###1. Carry pre-generated characters.  2. Allow moderate changes after-the-fact.

1. [Pregenerated characters](https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/character_sheets) can save you a lot of time. It's not the ideal solution for immersive role-playing, but it'll save you what sounds like hours. Then, between sessions, allow the new player to build a character of similar level, now that they've got a taste for what they like or don't. I've got a stack of about 30 pregens* that I keep in my GM binder, so a new player can usually find something pretty-close to their idea and get rolling.
2. Many GMs (including yours, truly) allow players to make modifications to characters well after character creation. In Adventurers League it's everything down to race, class, and ability scores until level 4**.  Others will make reasonable allowances for changing anything that hasn't factored majorly into gameplay. [This question for helping new players make characters,](http://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/62679/23970) and its answers, contains more good guidance in this vein.)

<sup>*</sup> Some come from the WotC site, some from the defunct Wizards Forums. Others from "solitaire" play--rolling up characters for fun--and others were specifically built to provide character continuity from previous campaigns/systems.

<sup>**</sup> see page seven of the [Adventurer's League Player's Guide](http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/ALPGv3_print.pdf), "Character Rebuilding"