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

“No way.”

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?”

“Cute girls?”

How can I easily get rid of my writers block?

“You need some tea!”

“Exactly.”

“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.”

Why is it difficult to get a job?

“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.”

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?”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

What's the funniest thing you heard in a movie theater?

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

“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.”

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.

Why do the majority of feminists hate men (not all feminists)?

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

“I need to do laundry.”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

Why does my intimate area “sweat” and smell so much? I almost have to have a shower everyday. How do I get rid of this?

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

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

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

Why did the Soviet Jews hate the Soviet Union?

“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?”

“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.”

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

Why did my ex move on so quickly?

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

“Claire, I—”

“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…”

Trump is shot, tackled by SS agents, yet then stands, defiant, with fist high, and 52 hours later, walks into the Republican Convention to thunderous applause. Is there anything that can stop this man, who loves his country? Does he get your vote?

“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.

“It’s not looking at you.”

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

Harvard doctor reveals 6 everyday foods that may cause cancer, and what to eat instead - The Economic Times

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

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

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

Have you ever answered your door in lingerie?

“Tart!”

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

“But they’re cold!”

What are some common examples of human hypocrisy?

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

“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.”

Why are there so many illegal Haitians in Ohio? They can't walk here. Democrats flew them here to cause chaos and crime in Ohio.

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

“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—”

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

What is your secret to glowing skin?

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

“Exactly.”

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

How can you tell if someone is cunning?

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?”

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.

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

What CIA front organizations operated in the United States during the 1960s?

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

“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?”

“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.”

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

“Perv.”

“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.”

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

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

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

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

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

“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—”