#letsdiscuss

Like, in a realistic and engaging way. 

Edit: PART 2

Preemptive warning that this extremely long-winded and messy post is designed to be a vague guide to help or prompt beginners with methods they could use in writing, to help people avoid common mistakes, and to hopefully aid in developing unique methods of constructing and presenting dialogue. It's also opinionated, and heavily influenced by my own writing style.

This post will be split up into two posts detailing a macro and a micro view - macro being dialogue in general, and micro focusing on how individual characters and stories will have certain considerations. Reblog and say in the tags if you want Pt 2 on the micro-view.

The 'Macro-View'

Don't start googling that term. I made it up.

The key to making dialogue sound realistic (and, in turn, making your characters appear more like people - making them easier to empathise with) is to think about how real people talk. Very obvious, right? You'd be surprised.

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Ellipsis 

And no, not the '...' kind. We'll get to that later.

Ellipsis is a term that refers to how words can be omitted from a sentence, yet it can still be understood. It's something we do all the time (though not often thinking about it). For example:

"Are you going home?"

"You going home?"

The latter is entirely understandable, but is not grammatically correct. However, most people do not speak in grammatically correct sentences, or even sentences. We speak in utterances and focus more on being understandable than eloquent. It's important to consider this when writing, as I've seen time and time again - even in published books - the writer focusing too much on making the dialogue grammatically correct. The characters sound dry, void of personality, and appear to be reading off of a script at every moment.

Ellipsis isn't going to be used in every sentence. You still have to think about which character will use it and when.

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The Other Ellipsis

Gonna break every fanfic writer's heart in one statement: using ellipsis to convey pause is grammatically incorrect.

But, good news! Language is made up and I think it works well for dialogue, so it gets to stay.

Ellipsis (...) can be used to convey a pause - usually when a character is considering something, overthinking or too heartbroken to think straight. It can technically be used anywhere, but I'd advise against using it at the beginning of a sentence, like this:

He muttered, "...I can't believe it."

Because, honestly, it doesn't really convey much that you couldn't show through other methods. And, since a pause is silence, placing it at the start of a sentence conveys (in most cases) nothing, as of course there would be silence - the character hadn't started speaking yet.

However, when placed at the end of a sentence, like this:

He muttered, "I can't believe it…"

We report back to the primary purpose of an ellipsis - to convey something has been omitted. Here, the use of the points have created the impression that the character had more to say, but instead trailed off. This is something we do in speech all the time.

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Dashes

To me, dashes are a near-essential part of constructing realistic dialogue; they can be used to present characters' spontaneity, the insertion of impromptu remarks, or a 'take it or leave it' comment that can be considered by the other characters or reader based on context (or what's remembered). For example:

"Well," he said, flipping idly through the pages, "we could go to the city and protest there—that might be too dangerous—or try to rally some support from the neighbouring villages."

That's the (largely) grammatically correct version, though. Since language is made up, punctuation is a lie and readers don't notice nor care, you can do whatever. There, I used the 'em dash' (as opposed to the 'en dash', which is '–', or the hyphen, which is '-'). This is what grammarians and dictionaries tell you to do, but you can totally change whatever you want to suit what you think looks best. Such as putting in an en dash or a hyphen instead, putting spaces between the words and the punctuation mark, or putting marks such as '?' or '!' within the subordinate clause (a relatively-new habit of mine).

As you can tell, I usually put a '-' in writing where I don't have to bother. Like here on this blog.

Overall, dashes are a great way of inserting side-comments and impromptu thoughts, making your characters seem much more natural and alive. Moreover, they can be used to give the effect of stuttering. And, as a bonus, they can also be used to show interruption or a stopped thought. For example:

"But you didn't tell me about—"

"I didn't have to tell you anything."

Personally, I use en dashes for interruptions and em dashes for self-obstructed speech (where the character stops themselves) to indicate the following silence. Punctuation can be used creatively to show whatever effect you want. Experiment and find your style!

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Contractions

This is a short one, since I'll touch on it in part 2, but contractions such as 'don't' and 'I'm' do not necessarily indicate a character, for lack of a better term, isn't posh. I see people try to write characters that are intended to be posh or highly educated all the time and decide the best way to show that through their speech is to omit contractions. In fact, it just makes them sound a bit like a robot. People can still use contractions in speech if they're highly educated, especially in a context where their education or status is not relevant. There are better methods to show a character's personality or upbringing through dialogue, but we'll touch on that later.

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Dialogue Placement

I'm too lazy to think of, or look for, a better term. It's where you put the dialogue, and how much of it you have. Simple as.

Let's be blunt. Don't do this:

He said, "blah blah blah."

She replied, "blah blah blah."

He responded, "blah blah–"

She screamed, "blah blah blah!"

Riveting dialogue, am I right?

Instead, let's try jazz things up. Ensure that your speakers are clear to the reader, that the tone can be understood through either your punctuation, descriptions or dialogue, and you'll be absolutely fine.

Elliot was heartbroken. Taking Elena's hand, he told her, "I can be better, I promise."

