Before the first adventure

Start the first session of actual play at home in the village. Frame mundane scenes that paint a picture of each PC's daily life. Explore the PCs' relationships, with each other and with important NPCs. Use these scenes to establish recent events and current concerns. Play out some daily dramas, but don't, like, resolve them.

Then, drop the hook for your adventure. Follow the PCs around as they decide what to do about it. Figure out what's important to them, and push them out into the field. Portray how NPCs react to both the hook and the PCs' plans.

The whole First Adventure chapter First Adventure sets you up to do this. Follow the procedures laid out in that chapter!