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

“It’s not looking at you.”

“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.”

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

Why are so many young teenage boys misogynistic? Where do they get these attitudes from?

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

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

“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—”

Why does the God of the Bible condemn homosexual acts?

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

“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.”

“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.

What is one thing nice you did for someone today or something they did for you?

“You need some tea!”

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

Are there any more 'nun' jokes?

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

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?”

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

What traits are considered unattractive? Which traits are typically seen as attractive and why?

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

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

“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 do we often have strong feelings for our twin flames, even if they don't feel the same way? Is there a way to make them realize their true feelings for us?

“Cute girls?”

“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.”

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

If my boyfriend watches porn, does it mean he doesn’t think I’m good enough? If I am good enough, why does he still watch? Am I not beautiful enough?

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

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

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

Is there anything you did that you regret? If so, what is it, and why?

“Exactly.”

“I need to do laundry.”

“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…”

Is the saying "nice guys finish last" true? Can good intentions always lead to positive outcomes?

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

“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?”

How does Bollywood influence Indian culture?

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

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.

“Claire, I—”

AI Plays, MercadoLibre Lead Five Stocks Near Buy Points - Investor's Business Daily

“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.

“Tart!”

Would you date/marry a guy younger than you? If no, why not?

“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.”

“No way.”

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

Why would my nipples hurt when I touch them?

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

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.

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

How do you get a teenage boy to care about hygiene?

“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?”

“Perv.”

“Exactly.”

Is it possible to make cars that run on water instead of gasoline or other fossil fuels? Why haven't we done so yet?

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“But they’re cold!”

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

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

“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.”

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

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

“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, 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?”

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?”