A Goodreads user asked Steven Hayward:

What is the first, most important thing you would tell someone who feels they have a book in them to write, to do?

Steven Hayward Hi Heather, thanks for your question. Where to start? Well, there it is, in that word; you've got to start! Get into a habit and get some words written. That sounds a bit obvious I know and everyone always says "Writers write", but writing has to become a habit, and make sure it's one you enjoy and isn't a chore because it's a long and lonely road to write a novel. In terms of how to start on a particular book, there are plotters and then there are authors who fly by the seat of their pants. There's nothing wrong with the latter (Stephen King's been doing it for years) but one of the pitfalls for a newbie is that you think you have a story that will sustain you for 85k words or more until you get to 10k and realise all you really have is an idea. I started writing Mickey Take with an idea but by the time I'd written those first 10k words, I felt I had some interesting characters and an increasingly growing plot that in the end, I hope, dwarfed the original idea! Second time around, I've spent a lot more time planning and as a result, I wrote the first draft in a month and felt a lot more in control. There are lots of other things you can be doing further along, e.g. I found local creative writing classes very useful in getting things started and a way to meet like-minded people. From the ones I attended 7 and 8 years ago, I made lifelong friendships and have two small writing groups that still meet regularly today. Good luck with your writing and let me know how you get on.

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