5 Tips for Writing Best Friends

Friendships can make books more engaging for readers than romantic or family relationships. The trick is writing best friends in ways that feel real.

It’s why we love Gideon and Nico in The Atlas Six or Bree and Alice in the Legendborn series.

Here are a few tips to get you on the path to writing an incredible friendship that’s the backbone of your character’s arcs.

1. Make the Friendship Serve Both Characters

We’ve all read books where the protagonist has a best friend who seems to only exist when the protagonist needs something. They’re the main character’s source of stress relief and support, but real-world relationships serve both people.

Make sure you write scenes where the best friend also benefits from the relationship. They might come to the main character for support or call the protagonist when they need cheering up. The most minor moments can mean the most to readers.

2. Give the Friendship a Why

Why is the friendship so important to each of your characters? Maybe they met while experiencing a unique life event or a tragedy. Maybe one helped the other through a difficult time and later vice versa.

The why behind the relationship is key to making readers fall in love with the bond between your characters. Why they met might be the only thing holding them together when times get tough. Establish a clear motive to their solid connection and everything that happens afterward will be more impactful for the reader.

3. Create a Life for the Best Friend Too

Best friends need personality traits like protagonists. As you draft their persona during your planning or writing phases, remember to give them traits like:

Likes

Dislikes

Goals

Dreams

A history

These details shape who people are. They can also be the things that pull your protagonist and best friend together. 

4. Set Up the Occasional Clash

Friendships are stronger when they survive the ups and downs. Turbulent times also make friendships realistic because friends never stay in just happy periods of their lives.

Make your two characters clash to learn through their arguments or mistakes, especially if they’re disagreeing about how to solve/accomplish your plot’s main goal. How they work through their differences and move past them demonstrates each character’s core values and how much they value their friendship.

5. Establish Honesty Early On

Best friends are honest with each other. Setting that up early on establishes a foundation of trust. It also sets up stakes when one character decides to lie to the other for a specific goal or purpose, even if they don’t like it. Without honesty, there’s no reason for the two characters to trust each other or remain best friends.

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Develop your best friends as separate individuals before merging them in your plotlines. You’ll create stronger relationships that pull readers in and keep them thinking about your story well after they turn the final page.

7 Types of Friendship Dynamics

In a story, friendships play a crucial role! The characters learn and grow from each other all the while providing interesting dialogue and interactions. Readers get to watch as their relationship unfolds into something beautiful and/or tragic! A friendship helps develop the characters involved and is a great tool for bringing forth emotions to the audience! So, with that being said, here are seven types of friendship dynamics!

>> The Loyal Companions - These friends have a deep, unbreakable bond composed of a strong sense of loyalty, support, mutual understanding, and respect! While they don't need to have known each other for a long time, they understand the other better than anyone else! Additionally, they often face challenges together, demonstrating the strength of their friendship and teamwork!

>> The Odd Couple - This dynamic is composed of two characters who differ in many ways. (Personality, background, beliefs, etc.) However, it's those differences in perspectives that build their relationship and provide humorous interactions!

>> The Childhood Friends - Unlike the Loyal Companions, these two friends don't have to get along nearly as well. They may find the other annoying, and/or frustrating, but stick to them regardless. Their friendship's main foundation is time, which is used to warm up and adjust to each other! Because of that, they understand each other better than anyone else!

>> The Mentor-Protégé - This is a friendship where one friend takes on the role as a mentor and helps guide their other less-experienced friend. Together, they learn and grow through shared experiences and wisdom!

>> The Unlikely Allies - In this dynamic, both characters' relationship initially range from feeling neutral to being enemies with each other. Their friendship starts when they find common ground and/or spend (usually forced) more time together!

>> The Supportive Sidekick - This is a dynamic where both friends aren't necessarily on equal ground in the relationship, with one friend assuming the role of a sidekick and the other a leader. They both have their roles and support each other with it! The sidekick provides emotional support, encouragement, and assists their friend in overcoming challenges, while the leader takes care of most of the action!