"Seriously?" She snapped her hand out from his grip. "If you could be better, then why weren't you better before? Before all this, I– now I don't know what to think."

"But you don't have to think! I'm telling you, Elena, the life we can have–"

"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed, "We're over!"

Even if you replaced that with blahs, it'd probably be a bit more engaging. The content of your dialogue isn't the only thing that matters, it's how it's placed. Here, the placing is diversified; the dialogue is sometimes embedded within the sentence, more so than before, making the words seem a lot more related to the context; a better view of the situation is shown, and we aren't bothering the reader with a constant 'she said, he said' situation. Though, it should be noted that 'said' is your friend, not an enemy.

Also, you know how sometimes in TV you get characters go 'all right!', 'so cool!', 'let's go!, etc, and wonder how much they paid the voice actors to say the same generic one-liner ten times an episode? That happens in writing, too. If it's something generic and unimportant to the plot or adds nothing to the situation, you can describe it instead or leave it out entirely. 

Like how you can say 'he screamed in pain' instead of typing out "AUGSHAHSGEJAJAHHHHHHHAAAAAA!!!"

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Also, a few other, quick things because I am tired:

Every rule of punctuation and grammar, as well as every piece of advice you'll ever be given, can be broken in certain situations. Always take advise and grammar rules into consideration, but recognise when it may be best to break them.

Avoid empty adverbs. These are situational.

E.g. 'She whispered quietly' is empty - the verb 'whispered' already insinuates the action was quiet. Adverbs should add to a description or circumvent expectations, an example being if she 'whispered angrily'. Adverbs are not always necessary.

Please don't overuse dashes and overdo stuttering. I'm looking at you, My Hero Academia Fanfiction writers. This line is directed at you.

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Obligatory 'I'm not a professional, I just do things sometimes and have some education on this'.

Part 2: Characterisation Boogaloo

One again beginning with the mandatory 'This is just my process with my writing style. I don't work on what is correct - I work on what I find is best in my opinion. You can take this advice, adapt it to your own style, stories and characters, etc'.

This post concerns the specifics of dialogue. The more open-ended advice can be found here, under the Macro-View.

The 'Micro-View'

Once again, I made that term up.

Every story, character, scene and method of presenting events, thoughts, feelings and expressions will inevitably be unique. Here, I'll explore different approaches, methods and considerations that you can take to heart whilst writing the dialogue of your characters.

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Amount

In the writing of dialogue, your first consideration should be 'does this character need to say anything here?'

Oftentimes, I see dialogue which, if removed, has no change on ambience, the scene, character development, characterisation or any relevant interactions. Does your character need to input their opinion here? Not thinking of the usual 'who asked?' sort of way, but does it change, show or do anything? Do they need to exclaim "Woah!" or can that instead be described, or omitted entirely?

Too much useless character dialogue can sort of 'clog up' your page, if you get what I mean. What I'm referring to, however, in no means include things that you believe adds something to your character, a character relation, or the ambience and feel of the scene. I made a note of this in the previous post, but I felt this deserved an elaboration/secondary mention.

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Emotions and Intensity

Dialogue in intense and emotional moments, especially in a dramatic scene, I think can do wonders. It serves to engage your reader and direct the scene, instead of just having people kick each other or cry. As dialogue should be separated through paragraphs at each person talking, it makes the scene move quickly - the reader reads it quickly, too. Kind of meta, isn't it?

Make use of syntax. Short sentences, pauses, ellipsis (the dots and omission kind), false starts, etc. All of these can show emotion and make your dialogue feel natural, without having to state it outright. E.g.

"I don't think this is working," he said. "It's not that I'm… ungrateful, that's just— that's not what I mean. We need to try something else, something new."

Not the best example I could give, but this post isn't exactly a Times Best Seller (as if that means anything).

Someone who is nervous ‐ for any reason, if they're in front of their crush, are experiencing fear, etc - may use a lot of these pauses and false starts. But it's good to remember not to overdo them. Read your text out loud. Seriously, it helps. Overusing pauses and false starts can really dampen their effect.

Also, people never stutter as much as you think they do, unless they have a speech impediment (which is perfectly valid, if that's a part of your character). Stuttering is fine, but don't overdo it nor use it in situations where it doesn't call for it, unless it's a recognised trait in your character. Even then, going "N-N-N-N-No" never looks good. Like, it genuinely doesn't look good on the page nor screen. Yes I do judge that.

Italics can also be used as emphasis to convey intensity. So can dashes. Use exclamation points wisely, punctuation marks can be easily overused.

As another note, please use description and character actions alongside emotive or intense dialogue. Dialogue is never separate to your descriptions nor your story. Think carefully about how you can use expressions, actions and descriptions of tones to further the feeling you're intending to show in your dialogue, or to change the meaning of what a character is saying in context.

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Informal Speech and Accents

Popular character distinctions can involve the written display of slang, informal speech and accents. Personally, I adore these traits, as they can add character and insinuate things that do not have to be explicitly said; the use of informalities can really distinguish your character and make them memorable and unique.

