Logo

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

Last Updated: 24.06.2025 00:53

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

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

Essentially, what you do is show the character:

“Exactly.”

Is it possible for humans to determine their past life as an animal? Is there a scientific method to prove this?

“You need some tea!”

“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.”

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

Has your wife made you a cuckold?

“Perv.”

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

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

Bianca Censori dares to bare in sheer black top and tiny shorts on NYC outing with Kanye West - Page Six

“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.”

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.

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

K-pop supergroup BTS nears reunion as two more members end military service - The Washington Post

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

“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.”

What is the correct way to say "you're welcome" in French? Is it "de rien" or something else, and if so, what is it exactly (including accent marks)?

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

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

“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.”

What is the future of AI in interior design?

“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?”

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

Newspaper headlines: Britain 'battle ready' and 'new Maddie search' - BBC

“Cute girls?”

“Tart!”

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

How do you choose sunscreen for oily skin?

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

“I need to do laundry.”

“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.

Regarding red light therapy I have been doing it for almost 10 months now. With wonderful results for my skin. I do it 6 days a week for 20 minutes at a time. My question is when can I cut down when can I do less and still maintain results?

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

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

“No way.”

What are some good methods for dealing with other people's loud, crying kids on long flights?

“Exactly.”

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

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

Create a context between this character and other characters.

“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—”

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?”

“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.”

“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—”

“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.”

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

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

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?”

“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 didn’t spend all day reading—” May prodded the book with its garishly-coloured cover with her foot. “Bizarre comic book porn…”

“It’s not looking at you.”

“I’ll put the kettle 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.”

“Nary a cute boy in sight.”

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

“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?”

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

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

“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.”

“Claire, I—”

“Claire! Why are you still up?”

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.

Do that and you can ground your characters quite quickly.