>> The Adventure Buddies - These friends bonded over their love for adventure, adrenaline, fun, and risk! They embark on thrilling journeys together, relying on each other's separate skills, abilities, and knowledge! Their friendship is composed of a strong sense of trust and open-mindedness!

Well, there you go! 7 types of friendship dynamics you can use!

Happy writing~

3hks :)

Intro Thingie

hey I'm Psalm (they/she)! I am new to tumblr (not a twitter or reddit refugee). I've been thinking about joining for a while, but I have no idea how to really navigate or interact with people lol here.

I don't want to make this a fandom blog (even though I'm heavy in Supernatural), I just wanna make friends and find creative friends! (I need a writing partner lol)

Here are some things about me!

my gender is unlabeled AFAB

I'm 17

my aesthetics are goblincore, all academia, cottagecore, cryptidcore, and witchy (also a vibing kid)

hobbies:

reading

writing fanfic

listening to music

playing viola

songwriting

knitting

outdoor pretty much everything

foraging

sports

cars (I'm hoping to be a mechanic)

stargazing

driving (roadtrips)

I don't really have any DNI's unless you're racist, homophobic, or a bigot, and stuff like that.

Me, a softie: April is poetry month, what if I wrote some poetry from Henry’s POV?

Bestie, a cool kid: That’s so nice!

Me: what if no one reads it? 🥺

Bestie, a damn menace: they will! *drops several paragraphs amazing of kink porn in the chat* Unrelated, which fic should this go in?

Anyway, @taste-thewaste is one to watch if you’re a FirstPrince fic reader…

Ahoy to all One piece lovers comrades, I need your help.

Hi guys, I hope you are having a good day. I'm mainly looking for a couple of beta readers/co-writers or writing buddies for a One piece themed story I'm writing.

Mainly I'm looking for someone to do some healthy world-building with, who can sit down with me and brainstorm intensively and discuss character arcs, plot points and so on. I'm also looking for someone who is good at building and narrating fighting scenes, as there will be quite a few in this story.

Some additional information:

Compared to the canonical work, this story will have somewhat darker tones, with an atmosphere that also draws heavily from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

This is an Oc-centered fic set in a universe where the characters who appeared in the canon series never existed and some events never happened. Some might call it an original story that borrows only elements from One Piece.

Since I think the system created by Oda is quite good, I decided to keep it and expand some elements. I'm referring to groups such as Yonko, Shichibukai, Revolutionary Army, etc.

I have currently written and published well eight chapters of this fanfic reaching 35454 words and a ninth chapter is being written.

Summary: "We didn't understand what we were attracted to until it was before our eyes."

Beyond the Grand Line, one of the world's greatest explorers unearthed something that should never have been found and could have thrown the world into chaos if it had fallen into the wrong hands. However, it seems that he himself went back to erase every trace of his journey, including the way to get there and the location of the treasure itself. Some 20 years later, a pirate with a mysterious past known as "The Devil of the Seas" and his extravagant crew are on the trail of the man and the clues he allegedly left behind before mysteriously vanishing into thin air. What is their purpose? What role does the World Government play with all this? And why are the Celestial Dragons so afraid of it?

In a nutshell, my story is about the incredible and chaotic voyage undertaken by Captain Morgan, or as he is commonly called "The Devil of the Seas," a former rear admiral turned very dangerous pirate and outlaw, in order to find a legendary relic to completely destroy the World Government and the World Nobles system, all the while recruiting a crew of such scoundrels and turning the whole world upside down.

My purpose is also to create with my stories a solid community that is even more passionate about this fantastic work that is One Piece. It would also be cool for multiple authors who are One Piece fans to join together, each creating their own story set in my own universe. We could create spin-offs on various characters, sequels and whatnot. The only limitation would be our imagination.

If you decide to participate and are writing or need a hand with stories themed to One piece or belonging to fandoms such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Bnha, Demon Slayer, Naruto, AC and MCU, I will be very happy to return the favor and give you a hand, feedback or whatever else you need, even becoming a co-writer or writing buddy if you wish.

