In media res

I found as I was writing Tendrils to the Moon that the easiest way to write a scene is to start in the middle, or where the key action takes place, then to surround it with enough detail and prose, which act like connective tissues, keeping in contact with the rest of the story. This is useful for a handful of reasons:

• It helps me avoid writing about stuff that doesn't matter. Unnecessary exposition can kill the flow. Early in the book, I had to force myself to not explain everything. If a scene has no point, and I don't realize it until I'm 500 words in, then I just wasted time.
• By writing the beginning of the scene after I write the middle, I know exactly what I'm building up to, and I can properly lay the groundwork for the action. Imagine the crux of a scene as the narrowest part of an hourglass. By identifying that narrowest part, you can then expertly move the sand--or reader, rather--toward the middle, so that the sequence of events feels natural and logical.
• It reads better. If I start at the beginning of the scene, I tend to ramble and add pointless exposition that has to be cut or corrected later. The key action ends up being put off and overshadowed by the rest of the scene.
• It's more fun.

There are drawbacks to this method of scene writing. Every once in a while, I try to execute a big, dramatic scene, and it's when I try to build up to the crux that I realize it's just not going to work, usually because the characters would have to act unnatural to get to that point.

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