One way to start is by laying larger pieces of wood in a cross-hatch pattern, making a small tower. Then, place plenty of kindling (e.g. dried leaves, small twigs, etc.) and firestarter (e.g., paraffin-soaked cotton balls, shredded paper, etc) in the gaps between the wood.

Make a small teepee with kindling, then lay several logs around the teepee so that only one end of each log is touching the teepee. The logs will be slowly consumed by the fire. Make a lean-to fire to protect against wind and rain. Put down one large log, then lean smaller pieces of firewood against it perpendicularly to make a lean-to.