To me the voice has always been the way to start any character. Once I find that, I'm good to go.
“As for goals, I don't set myself those anymore. I'm not one of these 'I must have achieved this and that by next year' kind of writers. I take things as they come and find that patience and persistence tend to win out in the end.”
“But teleological considerations can lead no further than to a belief and a hope. They do not give certainty.”