DestinyStories.comRobert McKee has an international reputation for inspiring aspiring writers, refining works-in-progress, and restoring major screenwriting careers. Read his Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997).
An effective opening scene for a protagonist shows us the character’s worldview and the goal he needs to meet. The plot that follows chases this thread closely.
All other characters challenge or confirm his worldview. They either help or hinder the attainment of his goal. This struggle must be clearly and consistently demonstrated—and even escalated!—throughout the story only to be resolved at the very end.
Check out Matt “Nando” Kelly’s Nando v Movies. Matt is a writer from New Jersey, a big fan of Marvel movies, TV shows, and comics, and he is a die hard Saints fan (and a pretty big fan of the movie Die Hard).
Must read John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey Into Story (New York: The Overlook Press, 2015).
Check out Michael Tucker’s Lessons from the Screenplay, for technical tactics for turning a tale.
Check out Savannah Gilbo’s Podcast: Fiction Writing Made Easy, which is an ideal introduction to solving story-writing struggles.