Story and setting. Speaking of setting, now is the time to consider what the status quo for your protagonist looks like before they get caught up in the main conflict of the novel, or plot.
Action Plan: Write down the answers to these questions, and think about what this might look like in terms of scenes or action. Start to develop thumbnails or storyboards of these first few scenes of the novel and decide what important setting or character details you want to convey early on, especially if you want to juxtapose these things or traits with a major reversal or change later on in the story.
Additional Reading: “The Ordinary World” from Justus R. Stone, “What is an Inciting Incident?” from The Editor’s Blog