Writing a novel

Hi everybody. I'm trying to understand how to set a good plot. I have some ideas, but I have to develop it to have good characters and mainly a very good story. It's always amazing to discover how the characters can learn to move independently with the intention of the author. So now I'm going to put one of them along a street in my hometown and see what happens. And what is your favourite novel?

John Steinbeck is my favorite American author. His most famous book is 'Grapes of Wrath,' he does a great job of describing things at the beginning of his stories.