It took me a long time to understand that the most important work I do in writing a novel—what takes the most time, the difficult, careful thought—is creating the characters. Many writers focus on plot. For me, building complex characters is what keeps me up at night. It happens at the very beginning, before I write anything at all. I carefully consider my central characters, their strengths and weaknesses, their emotional make up, their quirks, their gestures, what they enjoy, what makes them uneasy. Creating, actually fleshing out, exciting multi-dimensional characters essentially allows the plot to work itself out in unexpected ways. It’s the foundation of whatever story I tell. In fact, characters, for me, inevitably end up telling me the story.
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