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

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

“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.”

How can I get rid of the fake girls on social media that are claiming to be hookups? Is there a way to shuffle through them and the real women that actually want to talk?

“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.”

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“Perv.”

If a guy is attracting a bunch of what he believes to be "ugly" women, is he crushing the dating game?

“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—”

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.

“But they’re cold!”

Why is porn so addictive?

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

“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.”

What will the legacy of Jimmy Carter be in light of his death today at 100?

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?”

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

Where can Ukrainians go if they cannot have shelter and heating this winter?

“Tart!”

“You need some tea!”

“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…”

If you get a chance to have sex with either Kajal Agarwal or Samantha, who would you choose and why?

“Exactly.”

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?”

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

What does it feel like when a guy cums in your ass?

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

“It’s not looking at you.”

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

How do individuals become targeted individuals? Is it solely due to experiencing stalking or harassment, or are there other factors involved?

Create a context between this character and other characters.

“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?”

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

Why is the world male-dominated?

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

“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?”

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

Artificial Intelligence Is Unlocking the Secrets of Black Holes - WIRED

“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 need to do laundry.”

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

Why do so many men on the internet try to compete with women, or try to "humble" and bash them? There's so many videos across my tiktok and YouTube of men claiming how they're wanting to get back at women and put them in thier place.

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

“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.”

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

Why do so many autistic adults deal with self-hatred?

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?”

“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.”

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.

What is the dirtiest thing you have witnessed your wife do?

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“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.”

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

You guys are talking about having sex with dogs. I heard a news man was trying to have sex with a female dog and got stuck inside. Is that possible? How does it feel inside a dog’s vagina?

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

“Claire, I—”

“No way.”

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

“Exactly.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Cute girls?”

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

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

“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.