But, as with everything, things can go horribly wrong (in my opinion).

Rule one of dialogue: don't get caught up trying to make your dialogue grammatically correct. It's not going to sound natural. Slang and general, everyday informalities may not be in many dictionaries nor will it be accepted by autocorrect or grammarly, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be in your writing. Different characters' uses of colloquialisms (such as, 'Heyo!' 'How's it hangin?' 'Darn it.') can add a certain quirk to them, whether this means they use general popular slang or no slang at all. Don't ever think of removing colloquialisms from a characters' dialogue for the sake of having correct grammar. This also goes for traits of AAVE. Use it when you see fit, whether or not conventional grammar agrees with it. All variations of English are valid. Moreover, I adore it when fantasy or other-world stories make their own unique slang, informalities or alternative vocabulary. It can say so much about the world they live in, and what some groups' ideologies are.

However, make sure you don't overdo the use of slang or divergent grammar and syntax. It's good to make your characters talk differently and have styles of speech that are distinct from one another, but what's even more important is that your reader can understand what you're writing. If you're using so much that someone has to have Urban Dictionary open while they read your story, that's not a good sign. This also goes for accents; it's sometimes beneficial to diversify speech, but if the spelling differences and grammatical changes get so prominent a reader can't read it or has to re-read to understand, you have a bit of a problem to correct. If they can't understand the dialogue, they don't understand your story. I've had to put multiple written works (published books, even) down because the use of slang and how they write in accents was so proficient I couldn't figure out what characters were saying.

Overall, I'd say not to write out accents (changing spelling with how words would be said). It can really make the dialogue unreadable, and can often turn out sounding like an offensive caricature.

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Education

A common character dialogue difference which I also love is the distinctions between those who are educated and those who are not. Of course, this is very diverse among characters and can go beyond that black-and-white summary. A character's status may be at play, their ego, or even how they are educated - a character who is educated by people who value different things or hate another group may speak differently to one who is educated in another way.

Common distinctions made to show educational or cultural differences between characters include contractions and vocabulary.

Contractions (such as 'don't' or 'I'll') are something I often see absent in characters of high status or education. This, though often functional, can be overdone. I'll touch more on my other approach to this later, but the complete absence of contractions can make someone sound like a robot. Urgent situations may make even the most high-status, educated character use ellipsis (in the omission way, as referenced in the last post), contractions and other forms of shortening.

Moreover, in relation to vocabulary, the character may not use long words at every interval. They may be more articulate and expressive in their word choices, but that doesn't equate to using lesser-known or complicated words. If you want to diversify your character's vocabulary, though, always take into account pragmatics and general use, and if it sounds natural in the context. Again repeating to read your dialogue out loud and get a proofreader. It can save your writing, seriously.

On a mirroring note, if you're dealing with highly uneducated characters, be careful with how you present them. Just because someone is uneducated, or doesn't have an expansive vocabulary or a solid grasp of grammar, doesn't mean they're any less intelligent or expressive. The character may articulate their feelings in a different way, but that is not a lesser way. Let the character be creative with their words and how they lay them out. Remember that a lack of education in a character does not, in any way, equal stupidity.

Related: Educated characters who overuse big words in weird contexts sound dumber than any uneducated character ever will. Facts, ykno.

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Character Limitations

There are a lot of ways you can accidentally limit the range of your character's expression through the writing of their dialogue. Here's things to look out for. And yes, these are all things I've seen before.

To do with typography (fonts, font sizes, bold and italics), I heavily advise against giving a character a distinctive typographic style of speaking. For example, doing this:

"I AM HERE!"

"HELLO!"

"What's the matter?"

This, in a way, limits your character extensively. A character who is consistently written to speak in all-caps or bolded lettering will always sound like they're yelling, and will not have room to express themselves in a more sympathetic, emotive or calm way. This is unless you forfeit the style, which is a problem in itself. It creates inconsistency: a writer's biggest downfall, in some cases. In fact, this use at all is inconsistent, as not all characters will have their dialogue written with the same method of typography. Also, it just kind of looks ugly on the page and can cause accessibility problems with those who have dyslexia or sight issues.

In addition to this, there is what I mentioned before to do with the use of contractions. A character who always sounds articulate and in use of an extensive vocabulary doesn't always have to be this way. Of course, they shouldn't break character, but if they're in a heavily-emotive situation where they don't have time to properly think out what they're saying, they're not going to speak as if they're reciting the Bible. There's nothing wrong with posh, well-spoken characters. It's just a matter of knowing how to diversify their own speech and having the confidence to explore other sides to their character through their dialogue.

This also goes for other characterisation decisions. You have a quiet character who speaks little, in small utterances? I love those character types! But don't limit their expression and characterisation by seeing that as the only thing they can do. An excited, wonderous character who asks a lot of questions and uses exclamatives often can have their quiet moments. An angry, usually violent character can become soft-spoken.

