Goal: Write a novel

[W13]

I don't want to start writing it until I have a very solid world, solid plot, and solid characters in place.

Seems like you're setting yourself up for defeat. Personally I think the best approach is to build from scratch and let the characters form as you write. Create a rough draft of the novel with a basic premises with basic characters and as you write you'll be able to see where you want to take the story and articulate the specific traits of your characters as it comes together. Waiting to write anything before you have a complete book in your head doesn't seem to be the right approach. Writing something basic then editing and adding to it will get the ball rolling. 

I also recommend the book War of Art to anyone in the creative field.
https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Winning-Creative-Battle/dp/1501260626

I know what you mean but if you're writing a fantasy novel (usually the genre newbies start off with), your setting is a character in itself and you have to pay close attention to "the world". And being a gamer, I think I can curate an interesting, intricate setting. While I do this, I write character arcs -- just short half paragraph summaries. Later, I'll weave them together so they're all overlapping and integrated. I have a basic world map already - it was a headache because I had to make sure that things like my world's orbit, day-night cycle, yearly weather cycle, tides, etc. make sense scientifically. It's all done so I'm glad I can move onto more interesting things like filling in the world map and writing character arcs.

I've written chapter 1 a few times only for the purpose of seeing what sort of tone/style that my writing takes. I know I'm gonna need a good editor at the end   .