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Start with characters. Consider the setting. Figure out the inner story. Match the inner story with an outer story. Understand the limitations of the stage. Read some drama and see some productions.
Plays are character-driven pieces of writing. Since it's basically going to be a lot of talking between people, your characters need to be as believable as possible. In great plays, the inner tensions between characters enact themselves in external ways. In other words, the characters need to have problems that show up in their behaviour. What does your character want? What is keeping your character from getting what they want? What stands in their way? Thinking of interesting jobs can be a good way of developing a character. What's the hardest job you can imagine? What's a job you've always been curious about? What kind of person becomes a podiatrist? How does one end up with such a job? Don't worry about the name or the physical description of your character. It doesn't tell you anything about a character named Rafe to know that he is 6'4 and has washboard abs and wears t-shirts some of the time. Stick to one notable and telling physical trait. Maybe your character has a scar on their eyebrow from being bitten by a dog, or maybe your character never wears skirts. This reveals something about them and gives them depth. The setting of the play is where and when the story takes place. Placing your character in a tense situation or location is an important way to create drama. Combining character and setting can also be a good way of developing your character, and figuring out what kind of story might result from their placement in that setting. If being a podiatrist is interesting to you, what about being a podiatrist in Paris, Texas? What kind of person becomes a podiatrist in Paris, Texas, for instance? How does one end up there? Be as specific as possible when developing your setting. "The Modern Day" isn't as interesting as "Dr. Wilson's Family Podiatry, next to the The West Hillsboro Suburban Mall, just south of town, at 3:15 pm on Good Friday." The more specific you are, the more you'll give yourself to work with. Consider what other characters the setting may introduce. Who works the desk at the podiatry office? If it's a family business, maybe the podiatrist's daughter. Who has an appointment on a Friday? Who's waiting? What are they in for? Take into account what would be probable. If you're making a play based on the future, make sure you prepare ideas for how you would stage this futuristic world. If your play takes place in the forest, be sure you have enough time and budget to make the forest come alive. Be sure to include why the setting is how it is. For example, a tornado passed through the forest and the forest is now a big mess. The "inner" story refers to the psychological conflicts happening within the characters. This is largely hidden throughout the story, but it's important for you to have some sense of as you're writing the play. The inner story will guide the characters throughout their decisions throughout the plot. The more concrete the inner story, the easier the characters will be to write. They'll be making their own decisions. Maybe your podiatrist wanted to be a brain surgeon but lacked the stomach for it. Maybe the podiatry program had the least strenuous schedule, and allowed the med-school version of your character to stay up late partying while still passing all their classes. Maybe the podiatrist is deeply unhappy and unfulfilled about having never left Paris. Bad plots look backward and good plots look forward. It wouldn't be interesting to have a play in which your podiatrist talked endlessly about how she'd rather not be a podiatrist and then killed herself with shoe polish. Instead, find a dramatic situation to place your characters in that will test their mettle and change them in some way. If it's Good Friday, maybe the podiatrist's retire parents (former podiatrists themselves) are coming for an Easter Dinner. Is your podiatrist even religious? Will she go to Church? Does she have to get home and clean up the house before the weekend starts? Is her father going to make her check out his bunions, AGAIN? Will this be the last straw? What will happen? Remember: you're not writing a movie. A play is basically an ongoing series of conversations between people. The focus needs to be on the tension between the characters, the language, and on developing your characters into believable people. It isn't a great medium for gun fights and car chases. Alternatively, break from traditional theatre and write a play with impossible-to-stage scenes as a way of exploring the writing itself. If you have no plans to actually stage the play, treat it as a different form of poem. Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, and Antonin Artaud were all innovators of experimental avant garde plays who incorporated audience participation and other absurdist or surreal elements into their drama. Just as you wouldn't try to write a novel if you'd never read one, it's a good idea to get familiar with the world of contemporary theater. Check out plays you've read and liked to see how they transform on the stage. David Mamet, Tony Kushner, and Polly Stenham are all popular and celebrated playwrights. It's important to see new plays if you're going to write new plays. Even if you've got a good working knowledge and love of Shakespeare, it's important to get familiar with what's going on in the here and now. You don't live in Shakespeare's era, so it wouldn't make sense to write plays as if you did.