5 TRICKS TO KEEPING IT REAL
Written by the reader side of me. I'm a complete hypocrite for saying some of these things, because sometimes, I do them too, but I'm planning to change that. Anyway, moving on to the actual tips;
1) Friendship Fights
I has a question. When was the last time that you read a book where a fight scene between best friends was actually legit? I've noticed that in a lot of books, the main character has a best friend that he/she either a) never fights with or b) always fights with and ends up ditching them in the end. That's not real life people! I fight with my friends a lot, okay, I'll admit it. And they're not about jealousy, or guys. They're about small, stupid things like having to sit next to the annoying guy in class, or accidentally telling someone an embarrassing secret, or not being able to do something first, or being too loud. They're all pretty stupid reasons, but my friends and I still bicker about them. That's real. Add a least a bit of it. It might sound filler-ish, but it'd be nice if you could slip just one little detail somewhere in there. I've seen just bout zero books where the best friend snaps at the main character.
2) Not all mean people are stupid
Okay, the 'enemy' is pretty much always stupid. If not, they're physco, but that's a different story. Anyway, my biggest enemy is actually really smart. Dumb people... You can get annoyed with them, but when they're as dumb as how some people make them in stories... You just start to feel bad for them.
3) There isn't always sparks
It kind of bugs me how with every kiss there's explosive fireworks. I really doubt that happens.
4) If the guy cheats on the girl, the girl he cheats with isn't always mean.
Read. Up there.
5) Guys aren't always Prince Charming
Um, most guys I know can't even admit that they like someone, much less deliver a whole speech on someone's perfection.
Let's face it, most guys in real life are annoying. They're moody, arrogant, cryptic, oblivious, etc. Do not make your guy all perfect unless there is a very exact reason, like he's used to forcing politeness or romance if he's an actor or stalked by paparazzi. Or he might be more careful if he's been waiting for the girl for a long time [like a year or more, two months isn't long]. But he should still have his bad moments where he just snaps.
And guys are more jerk-ish around their friends. I think this kind of goes away in college and as they get older, but most books are set in high school and the guy makes a poetic confession of love in front of the whole school and I'm just like woah there.
In short, your MC's love interest shouldn't be perfect. He can have his moments, yes, but make him realistic. He's not going to find it easy to admit his feelings, and when he does, he'll probably be super cryptic.
So yeah, those are the things that seriously bug me. Coming from me as a reader.
Next Tip: Overused plots
~JJ :)