You've asked a very wide ranging question.
ceramics do have pretty strong primary bonds that hold the atoms together (be they Ionic or covalent) but it is as much the crystalline structure that gives ceramics a lot of their properties, such as high heat tolerance and a general brittleness (sp?)
To ask a general question about making ceramics is akin to asking "how are metals made" when a metal can range from iron, which is strong and brittle to mercury, which is a liquid at room temperature.