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

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

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

“No way.”

Do foreign workers face discrimination in Canada?

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

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“But they’re cold!”

What is something you saw while on an airplane that you couldn't believe?

“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…”

“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?”

“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.

3 No-Brainer AI Stocks to Buy Right Now - Yahoo Finance

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?”

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

“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?”

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?

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

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

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

The Biggest Pokémon Card Crashers And Climbers This Week - June 2 - IGN

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

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

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

Why do people hate on Serena (anime character)? What did she ever do to anyone except be a good friend to Ash Ketchum and an awesome trainer herself?

“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—”

“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.”

“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.”

Why are people so terrified or bothered that a person has original creative ideas, hobbies or unique interests?

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

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

“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 is the experience of wearing a school uniform every day? Do people typically get used to it or dislike it?

“Perv.”

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

“It’s not looking at you.”

Which feels physically better for guys: vaginal sex or anal sex?

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

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

“You need some tea!”

How do you handle family members who ask for handouts?

“Cute girls?”

“Tart!”

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

Can a hoodoo or candle spell be used to remove a love spell placed on someone by another person? What is the difference between voodoo and hoodoo?

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.

“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—”

“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.”

What are the pros of using stainless steel wire mesh in gas filtration?

“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.”

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

Why has my ex moved on so fast after years of being together with me?

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

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

“Exactly.”

Earth is Eating Itself: Vast Chunks Of Crust Are Being Swallowed From Within - The Daily Galaxy

“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.”

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

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?”

I have the power to talk to aliens through using telepathy. Why do people think I'm crazy?

“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 need to do laundry.”

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?”

“Claire, I—”

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

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

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.

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

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

“Exactly.”

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

“Claire! Why are you still up?”