In fact, I'd say these changes in dialogue can really uplevel stories and characters. When a character changes their usual dialogue quirks (when the plot/scene calls for it), it can mark an incredibly pivotal and key point in their development and personality.

E.g, a rich, high-status character having a meltdown, swearing and mixing up their words; a quiet character talking for a long time to console their best friend on something they relate to; the excited character finally losing their spark and becoming serious when upset; an angry, violent character becoming docile when interacting or confessing to their crush. Choices in dialogue styles for different characters, depending on scenes and situations, can change the game entirely.

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Overall, my advice in creating realistic, engaging and in-character dialogue that shows your character's distinct personality and characteristics is to read the dialogue out loud, don't bother too much about grammar and more about readability and get a proofreader or friend that'll be honest in their opinions to look over your story.

Even more, I'd highly recommend experimenting. This goes for everything in writing, honestly. Practise writing dialogue by writing conversations between your different characters, even if said conversations won't appear in your story. Practice writing scenes. Experiment with your style and how different characters talk. Lay out your characters personalities and think about how you can implement details into their speech that subtly show who they are and what they think. Consider punctuation - it matters more than you'd expect it to.

Grow your style at your own pace. Listen to constructive feedback, and openly search for people to show their opinions and give advice on your work. Make sure you understand your characters, their values and their quirks.

Ask box is open for requests but, now that I've remembered this blog exists, let's discuss:

Easy Ways To Uplevel Your Writing

Writing is hard, sometimes, and it's easy to start a paragraph and feel like it sounds off. However, there are tiny, simple tricks you can employ to make your writing sound a little bit better.

1 - Sentence Structure

I could do a whole separate post on sentence structure, because it really does matter a lot when kept in mind. Diversifying sentence structure can allow your writing to flow easier, seem less repetitive, and to give off a more educated impression.

For example:

'She told me outright that I wasn't making any sense, despite my attempts to explain. What we were being sold was a lie, and I knew it. It was just hard to articulate, especially when I was confronted by such an orthodox believer. The conversation was worthless, as I was unable to get through to her.'

It sounds dry and repetitive. You could, alternatively, change it to something like:

'She cornered me on the sidewalk, a twitch in her eye, telling me outright that I wasn't making any sense. I tried my best to explain my beliefs, but her concrete mindset made it difficult for me to get through to her. What we were being sold was a lie. Our confrontation, inevitably, was worthless.'

None of my examples are bestseller-worthy but we don't do effort on this blog, alright? You can probably see the difference.

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2 - Descriptions

This section is gonna be a two-bit ordeal. First, let's talk about placement.

Sometimes, it's simple to just say things are happening. It gets your point across, and sets the scene for anything happening after, therefore making it efficient. However, replacing kinds of 'blank' statement paragraphs with description can often do a much better job. It sets the scene with a lot more drama, builds a much more immerse setting, and can be used to develop plot-points and elements about your introduction a lot more than a 'blank' paragraph would.

Example 1:

'He closed the door to the garage. The door was shut, his keys jingling in his pocket. Steve sighed, a puff of condensed breath blowing from his mouth and disappearing into the night. It was another boring day where he would walk home through the cold streets of London and return again to work as soon as the sun cracked the barrier of dawn. But he was wrong to assume that the next night would be as peaceful as the one he would retire to. There was a monster in the garage, and it was waiting to break free.'

Turning to:

'He closed the door to the garage. The door was shut, his keys jingling in his pocket. Steve sighed, a puff of condensed breath blowing from his mouth and disappearing into the night. It was another boring day where he would walk home through the cold streets of London and repeat the day at the crack of dawn. But there was a sense of dread within him that itched at his brain. Regardless of his repairs, he'd return to the dusty garage with his woodwork and soldering scratched and scuffed. The way the shadows appeared to contort when he squinted—they formed hands, late at night, which strenuously attempted to reach for him. Steve had attributed it all to sleep deprivation and forgetfulness. The scattering he would hear when the moon would reach its peak said otherwise, the ever-distant skittering reminding him of crawing spiders. But his denial kept him coming back day after day.'

These are some long examples, jeez. But you guys get the point. The latter is a bit more engaging, thought-provoking, and less matter-of-fact.

The next thing is to do with how vivid your descriptions are. I recommend to add movement into your descriptions—have things change or move as you describe them. Involve your character, especially if you're talking from a first person POV. Utilise metaphors, similies, personification and phonetics to create a clearer and engaging image of what you are describing.

Example 2:

'Washing between the rock and the shore, the water came in waves. Dancing in an elegant sway, greeting the sand and retreating to the sea, as the tides pulled at the water. Matilda played with the shells at her feet. She searched for which stones shone the brightest under the sun, finding one that rippled in colour like the reflections in the ocean.'

Again, not the best description that could ever be written, but it displays most of the points I mentioned. Though I will not be elaborating on all descriptive techniques used, this is an ask blog. I'll make a separate post on any topic relating to writing or the English language if prompted (or if I get bored).

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3 - Play With Motifs and Themes

Having a set theme for what you're writing isn't essential, but setting out specific motifs, themes, and meanings within your writing can give it a very professional and intriguing edge.

