tell.

All I can say is to give it a try! Again, two years ago I was probably the last to expect myself to have written a full book, but now look at me! ePublishing made it easier than ever to get into it! ^__^