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

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

“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?”

Who are the archers in Genesis 49:23?

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

“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—”

“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 men think all women are the same?

“It’s not looking at you.”

“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.”

“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—”

Is it true that people who are possessed by demons cannot see them until the demon is cast out? What is the reason for this?

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

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

I committed the unpardonable sin. God immediately punished me so that I can no longer think like before and my brain is as if paralyzed and does not work. I've tried everything (confession, repentance, etc.) nothing helps. Any advice?

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?”

“Perv.”

“Tart!”

Why do Darwin atheists not like facts of Genesis? I’ve noticed they block and dismiss everything a person states. Is that how science works to hide when a truth comes at them?

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

“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?”

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

Why would a spouse cheat if the marriage is good?

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

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

“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 do some young mothers trick a guy into believing that they're pregnant and it's their child when years later they find out that it's not even theirs should he still pay child support or not?

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

“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.”

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

Why do some people believe that Homelander would be no match for Superman or Thor?

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“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.”

“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…”

How far back into your childhood can your remember and what is your favorite memory of that time?

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

Create a context between this character and other characters.

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

What happened to The Simpsons deleted onscreen footage?

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.

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

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

Report: Women's sports athletes to file appeal on House vs. NCAA settlement citing Title IX violations - On3.com

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

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

“You need some tea!”

What is some information about unprotected sex and pregnancy?

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“Exactly.”

“Claire, I—”

Is the Democrat party connected with organized crime in America?

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

“Exactly.”

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

Has Anybody been gang banged? If yes, how many guys? Was it as much fun as looks on porn? Were you double penetrated? Answer all three questions - Elaborate.

“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.”

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

“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.

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

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

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

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

“But they’re cold!”

“No way.”

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

“I need to do laundry.”

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.

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?”

“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?”

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