Personally, when I read, I pay less attention to flow and more to narrative perspective, the actual plot, and the logic. Those are therefore also the things I focus on most when I write myself.
I place far less value on a stylistically polished structure for my stories. I used to play pen-and-paper RPGs and, as a game master, came up with my own stories. The basic concept for every scene was always “description - mood/ambience - action”.
“You enter a dungeon. The room in front of you stretches five paces to either side and is a good ten paces long. The two torches by the entrance, mirrored by another two at the passage on the far side, cast a flickering light. The soot stings your eyes. Through a small hole in the upper right part of the ceiling, about the width of a forearm, the smoke slowly drifts away, but not enough to keep the air from making you cough. Apart from two wooden chests on the left and right, the room seems empty - if not for that strange scratching sound …”
With my regular players, alarm bells would have started ringing no later than those last three words, and they would have had their weapons ready. Greetings to all of you, by the way. I miss our sessions. Hopefully you do too?
The opening of the Na-Ri series was completely different, by contrast. Hardly any description, only perception and feelings. I tried to show a non-human being from the inside, one that does not use names for many things, but comparisons and images.
When it comes to my novels, I am a true pantser and start without a finished plot. Even though I have now actually (finally) finished the plots for my two main series.
Although, some parts will certainly change again, knowing myself. A human assistant would probably have strangled me by now because of how erratic I am and the sheer number of mistakes I keep producing.
But back to the topic: I do not write for effect, I write according to the question: What happens now? Sometimes I begin with a place, and then that stands at the beginning, or I begin with a person, and then that person is in focus. If the place is central, then that is what takes center stage.
Just like in the chapter I am finishing right now and that will appear here soon: the reader is thrown straight into the fleet. A short tour through the harbor, then off to your post with you! :D
JP
PS: And this text is probably the best possible example of my chaotic writing and working style!