Logo

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

11.06.2025 12:12

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

“It’s not looking at you.”

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

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?”

Why are people so terrified or bothered that a person has original creative ideas, hobbies or unique interests?

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

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

“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.”

Ancient Protein Breaks Biological Rules by Working in a Mirror World - SciTechDaily

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

“I’ll put the kettle on.”

“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.”

Robinhood Traders Playing S&P Index-Guessing Game Get Schooled - Bloomberg

“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.

Create a context between this character and other characters.

Has anyone had a romance scammer start messaging them on Quora? How do you know if the person is scamming you? What do you do?

“Exactly.”

“Exactly.”

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

5-Day Workout Plan That Melts Belly Fat for Men Over 50, Trainer Says - Eat This Not That

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

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?”

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

‘Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact’ Review: An Education in Exoplanets - WSJ

“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! 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?”

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.

Why are European countries warning European travelers to be careful traveling to the United States?

“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—”

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

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

Eating More of These Foods May Lower Your Cancer Risk by 8%, New Study Suggests - EatingWell

“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.”

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

“Claire, I—”

Galerie David Guiraud : Deep Space & Celestial Objects - The Eye of Photography

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

“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.”

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

Report: Knicks have interest in Wolves' Chris Finch as new head coach - Sports Illustrated

“Perv.”

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.

“I need to do laundry.”

Is there such a thing as "left wing fascism"? If not, what is an example of a political ideology that is often mistakenly labeled as "left wing fascism"?

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

“No way.”

“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.”

Is it right to visit any shrine or tomb in Islam?

“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 need some tea!”

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

Mario Kart World 1.1.0 update out now, patch notes - Nintendo Everything

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

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?”

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

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

“But they’re cold!”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

“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…”

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

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

“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—”

“Cute girls?”

“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 glad my sex life is so entertaining.”

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

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

“Tart!”

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