Themes such as guilt can be shown through characters. Perhaps your main character is guilty about something, and that guilt fuels or prevents them from reaching their goals. That guilt ripples, infects others, and fuels the conflict in your story. Guilt becomes ever-present within the plot or subplots. This is just an example. Themes can be anything from death, mistrust, resurrection, or the main message you are trying to convey. A theme is a central topic, message, or idea that your work discusses within itself.

By identifying themes in your story, you can incorporate them into your writing subtly. It can create cohesiveness, and can show the clear understanding that the writer has of the purpose of their writing.

Motifs accompany or explain themes. They are reoccurring symbols, ideas, items, and imagery that relate to the core themes of your writing. Poems about love may include frequent imagery of flowers and natural settings. Stories that explore the inevitable—whether that be death, time travel, sickness, or something related to mental health—may have a time motif, where the descriptions of events and settings mention time, the current date, clocks, or the time of day.

Motifs are repeated, reoccurring ideas that tie in with your themes, characters, and plot. Taking into account themes and potential motifs throughout your work can uplevel your writing by infusing the key ideas of your writing in your characters and descriptions.

And it kind of makes you sound smarter, which in my opinion is a good chunk of the goal.

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In my view, the best way to get better at writing is to practice and to understand. Research techniques and grammar, and experiment with then. Get other people's opinions (preferably friends) and make sure to rant your heart out about your ideas to further solidify them and to boost your ego. Ego is good, but don't overdo it. I have some horrendous stories on those who overdo it.

(@sugaritebiscuit for the request!)

Let's discuss. Actually, there's a LOT to discuss on these two similar yet polarising tropes, so this is gonna be a loooong post. Buckle up!

Since it's so long, I'll outline some questions I'll be covering. If there's a question I haven't answered or a topic I haven't covered here, please reply, reblog, ask or comment with what you'd like me to answer.

- What are the tropes 'Enemies/Rivals to Lovers'?

- Why is it so compelling?

- Where does it go wrong?

- How do I construct my enemies/rivals to lovers storyline?

So, let's begin.

What are the tropes 'Enemies/Rivals to Lovers'?

First and foremost, it's important to recognise the core differences between enemies to lovers and rivals to lovers. These are two separate and distinctive tropes, despite their similarities, that can be easily confused for one another when marketing, tagging or interpreting a story.

Enemies to lovers is a trope where two (or more) characters work against each other, like a protagonist and antagonist. They have separate goals and often begin with animosity between them. Over time, the characters learn to love one another despite their differences and alternative goals (perhaps reaching a compromise, one changing 'sides' if there are any, or through the characters prioritising their individual feelings of love or forgiveness over their goals).

Rivals to lovers, however, has the key difference of the two (or more) characters having the same or similar goal alongside the animosity that comes with the trope. The characters may not actively be enemies or explicitly work against each other, and may actually be cooperative, however this cooperation often comes with a certain sprinkling of spite. 

As the person who requested this topic is a MHA fan, I'll put it this way:

Enemies to lovers would be Toga x Izuku

Rivals to lovers would be Bakugou x Izuku

(Though, as with everything, it depends on how you write it.)

I believe it's also important to mention that, as with almost all tropes (considering that a 'trope' is so broad), enemies and rivals to lovers is nothing new and is not specific to fanfiction. This is a common misconception I see around discussion of these literary tropes. In fact, tropes like enemies to lovers have been around since Shakespeare's time; his play Much Ado About Nothing is a prime example of enemies to lovers (with Beatrice and Benedick). I'd also argue that Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice was also a pioneer in the genre - it never gets old.

That's right, lads. When you write your cringe BakuDeku one-shots, say you're basing it off of Shakespeare. (/j)

Why is it so compelling?

Enemies to lovers and rivals to lovers are both tropes that put the personal thoughts and experiences of the characters front and centre, integrating them into the plot and prompting their personalities and beliefs to grow and develop along with the narrative.

Enemies to lovers can often tell a story of forgiveness and the reveal of prejudice. It can allow a once antagonistic and rude character to grow into someone lovable to the reader and their love interest, breaking down the barriers set between them with their alternate goals and clashing personalities. Indeed, their personalities may often be the source of both their hatred and love; emotions and characteristics such as frustration, hot-headedness, over-perseverance, entitlement and disrespect commonly cause the animosity between them though, as the story develops, the characters look beyond their predispositions and initial perceptions to ultimately uncover what they have in common, or what they find endearing.

Similarly to what is sometimes seen in enemies to lovers, rivals to lovers is a trope that provides the opportunity for characters to, over time, transfer their spite for a person into love, and to use what they had learnt about the other to further appreciate them rather than to despise or sabotage. Rivals can often express dedication to a similar goal as well as a focus on one another, which can both fuel their love just as it does their rivalry.

Ultimately, I adore these tropes. When executed well, they can establish a story where the inner workings and emotions of characters are extracted and placed in the centre of the narrative. Being driven by characters and their feelings, a story can truly thrive. 

