Ah, love... I myself am terrible at writing about it or making something sweet or romantic. I haven't felt any love in a romantic way before, so I don't have proper tools that I can relate to. However, my friends who have been in many relationships have helped me out in this, and I have added a few that I find would be good to use as well:
-Glancing at each other, only to look away immediately if they were noticed or were cowardly turning down. You don't need to go in depth with their facial expressions, but it is advised.
-Agreeing to whatever the other says, or both agree with each other a bit... too often.
-When a character gets especially giddy or happy around a specific other, but don't over exaggerate it unless that is the style you're going for. (Like Moxxie and Millie, those two are to die for)
-Leaning towards them slightly on their toes or heels whenever the other is talking, it shows genuine interest in what they are talking about.
-Finding subtle ways to make contact with them. A simple hand rub or shoulder pat for example. Not in a sexual way, for those people out there...
-Asking deep and personal questions. This can fit in both awkward and intimate situations, an awkward and off moment bringing humour, and the intimate moment bringing proper feelings.
-Listening to their rambling or listening to what they do. If they focus on someone's movement subconsciously, it shows a subtle attraction that even they might not even know about.
-They seek that specific person's opinion or attention in topics, rather than branching out with other people.
-Overanalysing what the other person is doing. If they think too much about what someone's action could mean, it shows a loving anxiety about how they are worried about what they think of them... it's rather endearing!
-When you grow attached to someone, you start to relax around them more... and when you relax with someone, you ease the naming department a lot. For instance, you aren't all too informal with your principal, so you call them by Miss/Mr/Mrs, whereas you begin on a first name basis with others your age, before going into nicknames. Nicknames can be a fluffy and sweet thing to add for people who aren't exactly dating yet, but wish they were.
Finally, I want to talk about something important that aligns with the chapter before on Body Language. You can show embarrassment in ways other than blushing! I'm sorry, but I see this term being overused a lot... Here are a few I can think of on the top of my head:
-Taking steps backwards
-Hiding your face in your hands
-Shifting your glance around
-Wide eyes
-Bringing your arms in front of you in some way (crossing your arms, folding your hands together)
-Taking a defensive stance
-Stuttering (Use this sparingly, you don't know how horrible it is to find a shy character t-that s...sp...speaks l-like th-this...)
-Scratching the back of your head
-Shifting weight from one foot to another
-Exaggerated hand movements
-Nervous quirks (playing with hair, picking at skin, flattening clothes, tucking loose hair behind ears, etc)
- (THIS ONE IS BARELY TALKED ABOUT YET SO EFFECTIVE!!) Turning your head slightly to the side to avoid staring straight ahead
Hopefully this is helpful!
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The Cheat-Sheet for Writers
LosoweA simple guidebook with different strategies and ideas you can use to help move your book along if you're having that in-famous "writer's block". A cheat-sheet, if you will!
