Hello, I'm sloth. I can't really tell you how to start writing for yourself. Everyone is different, with different mentalities, and different schedules, with different things on their minds at all times, but I can tell you what I enjoy, and how I help myself write, and maybe it'll transfer to you too.
You enjoy writing plots, or scenarios. I do too. I constantly imagine my characters going through plentiful of scenarios, and make them go through entire plots in my head. I'm a lucid dreamer, so I often place them into random stories to see what they would do, how they would act, and if they would even make it out alive, or if they'd succeed where other characters would have failed. Even normal day to day things, going to the store, or watching a movie, I generally find myself daydreaming, or going on autopilot wondering what my character's favorite food would be, or what movie they'd watch if they had the remote. Silly things. --Yes, I live alone. Why do you ask? lol
When I think of a story (and I have dozens if not hundreds of written sticky notes, and ideas, and doc-ies) I try to start with major plot points:
Where do I want to end is important.
Were there any memorable scenes I want to show and tell that I think are really cool, sad, upsetting, or just really fun, and entertaining.
Are there any scenes that NEED to be in there that make or break a character.
Anything that changes your characters, make them different, major character growth moments, or major breaks.
I tend to think a lot about certain character motives, morals, integrities they hold, and how to challenge those. Are they really so adamant about what they say they believe, or is that just what they say? Like in some movies, what a character says, and what they do are sometimes WAY different, and it makes you wonder if that was just bad writing, or if it was that the intention.
Take everything you know about your character, and line it up with something as simple as the heroes journey, then take some initiative, change a few things, add more, subtract others, give the story some structure and a general time frame, this happens here, this happens there, and don't be afraid to change it if you suddenly think, "OH THIS WOULD BE A GOOD MOMENT TO DO THIS OR THAT, and that would lead into this moment!" Let the story breath, let it live before you put it on paper. Tell it to yourself. Replay it in your head until its something you've memorized and dreamt about like if it was a real movie that truly existed, and you've sat, and watched. Let it exist.
When you've given the story life, Bring it to life. choose a start point. It doesn't need to be x character, at birth, was born, or in a land far far away. just give it a start. Literally, at any point before the first part you've been thinking about. Where were they? What were they doing? If your first great moment was of them seeing a nightclub suddenly explode! GUNFIRE! badguys running out with bags of money and your character was there to stop them! POW! WAM! What were they doing before hand? Were they inside the nightclub when it happened? Were they just walking by, by happenstance? Were they part of a sting operation, knowing full well the badguys were about to strike? Or were they across the street eating a hotdog when suddenly the glass of the shop exploded and they devoured the hotdog in a single bite, or threw it on the ground in order to run into the alley to change into their superhero outfit! Were they home, and saw BREAKING NEWS and rushed out to do the butt kicking scene? You know your character. Are they the nightlife kind of person? Are they the brave hero? Or were they just at the right place at the wrong time. Where would they honestly be beforehand?
Once you picked a start.
It's time to start. You know the story. You know the characters. you know where they're headed, and it becomes less scary. Tell the story. Be sincere.
Give details where details are needed. If things don't need to be described, don't worry about it, everyone knows what a cave is. A cave as a cave, is a cave; Unless it's a mineshaft. Then you'll have to explain why the cave isn't a cave, and why it was actually a mineshaft. But at the same time, A mineshaft is a mineshaft, a line or two would be fine to explain that. Parties have food, parties have cups for drinks, you don't need to describe x party for x character had tables and on those tables were chips, next to the chips were cups, and plates, and forks for -OH HEY HOTDOGS!
Descriptions flow with the characters. Places are just as alive as your characters. If they go to the party and this is where they accidentally almost drowned someone by knocking them into a pool and nearly drowning them gave the MC PTSD about crowds near pools, GASP, then quickly tell the reader, oh btw's the party was a pool-party. Then we know, oh hey, there's a pool at this party, great, continuing with the scene. etc. No extra lines needed. Keep it detailed, but keep it simple.
If something ends up not being necessary down the road, like you put a lot of emphasis on how x character met so n so character, but that character never appears again, then having them met so n so is a nothing point. Skip it, UNLESS meeting them changes the character in some major way and they recall it throughout the story, then maybe, instead of introducing so n so character, the MC maybe read the tidbit of information so n so would have given them, in random magazine x, or a fortune cookie! Don't be afraid to make random character so n so into a lamp shade that reads IMPORTANT MESSAGE. if the so n so character isn't as important as they claim to be. Why make an elaborate mansion full of rooms with vibrant colors and messages and balloons if the character doesn't even enter any of the rooms? they stopped by to say "hey your mail got dropped off at my place again. Byebye" and left. it just isn't important. Its ok to throw out ideas, but keep them for another story if you really, really liked the idea. Or hey, it could be brought up in a sequel. Never know.
The main thing is to have fun. Writing shouldn't feel like a chore. Have fun with your characters. Love them. Be friends with them. Don't be afraid to cry because you were thinking about a fictional character you created going through a hard time. Don't be afraid to laugh when your character makes a funny joke. Yes, it's you, you're the one telling the joke to yourself, but for this instance, you are bringing them to life, so let them be alive. Make us believe we can also be friends with them. Enjoy what you write.
If you ever start to feel burnt out, take a step back. Let it simmer. Lay down, and just imagine where you're at in the story, and let it play freely in your head. Get to those points that you're excited about, and remind yourself why you're excited about getting to that scene, or how it made you feel to get to this VERY memorable part keep that feeling, replay it, go to the next part, get yourself hyped, take that feeling, take that emotion, and know that the only way we can share in that moment with you, is if you tell us. Allow yourself to feel inspired by your own writing. Grow on your own imagination. Know that when we get there together, you as an author, and us as readers, we will also be inspired.
Goodluck on your adventures.
