What are some helpful tips for making compelling characters and an interesting plot when writing?

Answer 1

This is one of my favorite questions because it comes with a non-answer: don't think about it. If you think too much of making a character be a certain way, then the character might come off as too perfect. If you want your plot to do certain things, it might give away too much to the reader.

There's a book by Robert Boswell on craft (I'm sorry, I can't remember the name just this second) where Boswell compares plot to a nature hike. The author's job is to pave the path, the reader's job is to discern the scenery. As writers, we can't tell readers what they must experience. Instead, we need to let the readers do part of the work. Only tell the story half-way and the readers will fill in the blank. The same goes for characters.

So, just sit and write you story. Then go back and do a second draft. In your second draft, all of the cool details that you did by accident, now pretend you did them on purpose and provide more of a base for these details (without spoon feeding anything to the readers).