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

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

“No way.”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

What if Supergirl was a baby and not a teenager when she left Krypton? Who do you think will find her? What do you think things would be like?

“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.”

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

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

Why are people with Asperger syndrome unenthusiastic?

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?”

“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's the most incredible coincidence that ever happened to 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?”

“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’m 26 years old and a married woman. My husband hates my flat chest. What is the permanent solution?

“Exactly.”

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

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

Should Pete Rose's record as the all-time hits leader be recognized and celebrated?

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

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

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

Is it wrong that I picked to be a Christian (as a teenager/14-year-old) even with knowing all of the information about other religions/atheism?

“Cute girls?”

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

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.

How do you confront your own family for not inviting you or leaving you out of things?

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

“But they’re cold!”

“I need to do laundry.”

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

“It’s not looking at you.”

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 are men obsessed with breasts and their size? I don't quite see women being obsessed with the penis - Why is this so?

“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.”

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

“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?”

How could NASA possibly land on the moon when it's impossible to reach the moon through the Earth's dome? Why are they making up such an obvious lie?

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“Perv.”

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

Humans have evolved and become hairless and odor free. How do other races learn about evolution since evolution does not apply to them?

“Tart!”

“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.

Create a context between this character and other characters.

Which is the worst Bollywood movie you have ever seen and why?

“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 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—”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

When do you feel most peaceful ever?

“You need some tea!”

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

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?”

Scientists map how alcohol changes bodily sensations - PsyPost

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

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

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

Why did Amazon initially deny leave of absence to Alexis Scott-Windham, the Amazon worker who survived the New Orleans terrorist attack?

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

“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.”

“Exactly.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“Claire, I—”

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

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

“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.”

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?”