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

“But they’re cold!”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

“I need to do laundry.”

Why do men think I’m easy just by looking at me?

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

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

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

Why is it common for guys to sleep with 10-20 women then marry a good girl?

“Claire, I—”

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

What exactly is female squirting? Is it only urine or a combination of liquids?

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

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

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

Sex advice: I'm finally ready to enter my promiscuity era. But there's a catch. - Slate Magazine

“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.”

“Perv.”

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

Why did Cartman love Heidi purely with heart, her being the first one he ever did, but then one day Butters tells him that all women are manipulative and then he began to believe that she was a bad person and pretended to be a victim?

“It’s not looking at you.”

“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?”

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

Do you believe that social media companies should allow posts spreading misinformation about election results, as suggested by Rep. Jim Jordan?

“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.

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

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

How does it feel to have sex with a 40 year old curvy aunty?

“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—”

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

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

How did you respond to, "Why do you love me"?

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?”

“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 yelped. “Hey! Your feet are cold!”

What would you change in the "Game of Thrones" storyline if you were one of the writers of the TV series?

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

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

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

What sexual experience did you have at a highway rest area?

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.

“No way.”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

Why are right-wing commentators spreading conspiracy theories about Haitians eating local pets in Springfield, Ohio?

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

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

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.

Crashed lander looks back at Earth from the moon photo of the day for June 10, 2025 - Space

“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.”

“Cute girls?”

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

How can I earn money through OnlyFans?

“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.”

“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.”

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

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

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?”

“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.”

“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…”

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

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?”

“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.”

“You need some tea!”

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

“Tart!”

“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?”

“Exactly.”

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