What it says on the tin.
Some ranting, some advice, some archaic reference, and a lot of cussing. My take on how I think fanfiction should be written and some of the biggest problems with it right now. Because I may not be the best at writing, but...
Is Lady Gaga still relevant? I don't know, I live under a rock that I only emerge from for food and to complain about the latest Marvel.
Okay, romance. It's a hot mess and I hate it, despite the fact that I love it. It's not that I love to hate it, I just hate it and that's that on that.
But this is an advice book, so that means I have to like, actually give advice on how to do shit or whatever so let's go.
Writing romance is a lot more than just two characters meeting and falling in love and love at first sight and all that shit. That shit is boring, okay? Like, sure it's cute, but it's not realistic and it's boring as fuck. People don't just fall in love at first sight. Unless they're both hot people, in which case they're both shallow hot people, meaning that it's a boring love story about shallow hot people. Great. That's just great.
That said, there's this weird trend in fanfiction and Wattpad fiction in general of "enemies to lovers". Which, like, yes. It's cute, and honestly it's a trope I fucking love. But y'all are doing it fucking WRONG.
Enemies to lovers is not "oh, she's the BAD GUY and I'm an AVENGER and we have to bring her in but I just feel like there's something below the SURFACE about her and I don't know what it is but she's just so ALLURING uwu!!!". Like, stop. That's now how this shit works. Enemies to lovers has to be actual ENEMIES to lovers. Not just,,,, them being on opposite sides with some sexual tension. I want ENEMIES, I want BLOOD, and I want it NOW. Make them want to rip each other's throats out! Make them try to kill each other! That's the point of the trope! If you're going to write sexual tension on opposite sides, that's just star-crossed lovers, which is boring and I hate it.
With any romance, you have to make it feel organic. People don't just trip and fall in love. It's slow and painful and takes time for those feelings to marinate. It's like a good chilli. You gotta let that chilli marinate and let all the flavours seep together to make it really fucking noice, okay?
God, I want chilli right now.
Okay, focus, I'm focusing. On romance. Not chilli.
Basically, whoever you pick for your OC to schmooze up with, it's gotta feel right for that character. Some characters react differently to love. Tony's the type to get all flirty and cute from the get-go but is more hesitant on showing his true feelings and secrets. Natasha thinks, as she put it, that love is for children, so obviously she'd be a bit slower on the uptake. Regardless of the character and their chemistry with your OC though, it takes months for people to fall in love. Especially people who have to save the world every other Tuesday. Sure, cute crushes are a thing, but that's not real love and a relationship built on a puppy love crush will not last. Trust me.
Basically, take it slow. It's perfectly reasonable for your OC to have a crush on their love interest from page one, or even before page one. We all have our idols. But them actually falling in love and building a relationship takes time, and you need to show all the little things that slowly add up. Show the small moments so you can lead up to the big ones. People don't fall in love all at once. Despite how dramatic the movies will make you have it, it's really slow and steady. There's no big 'aha' moment with falling in love. It happens so gradually and so easily as you get closer to a person and then one day you're texting your best friend a cute picture of your cat asleep on your laundry and they send a dorky response and you think 'god, I love her so much' as you smile at your phone and it hits you like a ton of bricks but you're too in love to really care.
Okay, I might've gotten a little too personal with that last tangent. Shut the fuck up, you don't know me.
Furthermore, there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. You love your friends, your family, your cats, your favourite movie. But being in love is different. Being in love means that's the only thing you feel for that person, it takes over, it's suffocating every time you look at them. You're entrenched in nothing but love for them and it's just overwhelming.
God, when the fuck did I get so sappy.
Anyway, bring that emotion to life. Make your readers feel the love that your OC and love interest have. Basically, they shouldn't have to kiss for me to know they're in love. A good couple radiates love, and they don't need to prove it. Show that in your writing. The soft touches, the warm smiles, the longing looks. That's romance bitch, and I fucking love it so give it to me.
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