But, you know, we don't always get nice things.

Where does it go wrong?

There's a clear issue with enemies to lovers that lies in the backstories of the characters, the events that take place, and the execution of the story between the 'enemies' part and the 'lovers' part: enemies to lovers is a trope that can easily become abusive.

This, I believe, is naturally intertwined with the age-old question: why and how do you forgive someone? Being a prevalent question among writers of all sorts, it's an important one to consider for the sake of your story, your characters, and how it comes across.

For example, a main factor in enemies to lovers especially that should be considered is can they (or should they) be forgiven. This applies to almost all types of narratives though, when the end result is something intimate and romantic, you have to be careful. Can the 'enemy' or their actions be forgiven or, more fittingly, be forgiven by the character they are set to love? 

The broadness of this question is such that I could make an entirely separate post on it (and also talking about how this relates to Steven Universe outside of the tropes discussed), so leave a comment, an ask or a reblog if you'd like me to cover this in more detail.

An enemy that goes too far, especially against someone they ultimately become romantically involved with, may give the impression of a romanticised abusive relationship. This can be regardless of the writer's intent, and can often be the result of poor writing or planning rather than a reflection of the writer's views.

On this topic:

How do I construct my enemies/rivals to lovers storyline?

As with everything in writing, there is no right nor wrong. Though, it's always good to have a framework, or at least an idea of what to do and where to go. So here's a list of things to consider when writing with these tropes:

1) The perspective.

I could make an entirely separate post on the importance of perspectives in any work of literature (again, ask if you want to see that), though enemies or rivals to lovers can be a trope that melds with certain perspectives incredibly well, depending on execution. Decide on your perspective (first person, second person, and if the second person narrator is all-knowing) and think of how that'll impact your storyline. A first person perspective may be biased (which is not a bad thing, as I'll cover later) against the 'enemy' or 'rival', and so could a second person perspective that specifically focuses on one character - overall or at a time. How the story is narrated definitely has its impact, so remember to consider what perspective you're writing in and how this will affect your story.

2) The reason.

Why is the character seeing the other as an enemy? Why does this rivalry exist? Why does this character have these prejudices, and why does the hatred prolong as long as it does?

In many enemies to lovers fanfictions and stories I've read, I've noticed that people seem to give very loose or uncharacteristic reasons why a character dislikes another. The solution to this, I believe, is something that beginner writers appear to shy away from.

Protagonists do not have to be good nor perfect people.

They do not have to be moral, they do not have to represent your morals, they do not have to be correct or knowledgeable. Main characters have faults - it's nicer when they do, I feel. Protagonists have the ability to misinterpret actions and emotions. Sure, this is always the writer's decision on whether they use this, though it's important to remember that your character is, at the end of the day, a character, and does not have to represent you or your beliefs. It's okay to make the protagonist a 'bad' guy.

Making a compelling character and making a character that is morally perfect are two entirely separate things.

And, moreover, it doesn't have to be one character out of the two (or more) that does something wrong, or has prejudice against another. Multiple characters can be in the wrong.

3) The forgiveness.

This is a vague section, as forgiveness can refer to anything (in this context) that marks the transition between hatred - or rivalry - and romance. It's, once again, important to remember that the reasons for the character to forgive or love another do not have to be your reasons - they should be the characters' reasons. Think about what characters would have to do or say in order to bridge the gap between animosity and romance. Consider the events of the story and actions of the characters and match the actions of forgiveness to it. 

Also, though direct enemies to lovers can be executed well, I believe there should always be a phase of neutrality or friendship in-between. It gives the characters time to naturally develop and allows the readers to appreciate the blooming relationship between your characters.

Something that's rare though I've found a liking towards is stories that have this neutral stage after a confession. One of them slips up and spills the beans prior to the establishment of a truce or forgiveness, perhaps setting the path for such in the future alongside a lot of conflicting and confusing feelings for the other.

I find it funny.

4) The relationship.

Your rivals or enemies have settled or compromised their differences, learnt to love one another and have confessed their undying feelings. Now what?

They're in a relationship! How cute, but remember that this isn't a phase that's separate from the past three factors. It's good to remember that the characters should have always been compatible, one way or another, meaning that you don't need to change the personality or nature of a character (outside of reasonable development) in order for the relationship to work. Characters should retain their individuality throughout, and that includes the relationship stage. Love does not make them one entity. In fact, rivals to lovers is a trope that allows their status as rivals to sometimes persist through this stage. Rivalries can be friendly and healthy,  depending on how you write them.

Also, they may have forgiven, but have they forgotten? Consider if the events of the story would have permeating effects on their dynamics and how they treat each other. Perhaps they haven't forgiven, and that their relationship has some rocks they have to climb over. This could be another opportunity to develop their relationship and connections to one another - it's all up to you and what you think is best.

Overall, these are only things to consider. These stages do not have to be in this specific order, nor do they have to be one at a time. Relationships, just like in real life, can be rocky and encounter setbacks at any point.

