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

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

“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.”

“I need to do laundry.”

Is there any truth to the claim that Kamala Harris got where she is by sleeping around, or is that just typical conservative bigotry?

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

“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.”

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

Why do flat-Earthers think the Earth is flat?

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

“Exactly.”

Who believes that Speaker Mike Johnson will certify ‘a free and fair and legal election'? Who believes that Speaker Mike Johnson will NOT certify ‘a free and fair and legal election'? Why?

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! 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.”

Were there any friendly fire incidents involving American submarines, aircraft carriers, or battleships during World War II or World War I?

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“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.”

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

To a flat Earther, what's wrong with the idea that gravity is simply a force inherent to space which operates only in one dimension? Why do they go further and try to deny gravity rather than just saying it's different than physicists claim?

“Claire, I—”

“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—”

“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 do you think is the most powerful line in the song "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Édith Piaf?

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

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

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

“Tart!”

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

The world of the Harry Potter series is usually considered bad worldbuilding. What are some examples of actually good worldbuilding in the books/movies?

“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.”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

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

Why do narcissists want to hurt your feelings, even after they discard you?

“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—”

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

Is it recommended to leave a note in a lost wallet asking for it to be returned?

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?”

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

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

What are the most shocking facts about the Bollywood industry?

“It’s not looking at you.”

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

“No way.”

It seems that I am cursed with bad luck. How do I break such a curse?

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

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

“But they’re cold!”

How do you get started in bestiality with a dog as a male?

“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.”

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

“You need some tea!”

Why do men love swallowing more then women? Is it just because women just don't try eating CUM? they be missing some delicious CUM.. Life is short and women are missing out of lots of enjoyment..

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?”

“Exactly.”

“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.

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

“Cute girls?”

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

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

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.

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

“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.”

“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?”

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

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