When I wrote fiction, which I admit hasn't been for a long time, I find that the character takes over early on. At some point, no matter what I thought the plot would be, the personalities take over and provide the fuel for the story engine. That is the best moment...when you lose your consciousness of yourself as a writer, and become the observer and recorder of their story. I don't experience it any more, but I remember it well. I never describe the characters very much...I want the reader to fill in as much of the story as possible. It matters very little to me what the character looks like...it is how they think, how they make decisions, how they relate to other people that is important to me. Was important to me.