One of the reasons why I like these tropes is that it allows the writer to explore the journey of these characters deeply, characterising them in ways that exposes and counters their flaws in engaging and compelling ways. When done well, a story following either of these tropes can bring the reader on an emotional journey alongside the characters, teaching people to appreciate and welcome changes in belief, attitude and relations.

Oh, yeah, and it also gives us some banger fanfiction. That's good too.

I wasn't joking about the Shakespeare inspiration thing btw.

I, personally, have an extreme love-hate relationship with commas. They can be useful in making your writing coherent and understandable, helping construct beautiful, smooth-flowing sentences. But there are a lot of common mistakes to be made, and a surprising amount of controversy around when and where commas should be used.

So, let's discuss.

Subordinate Clauses

A comma, in essence, indicates a smaller break – a 'soft pause', like taking a brief breath whilst reading. Usually, comma usage is for notating subordinate clauses or lists (though these can be stretched).

The concept of the subordinate clause is something I find a lot of beginner writers haven't taken into consideration, or don't know about. It's a simple way of understanding syntax and how to make your writing cohesive.

Complex sentences are sentences that contain a subordinate clause:

When you mix in the carrot, which should be grated, make sure you fold in figures of eight.

She taught him to draw—a skill he had long since mastered—and was ever impressed with the artwork he produced.

Instead, we decided to narrow down the scope of our research.

A subordinate clause is a section of a sentence, marked with commas (or, in other cases, dashes or brackets), that can be removed without influencing the grammatical sense of the sentence. The subordinate clause does not function as a grammatically-correct sentence alone. Using the last example, 'instead' is the subordinate clause. A subordinate clause can be in the middle, beginning, or end of a sentence, and there can be multiple. You can form these clauses by separating a word or phrase that is not essential to understanding the sentence's meaning.

When writing, keep these clauses in mind. Think about the placement of your commas and how they influence the meaning and structure of your sentence.

The Oxford Comma

Commas are also useful when listing, but always keep in mind that there are other options such as semicolons, colons, and separate sentences to diversify the punctuation in your writing.

When listing, there is one particular consideration, potentially the most contentious of all decisions to make, in terms of using commas. It concerns the Oxford comma.

The Oxford comma can come into play when listing three or more items. An item, in this context, can refer to nouns, verbs, or adjective phrases. Commas are used to separate items when listing, but the Oxford comma is an optional comma Separating the second-to-last item.

For example,

The depth of his sins had been unveiled: an uninterrupted life of sinning, deceiving, and stealing.

At the shops, we bought chocolate, marshmallows, and those little heart-indented sweets that had cute yet barely readable messages imprinted on them.

She did many things in her life; Eloise spent many years dancing, singing, praying, and dying.

The Oxford comma, as I view it, is something that is entirely up to you. It should be based on your style and the message you wish to convey in whatever particular sentence you're writing. As an example of how the comma can slightly change the meaning of a sentence – adding a subtle hint or flare to your writing – I point your attention to the third sentence. By removing the Oxford comma between 'praying' and 'dying,' it can be interpreted as implying the two are related or done in tandem.

This is one of the arguments that has influenced the use of the Oxford comma; while many may see it as unnecessary or tacky - something that should always be avoided - I see it as something that can prevent two items from being interpreted as related to one another.

Most writers and guides will tell you to always be consistent in your use of the Oxford comma – if you use it once, always use it. However, though I emphasise consistency heavily in writing, I see this as the one exception. Of course, I'm not a professional. Though I will express that, in my view, the usage of commas and punctuation in general (aside from speech indicators) should be catered to whatever individual meaning you are trying to express.

But generally, I'd say there's a few instances where your choice of punctuation should primarily be down to style and what you believe looks better on the page.

Stylistic Choice

As if the rest of this post (and blog) wasn't opinionated enough, here's just a fat slab of my own punctuation opinions.

Don't over-punctuate. Don't. Watch out for the amount of commas you are using, and read your sentences out loud. If you're pausing too often or if it doesn't sound quite right, perhaps look over it another time to see which punctuation marks should be removed and which ones should stay.

On the other hand, be careful about under-punctuating. Sentences that are drawn out like 'He was utterly shocked at the impressive amount of skill a person had to exert in order to pull that jump off under the pressure of the World Tournament'. If you struggle to breathe whilst reading a sentence aloud, perhaps attempt to reword it. However, in some specific cases, under-punctuating can aid your 'vibe'. That's the only word that could fit.

Experiment with commas and other methods of punctuating your writing. Punctuation is more important than you think in the quality of your writing and story; it can make your writing appear more professional and cohesive, and it can enhance what meanings you are able to express through your accompanying words.

I think I may have said this before, but I'd advise doing what I like to call 'meta-writing'. Write with your reader in mind, thinking about what your writing sounds like in a literal sense. Sentences with a lot of commas will sound more drawn out and slow – something that can benefit you in some circumstances, and hinder you in others. Vice versa, sentences with no commas seem quicker and, if they're long, less planned-out. Again, this can be advantageous in some situations while being detrimental in others.