Dm me for more information.

So come on! Don't be shy and jump aboard!

YOU GUYS!! MY FRIEND AND I HAD THIS IDEA AND WE'RE WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW...OMG IDK WHY WE DIDN'T DO THIS BEFORE!!!

We both write. She hasn't written in a while and is wanting to get back into it and I was looking for something that was going to be more of a challenge to write. We both are big movie and book fans. We saw Dune part II together a few weeks ago and she was fully obsessed. She knows how deeply in love I am with Henry and all of his characters. She had the BRILLIANT idea that we write fics for each other about our favorite characters. It was hard for me to choose but I was really feeling Sherlock at the time so now she is writing a Sherlock and OC (based off of me) fic for me and I am Writing a Paul Atreides OC (same concept) fic for her! And it's gotten both of our creative juices flowing! We've been sitting in a coffee shop for the last two hours eagerly bouncing ideas off each other. Writers with writer friends! get your friends together and have a writers night! Write fics for each other! Do this!!! It's so fun. I can't wait to see what she comes up with! BTW she has a tumblr She hasn't posted any fics yet but she does do art as well and has posted some BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL ART @hey-its-roseaurum if you wanna check her out!! Stay tuned for fics coming from her blog too!!

[pics: quick map I drew in 2020 / picture of me holding up a strand of hair / peek at the beginning of my Hawk draft / Bramble the bird, my best friend / Smudge, black kitty / Fey, old calico sweetheart]

Hello Writeblr, Nice to Meet You 💛

Jules, 27 they/them Writer, Reader & Artist (most likely autistic & adhd)

I'm currently writing the first draft of my Kass series (all 5 books at once). It's queer dark fantasy packed with generational trauma & enemies to lovers. My goal is to finish by December, then rewrite everything in 2024.

I've been writing since I was small, so I've already finished multiple novels. Just taking my time to sharpen my skills before publishing. There's no real rush 🐌

Miscellaneous facts about me:

I work from home.

My first language is French.

I studied literature in university.

I've read 114 books so far in 2023.

I've been with my romantic partner 7 years.

Share your favourite books, if you think we could vibe! (or your own books, if you're an indie author) I love exploring different genres & always need recommendations.

DMs are always open 💕

#readrenardreading for reading stuff #readrenardwriting for writing stuff #readrenardart for art stuff

8 Tactics To Prove Your Characters Are REAL Friends! 🔐

Character interaction is very important and key in a story. When wanting to accomplish a certain goal bad or good, your protagonist will need to have at least some supporting characters to really help them.

Here are some tips to improve your writing and make your characters worth dying for! Friendships that feel, look and sound real!

The awkward stage needs to happen before the real stage: like instant love, instant friendship is equally as weird. How is it that you can glance at someone and feel the click? Unless your characters have been watching each other’s actions and are intrigued/interested in their responses they can’t feel that. Have your characters communicate with each other about themselves, start simple, their favourite colour or whatever and then let them share more about themselves and come into contact more. This is a skill that romance authors like to use, they put two characters in situations that bring them together every time and force them to interact. We’re not aiming for exact romance but rather a platonic relationship that leaves readers thinking “I love that character I hope to see more of them in the future.”

Characters that are already friends: Show us how they’re friends. Let them be the type who is always there to comfort them, tell them what they need and give advice. Also! Don’t have just one character doing all the work! A real relationship needs both people to be involved in each other and nurture one another. How can you have a character say they’re best friends but never have their back?? Please work on both characters and give them a reason why they care about each other. What has the other done for them? Don’t make them blindly loyal all the time!

