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

“You need some tea!”

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?”

“Claire, I—”

CVS closing 271 stores, including 3 locations in Upstate NY - Syracuse.com

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?”

“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—”

What are the reasons for people being banned from social media sites like Twitter and Instagram? Why is it considered a big deal?

“No way.”

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

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

CrowdStrike Swings to Loss as Expenses From Last Summer’s Outage Persist - WSJ

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“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.

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

DC Mayor Bowser’s message for Shakira after WorldPride cancellation: ‘Get yourself here’ - WTOP

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

“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.”

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

I'm looking for an answer from people who consider themselves "Gender Critical", or transphobic, or TERFs, and my question is this - Why would you refuse to use the pronouns someone wants? What does it cost you? Where's the harm?

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?”

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

“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.”

Rare ‘Einstein zig-zag’ sheds light on universe’s hidden forces - The Brighter Side of News

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

“Exactly.”

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

Arnold Schwarzenegger Confronted Patrick After He Said He Wished He Didn’t Have His Last Name - BuzzFeed

“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—”

“Exactly.”

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

What was Easter day like for you as a child?

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

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

“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?”

U.S. imports see largest plunge on record in April - Axios

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

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“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.”

What's your wildest & weirdest fantasy?

“Tart!”

“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.”

“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.”

What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning for one minute?

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

“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…”

“Cute girls?”

Why are you bare-nakedly displaying your anti-Trump bias while ignoring the liberals' destruction of the US? I am now blocking your e-mails because of your biased articles.

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.

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

“It’s not looking at you.”

What are some alternatives to wearing a bra? Why do some women feel pressure to wear bras even though there may not be any benefits?

“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.”

“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.”

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

Space photo of the week: Pink 'raindrops' on the sun captured in greatest detail ever - Live Science

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

“Perv.”

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

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

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

Create a context between this character and other characters.

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“I need to do laundry.”

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

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

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

“But they’re cold!”

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?”