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

“It’s not looking at you.”

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

“Exactly.”

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

“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 need to do laundry.”

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

What are you struggling with in your life? What would you like to have instead?

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

“Claire, I—”

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.

Is it socially acceptable for individuals to wear clothing typically associated with the opposite gender? What are some reasons for or against this practice?

“You need some tea!”

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

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?”

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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.

“No way.”

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

Why all the fuss about Trump’s policy initiatives? Isn’t he just trying to set a moral tone for the Republican Party to make America great again?

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

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

“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.”

Are there legal obligations to report the known whereabouts of a missing person that doesn’t want to be found?

“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?”

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

“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.”

How would you feel if your friend confided in you that she is cheating on her husband, knowing that he loves her deeply? What emotional and ethical considerations would you grapple with in response to her revelation?

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

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

“But they’re cold!”

Why are people so rude to debt collector’s? I am one and I am so tired of being mistreated. We are under paid and then have to deal with the most ungrateful, and disrespectful people. We aren’t customer service. Don’t get mad at us because YOU owe.

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

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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?”

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“I’ll put the kettle on.”

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

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

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“Tart!”

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

“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…”

Do you enjoy cheating on your spouse? If so, why?

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

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

“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 was your best sex experience that still makes you horny?

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

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

“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.”

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.

“Cute girls?”

“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—”

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

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?”

“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.

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“Perv.”

“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—”

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

“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?”

“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?”

“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.”

Create a context between this character and other characters.

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

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

“Exactly.”