Plot is super amazingly tremendously important, or is it?

In Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, he describes (among other things) his writing process and writing philosophy. I appreciated his commentary about plot and its relationship with the characters. Many writers will describe themselves as a Pantser or a Plotter: they either write by the seat of their pants without planning ahead, or they prepare a plot to follow before they start page 1. Bradbury seems to be more of a Pantser. I'm an avid Plotter: I have to know where I'm going when I write. Last year, I tried to Pants-write, and it ended poorly for me. The project was awful and uninteresting to me, and I lost track of the things I loved.

However, I believe in Pants-writing while I Plot. When I have thought through main plot points and who the characters are, I listen to those characters about what they would do or how they would respond in certain situations. And I revise as necessary. Heck, I even revise after the plot has been written in stone. That chapter outline is only a guide to keep me going, a reason to wake up and write. But to have a truly authentic plot, I need to bend to the wills of the characters I created. I let go of the logic and embrace the emotions of the story.

"Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.... So, stand aside, forget targets, let the characters, your fingers, body, blood, and heart do."

Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing