Coming up with a plot for a story (Annam)

This is A of "K.L.A" . Im trying to come up with ideas for my next story. Im thinking of having elements of Pakistani culture in it. I read "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri, and just finished her other book called "Interpreter of Maladies". She often writes about South Asian culture. I really admire her, as a writer but more as a person. Her work is very minimalistic and concise, and her stories center around people of South Asian descent and their life experiences. Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of her nine short stories that flow together but are not neccesarily related.

One thing I noticed about Jhumpa Lahiri is that she doesnt feel the need to always have the typical "beginning, middle, and end" format in her writing which is refreshing. The Namesake has a clear storyline though since its a novel. Its about a Bengali-American boy who struggles with the cultural gap of growing up surrounded by American culture but also in a home with parents who are strong and persistant in their Bengali heritage. Jhumpa, herself is a Bengali-American, so I guess she incorporates her own real life experiences into her work. I find its easy for me to write about random things or whatever bizzarre thing Im imagining up, but I have yet to take an experience as personal and realistic as my heritage or family life and base it or fictionalize it into a story.