Previously I could stick to my plot and write fairly short stories. Now I find my I have to stay 'in character' and to satisfy my characters motivations I am forced to write longer stories to get them to the same end. Admittedly, the stories feel as though they have more depth.

Is there a correlation between the ability to write a novel and a writer's ability to characterise? Obviously people who are weak at writing characters can still complete a novel, but it seems a that a complex character requires a longer story. So people who write character's first and formost are more LIKELY to see a novel as thier natural medium.

Thoughts?
 

Long, rambling, possibly inane answer: Characterization is more difficult in a short story because you don't have as much time or opportunity--ideally, your story will be tightly focused. I don't believe in putting in characterization for the sake of characterization--all characterization should be there for the sake of story. In a novel, you have some leeway to explore your characters.

And the skill of characterization isn't linked to the skill in creating, or desire to generate, deep characters.

However, I think people who like creating deep characters tend to explore more with them. I, at least, am tempted to throw different events at them, or put them with other characters, and see what happens. Pretty soon, I've got a novel. In some ways, it seems a waste of a character to only put them in a short story. You can feel them pushing against the constraints of the form, wanting more text, demanding more attention.
 

Part of it may also be that, the more you care about your characters, the easier it is to find them interesting things to do.