I try not to divide plot and character. I get to know a character by what they want and fear and how those internal forces play out in their lives.
You learn to exploit genre for the more important things - to my mind - like story, character, image, language.
As a writer, my main objective is to tell the story urgently - as if whispering it into one ear - and to know the characters intimately.
I always think I know the way a novel will go. I write maps on oversized art pads like the kind I carried around in college when I was earnest about drawing. I need to have some idea of the shape of the novel, where its headed, so that I can proceed with confidence. But the truth is my characters start doing and saying things I don't expect.
My work is to know the characters intimately and to tell their story.
