Tips for writing enemies to lovers:
This tip post has been in my polls for a while now, figured why not just make it?
Keep in mind that enemies to lovers is always gonna be different from character to character, but some general tips will still apply if you want your dynamic to be considered enemies to lovers!
1- Make them actual enemies I know this seems obvious, but writers normally shy away from making their characters hate each other too much, fearing that the characters will eventually have no reason to end up together, or that because of all the pain they've inflicted upon each other they'd be toxic.
Here's the thing though, enemies to lovers is naturally more toxic than your average ship, that's what makes it so entertaining to read, and why - if done right - it can be very entertaining to write!
Dive into the toxicity of it all, make them hurt each other intentionally, torment each other psychologically.
2- Parallels Love and hate exist on opposite sides of the same coin, love can be as harmful as hate, hate can be as obsessive as love, both can be soft and both can be rough. You need to use this when writing enemies to lovers, write how the hatred seeps into love, only to return to hatred, keep your reader on edge.
And create parallels between them being enemies and lovers, things only an attentive reader would pick up on.
3- Why do they become lovers? This is a question you need to ask before you even have a clear plot in mind, if your main romance is an enemies to lovers, your plot will most likely revolve around them becoming lovers, so give that good thought, starting with this one loaded question.
You need to have clear characters in mind, clear intentions, clear motivations, clear reasons they hate, and what would make them fall in love.
4- How old are they? Your characters age impacts how any story plays out, a 17 year old wouldn't have as much of a clear head as a 30 year old, and their judgement is likely clouded by angst and hormones. This is something you need to keep in mind for enemies to lovers.
The reason that they became enemies is as important as why they fall in love, and you figure out that reason by looking at age. What age they are when they meet, and what age they are in the story.
The reason for becoming enemies in the first place could be ridiculous, a stolen snack, but over the years that untreated hatered will only grow. And of course, enemies would keep tormenting each other over the years, and the torment will grow worse and more personal, so a small and easily managable conflict continues growing.
5- Who falls in love first? This is determined by character so there's not much advice I can give when it comes to making this decision, but I will say that this decision, as well as most decisions, should be made during planning.
This is so you know which character starts backing away from heated confrontations earlier, who starts defending the other sooner, who generally grows softer in behavior first, and so on.
These are all things that subtly happen as the reader naturally follows the character through the story, so it's important that as you switch perspective you know which character starts falling in love first.
6- Slowburn Please, make your enemies to lovers a slowburn. Pacing is more natural, readers actually get to see them as both enemies and lovers, and the benefits are endless, with the only downside being that you'll need to be incredibly patient, but that's rewarding in the end!
7- Not everything is enemies to lovers I'll end this post by reminding you to understand and remember the difference between enemies and rivals, and know that there are different kinds of rivals to be.
Your story can be interesting and good, your couple can be toxic and intriguing, but they might not necessarily fall into the enemies to lovers category, and that's completely fine!
The most important part of enemies to lovers, is the enemies part. If that doesn't exist in your ship dynamic, if they don't hate each others guts, then it isn't enemies to lovers, and that's okay.
Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!