Common Mistakes

It's harder than it looks.

Rules that, unlike almost every other grammar rule, I do not advise breaking:

Separating a subject from its verb.

'My dog, has a collar.'

It doesn't sound right, does it? Although commas are a great tool to chop up sentences, making sure your clauses aren't that long, there are a lot of times where removing them is best. With the example phrase, I think we can all agree that 'My dog has a collar.' is a sentence that looks better, sounds better, and makes more sense overall.

Not putting commas before conjunctions.

This ties into what I said previously about under-punctuating. If you have a long-winded sentence with no commas, perhaps look into whether or not you have punctuated before your conjunctions.

Conjunctions are words that connect together phrases, words, and clauses, such as 'and', 'for,' and 'although'. I'd heavily recommend placing a comma prior to conjunctions, as it separates them as 'complete thoughts' and defines a subordinate clause. For example:

Giving up, he dropped to his knees limply, for he was already too late.

We could go to the beach, and perhaps stop by Ma's house on the way.'

Your wound seems to be healing fine, though I am still concerned about the state of your eye.

I believe these can be omitted in some certain situations, perhaps if under-punctuating is a common theme in your particular story (I do this when writing from a certain character's POV, as he taught himself to write and becomes quite erratic). Overall, though, I do stand by this rule.

Not using them to separate quotations.

This is the part where I abandon my British heritage, and give in to the Americans. I personally prefer the American method of quotation, so this is what I'll work off.

Speech should be, in multiple ways, embedded in your writing. They aren't a separate entity from the rest of your work. A way to do this is through using the correct punctuation for your speech, e.g,

He muttered, "Leave me alone," with a trembling break in his voice.

She looked into Emily's eyes with a ghost-like stare and said, "It wasn't your fault."

"It's not like we can just stop him from going ahead with his plan," Cody trailed off, pacing around the room. "Can we?"

I used full stops at times instead of commas before, because I thought it looked better. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. It really doesn't. So keep an eye out for any missing or replaced commas.

Aaaand that's all I can think about at present. Asks are open, as always, and I accept almost any questions to do with writing and the English language. Asks, reblogs and other interactions are always welcome! It's great to see new people who are interested in this otherwise boring stuff.

Little tips for all AU and OC writers (specifically those dealing with magic and power-systems!).

There are two main things you may want to be cautious about when adding onto a world, which can be either adding onto an existing power system (AU fanfiction) or to your own, perhaps in the form of another arc or sequel that adds something not previously mentioned. I don't often care for professional technical terms, so I like to name these myself; I refer to these two things as cohesion and substance.

Cohesion

You've got a pretty well-functioning magic system put in front of you. It uses a form of dust to create magic. This dust comes in different types, is generated from a certain source, and is used in different ways by different people. There is a certain range of things you can use this dust for, but that range is pretty wide. Say, you wanted to add something else to this narrative. What is a cool thing to have in fantasy?

Ghosts, demons, the paranormal! Souls and fire and soulfire and all the like. I love the inclusion of this kind of stuff in fantasy... under circumstances.

The first example I gave was roughly the workings of tinkerbell, but with some changes and interpretive differences. With and without the context of tinkerbell, would these two magic types work together? They don't need to be connected, persay, but I'm referring to the themes and the feel, and how they interact with each other and the setting. If the magic of your 'base' material is quite whimsical or silly or specific, suddenly adding a more gothic, supernatural style of magic that is completely different in themes and workings can create a clash. Unless this clash is dealt with well, I'd advise to avoid the risk altogether, or to marry the magic systems to make them more similar in feel. It can make a change feel out of place, random, and like it wasn't supposed to be there—none of which are feelings you'd want to invoke in your audience. Besides, if one is more powerful than the other, or if one has more disproportionate stakes, why would anyone choose the other option? This leads me into the next consideration.

Saturation

You have magic staffs and portals and potions and demons and aliens and giants and elves and royals and fortresses and time travel and weapons and spirits and ghosts and... when does it stop?

Especially when writing OC fiction, it's important to recognise that you can risk having one fatal flaw: you might not realise when your lore, magic system, and world building becomes too much for a reader to handle. Readers don't have the prior knowledge and understanding that you do. It can sometimes be difficult to have a fresh eye.

Sometimes in OC fiction and AUs, I see when people have a bit too much going on. It often begs the question of what significance each element has, or what the plan is for exposing it to the readers in a way that isn't forced or unnecessary. Over-saturated stories is what I call them. It's usually when a writer—often a newbie—got a little too excited with their ideas. Excitement is a good thing, but be mindful that adding everything at once, or continuing to add more things that can effect the functioning of your world (such as new powers, magic systems, concepts, etc), can make your story near incomprehensible to a new reader, and can open the doors for some serious writing issues.

As I highlighted before, in order to justify multiple ways of doing magic or performing whatever kind of abilities your story allows, you need to justify why each one is used and why people just don't not use it. You need to justify why this is how things work, why something so important may have not been brought up before, and how these elements may interact.