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

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

“I’ll put the kettle 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.”

Why do I feel worthless most of the time?

“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?”

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

Create a context between this character and other characters.

What is the best way to end a relationship with someone who has future plans with you?

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

“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.”

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

Do you think all these charges that have been brought against Trump are just a coincidence? If he was such a big threat why did they wait 3 years to bring these charges? Or is this all just election interference?

“It’s not looking at you.”

“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?”

How do the police verify the authenticity of an online profile? What methods do they use to determine if a profile is real or fake?

“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.”

“Exactly.”

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

I refuse to date any women that are social media influencers, content creators, TikTok celebrities, and use Only fans. Would this be seen as normal, or would I be going too far? Why?

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

“No way.”

“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.”

Do you think the beginning of movies is often better than the rest of the film? Is this a common opinion or do others share this view?

“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?”

“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—”

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

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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?”

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

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

How are max different from medical and minimum security prisons?

“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…”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

A kid threw a stone at my car. I confronted his mom (who was nearby). She said, "You can't prove it was my son." How should I have reacted?

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

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

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

Why do women wear less clothes compared to men?

“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.”

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

“Tart!”

How often do prisoners try to escape from jail/prison, and how many of them succeed?

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

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

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

“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—”

“You need some tea!”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

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

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?”

“Cute girls?”

“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.

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.

“But they’re cold!”

“Exactly.”

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.

Do that and you can ground your characters quite 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.”

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“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?”

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

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

“Perv.”

“I need to do laundry.”

“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.”