The Fantasy Novel

So the question is where to go from here. I mean to include notes, but if I'm going to keep working on it, I should probably still have a basic plot in mind. And I've come to learn that outlining the plot ahead of time makes a huge difference. Then again so does setting.

I need the setting to be rich in details, but so do the characters. Its the characters that make the story after all, but often it is what the characters do and why they do it that makes the character.

I mean, if I have 'the most evil guy in the world' I can't just SAY he is, he has to do things that are evil to the reader, and do really horrible despicable actions that make the reader sit up and take notice.