When writing a novel, how can a character be developed well, but QUICKLY?

“Nope, I mean a cat followed me home. A black cat, to be exact. All the way from the club. Probably still out there, for all I know.”

“Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs!” Claire turned the book around.

“No way.”

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“Cute girls?”

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

“Hang on, are they playing ping-pong?”

Why would you think you're fit to be a model?

“Claire, I—”

“Tart!”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

Why do good-looking men date homely women?

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“None of those either. Look upon the wasteland that is my sex life, and see that it is barren. Naught but a moggie followed me home.”

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

What caused North Korea to go poor when at first it was rich?

Claire, one of May’s three flatmates, former university roommate, and best friend in all the world, shrugged expansively. “It’s a Saturday night. What else would I be doing?”

“It’s a cat. All cats are weird.” May sipped from her mug, inhaling the warmth. She closed her eyes. The room spun. She opened them again. “Ugh. I think I drank too much.”

“I’m just a fan of your catch and release program.”

Why does my vagina smell sort of fishy/musty days after sex when my boyfriend ejaculates in me? There isn’t any itching or burning when urinating, so I don't think I have BV. It just doesn't smell like me.

“You need some tea!”

May studied the black and white comic panels. “Oh, my. She looks…anatomically implausible. What is she doing to that poor man? Wait, are those cat ears?”

“Number one, it’s not porn, it’s ecchi, and number two, why would I waste a perfectly good Saturday doing anything else?” Claire pulled at her tea and sighed. “The only thing that could make this day better is if you'd come home with some cute boy, so that after you kicked him out tomorrow I could live vicariously through you.”

What makes someone feel "rich enough" in different societies?

“But they’re cold!”

May pushed Claire’s feet away. Claire rose to peer out the window. “Huh. It’s still there.”

“Thanks. You’re looking pretty ratty yourself. Have you been in that bathrobe all day?”

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Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“So you didn’t meet any cute boys at the club tonight?” Claire called as she bustled about the small kitchen.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t spend all day reading—” May prodded the book with its garishly-coloured cover with her foot. “Bizarre comic book porn…”

What is the general opinion of psychologists on Donald Trump's presidency?

Claire sat back down, legs tucked elegantly beneath her. “You are looking a bit sloppy,” she said, inspecting May through narrowed eyes.

“Yep!” Claire chirped. “There’s this schoolboy, see, and he’s homeless, so he lives in this boarding house that used to be a hot springs bathhouse, which is cheap because it’s haunted, so he decides—”

“Exactly.”

Have you ever been spanked in front of a group of people?

“I’m serious!” Claire said. “It’s staring straight at me.” She let the curtain fall. “Weird.”

“Perv.”

Here’s how we presented the character Claire when she was introduced, which the agent particularly singled out:

Democrats be honest, how many of you were wishing that Musk rescue space flight blew up?

“You know what? Never mind,” May said. “I am way, way too drunk to be having this conversation.”

“About wearing more clothes? How am I supposed to catch any fish if I don’t show off the bait?”

May yelped. “Hey! Your feet are cold!”

I have BPD. Why do I destroy everyone I love?

“They are! He broke the rules of the boarding house by petting this character while she was in cat form, so they invoke the ancient rules of single combat via ping-pong, and—”

“Yes way. It’s washing itself under the street light. Uh-oh, I think it spotted me. It knows I’m watching it. I swear it’s looking at me.”

“From the look of you, if you try to sleep now, you’ll spend the next three hours hanging onto your bed trying to stop the world spinning. Since you’re not going to sleep anyway, you might as well keep me company.”

What is better, 4 more years of Trump with the media trying to hurt him, or 8 years of DeSantis with the media licking booty, or 4 to 8 years of RFK with the media hating on him all the time? (Biden is not an option, he can't win)

“I don’t know. Partying. Going to a pub. Anything besides sitting on the couch reading…” She squinted. “What the hell are you reading?”

“Well, maybe if you’d wear more clothes, they wouldn’t feel so cold. Hussy!”

“Damn straight. So get to it! This time next week, I want to hear some moans coming through that wall.”

How do I find a transgender girlfriend?

“Exactly.”

“It’s not looking at you.”

“I know! That’s why I’m putting them under you!”

My girlfriend told me that she wants to move in with me. I have my own apartment and I like my peace and quiet, but I also love her. We've been together for a year now. What should I do?

They both burst out laughing. “I’m right, though,” Claire went on.

“Fine.” May collapsed into the warm spot Claire had just vacated.

Doing something they enjoy, that expresses their personality, and that is in some way unusual or noteworthy;

“Why is that always your first suggestion? I do not need some tea. It’s three o’clock in the morning! If I have tea, I’ll never get to sleep.”

“I need to do laundry.”

“May! You’re home late! Early, I mean. Well, I mean, it’s early in the morning, but you’re home before I expected. Er, after. Before?”

“I try not to, but thank you for reminding me. I know I don’t need a cat. I don’t want a cat. What would I do with a cat?”

“No, about the cat. You don’t need a cat. You remember what happened to your spider plant, right?”

After Eunice and I finished London Under Veil, I entered the first chapter in a contest at a convention where you could submit something and have it critiqued by a professional book agent.

“You don’t need a cat. You can’t take care of a cat. You can’t take care of a ficus.” Claire flopped on the other side of the sofa and wriggled her feet beneath May.

Engaging in conversation that also shows something about their intelligence, personality, wit (or lack thereof); and

Create a context between this character and other characters.

“I’m glad my sex life is so entertaining.”

In the kitchen, Claire set out a battered pair of mugs: May’s black, with “PEBKAC: Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair” in white letters; Claire’s white, with “This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays” in dark blue. She carried both mugs into the living room. “A moggie followed you home? Is this some weird Internet slang I’m not current on?”

The agent had only one bad thing to say (the synopsis was crap; writing synopses is hard!), but praised the characterization and particularly how well we introduced a character’s personality quickly.