In The Black Cauldron. How does the author develop distinct personalities for each
character? *

the present continuous is a verb tense which is mainly used to indicates that an action is in progress at the moment of speaking.  

it is formed using: person + verb to be (am/is/are) +verb + - ing form  

example: i am studying at this moment .

in addition, the present continuous is also used in order to express things that will or will not happen in the near future.

example: i am having dinner with some friends tonight.

the speaker sometimes   uses it   to express that an action is repeated and it causes irritation on the part of the speaker

example: my sister is constantly complaining about everything.

you want someone else to write your essay?

a long work of fiction-novels contain such elements as characters,plot,conflict,and setting. the writer of a novel, or novelist, develops theses elements. in addition to his main plot, a novel may contain one or more subplot, or independent, relate stories. a novel may also have several themes.