A great way to explore genres is to do reading in that genre. Find your favorite books within that genre. Discover what the feel of that genre is and what appeals to you about it. What are some of your favorite things to read about in that genre. What made you love a book. What are the dynamics you enjoyed. What tips could you use for your writing that could give your books the same or a similar feel.
In reality a lot of people use reading as an escape. Some books are more character-driven stories and not so much a plot driven story. Try out each of these strategies and see which you enjoy writing. Your plot driven story will appeal to a plot driven reader and the same for the character driven story. You will find the readers who like each of those approaches.
The plot driven story just really shows the nitty-gritty of your characters lives as they are being impacted with the way the things in the story line happen to them. It shows the nitty-gritty of their relationships and sometimes holds back zero punches. It can be really emotional. It is driven by events that are encountered.
A character driven story shows the depth of your characters as they are going through the events in the story. It is more about how they feel and how they react to what is happening. These can be just as emotional as the plot driven stories but have more focus on the characters and their reactions and actions.
Either type can be one of those books that will stick with you for a very, very, very long time. Every detail matters and in the end each type of story can come together in really intricate ways.