Locally one of the forms of firestarter our hardware store sells amounts to coarse sawdust mixed with candle wax. Break a piece in half to get a rough edge to start. You can make your own from old candle stubs and shredded paper. Paper towel works well too. While most of the mass can be a ball, leave an edge out to make lighting easier.
Do the wax in a double boiler, using a can for the wax. Do not use the Master of the Kitchen's pots for this. Getting all the wax out is difficult. Vaseline and cotton balls work too, but they are messy if they escape in your pack.
On trips I have a few 'fire starter packets' in my rain jacket pocket. Each one consists of a stick of the above, broken in half, and 4 strike-anywhere matches. That is wrapped in a square foot of aluminum foil.
In use, once I have some twigs collected, open the foil and set on the ground. Strike one match against another. (the other 2 are spares)
The foil reduces heat loss to the ground while the fire is small. It reflects radiant heat back, and it keeps the wood out of contact with wet ground. It will get burned when the fire is larger, although check for unburned bits before you leave.
I started making these when coming in to shore after a day of canoeing in wet weather. With the legs being largely motionless, they get chilled. As soon as you get moving, a rush of chilled blood hits your body core. I found I had about 3 minutes of shore time before I started shivering hard enough not not be able to strike a match. While the shivering passes in about 15 minutes, I'd rather not lose that time before having a fire and a hot beverage.
So the process:
Pull canoe up enough to not go anywhere.
Grab partner.
go to nearest spruce tree, break off a handful of under twigs.
Tell partner to get more.
Unroll packet.
Light matches,
light firestarter,
put crushed twigs on top of bundle.
Stack twigs and bigger wood as fast as we could find it.
Once the fire is started, you can add wood while shivering. You can collect wood while shivering. Once the shivering starts to slow, and the fire is getting big, get the coffee pot out.