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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32009
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Normally when I start writing a story, there is a moment with a character or a specific line that inspired me to start thinking about the story. I then focus on that specific moment and figure out how to get to the dialogue or the moment I envisioned.

Sometimes I start writing the chapter and I never actually write the sentence or the event that I imagined, but it's because I went in a different direction and felt a different flow while writing it. Sometimes I keep it and sometimes I decide my original idea was better and go back and tweak it. But the most important thing to do is to get all of the words out, on a page. You will make sense of them later, but leave good notes for yourself!

In regards to good notes, it is super useful if you have an outline or at least an idea for the trajectory of the story, then you can hop around in the chapters and write what you feel most inspired to write. As you near the completion of the novel, you will fill in the gaps.

Stephen King in his book "On Writing" says that it is critical to get the first draft done as soon as possible. The editing part is the part to drag out. He seems to feel that his ideas die or that he loses interest if they are not completed in a certain amount of time.

In short, don't focus so much on writing chronologically. Sometimes you write a chapter and expect it to be the fifth chapter, but later on you realize what a great first chapter it would be, or tenth chapter. If you have a lot of ideas but aren't sure how to connect them, write each scene on a notecard so that you can rearrange them. I did that with my fantasy novel and it was super duper helpful.

Original score: 6