Your characters are not decorations or a criteria to be met: I have read too many books and watched too many shows that leave this “best friend” as a background character. They are uninvolved in the plot or storyline, they have no idea what’s going on with the protagonist, and worse of all the protagonist goes on chapters and chapters with little to no interaction with their supposed “best friend”. You can’t keep doing this with characters in your world, even if your protagonist is a secret hero or an agent, isn’t the whole point of the story the intensity of never knowing and having mystery and secrets? The protagonist should feel bad for hiding so much information from their good friend and everyday the friend should feel like they are losing their friend ESPECIALLY if they really are best friends then that character is actively working towards finding out their secret. Add some mystery, some suspense, if there is no mystery or suspense in your story then your book is NOT IN THE RIGHT CATEGORY. Don’t bait readers into believing we are reading a suspense novel and whiplash us like this. Believe it or not, you can involve the friend in their personal life too, it can still be suspense in many other ways but I’m telling you now that if there wasn’t a reason to make your readers care about this “best friend”, to make us worry about their safety, reputation etc… then don’t give your protagonist a “best friend”, that is just a classmate/workmate.

Don’t have characters spoil every little detail of their lives immediately: Think about how strange would it be if someone who isn’t your closest friend did that to you the first time? It’s a bit unrealistic to get someone to immediately open up to you. And no “they’re the protagonist/they are just a really good talker” doesn’t work. Even if your character is a master manipulator it takes some time to have someone become manipulated it’s not instantaneous and easy or else you’d have everyone be a manipulator and that wouldn’t be so interesting and fun anymore would it? Put your characters into situations that reveal to us little by little who they are. Now as the reader we may know more about the protagonist but the protagonist doesn’t automatically know everything about everyone. What if this friend of theirs has a bad memory or past history? What makes this character think our protagonist is worthy enough to let them be vulnerable? How does the protagonist give their friend the attention they need and deserve and what makes them drawn to them? The mystery is what keeps a reader reading, do not tell us everything or else what’s the point? Let the readers SEE what’s going on in their lives so we know who this person is. It’s boring to focus on the protagonist all the time! Keep us questioning and put the answer in the next chapter, we don’t want plot holes. Then throw in another NEW question at the end of that chapter to keep us hungry for MORE. We want to feel worried not only for the protagonist but their friend as well and how this will affect their friendship. Remember: the story should be about changing. A book that starts and ends the same is pointless, what did we read it for?

The comparison: This is optional for a character that is very social or even just a little socially extroverted. Give your protagonist multiple friends, have them all with their flaws, each one of their own lives different. Then overtime let your protagonist begin to hang out with one or a small group of characters in particular more often. Let them filter out their friends and choose the one friend they believe is best for them. That lets readers feel closer to this one character and ALSO believe that they are the best and most trustworthy. The more we interact with them, the more we hear or see them in the story, the more emotionally attached we become. Humans are programmed in a way to choose what is best for us to succeed in life, you need to understand that this applies to your characters too. If you have already applied all the reasons listed then your protagonist will be able to express vulnerability with this character too and vice-versa. Each person should have slowly been proving to each other that they are suitable to become life long friends. That way when we see our friend in any situation the reader can immediately think “OH! I know that character!”

Good friends don’t need to have everything in common!: One of the worse and boring things that could possibly happen in your novel is characters that share similarities on everything! Where is the creativity in variations? What are we supposed to work with? This is bland and will kill your story. You can still have a lot of common interest and even just one single difference but it will be harder to work with. Having differences is good, trust me. But you might be wondering… won’t that make them fight a lot? Refer to Number 7 below!!

Have them argue: You can’t possibly convince a reader that your two or three etc… characters are all best friends and seemingly never had an argument. How will the reader know how they overcome their differences and handle a problem together? We need to see how well they do in solving issues between them and sharing their thoughts and feelings. That’s how you can flesh out a character really well. Plus this is a really good setup for a character arc of emotional, physical, and spiritual development. We need to see what makes them keep coming back and holding onto their friendship every time.

If your characters hated each other to start: This is very similar to the above Number, you may have a novel where you got characters who used to hate each other but now it’s awkward. Those enemies can still argue! Yes! Because as we’ve stated we can see them fix problems and work together. This will bring them closer and— trust me if you do it really well you can take the “best friends path” or the “turned lovers path”. The power will be all to you!

~~~

MASTERLIST

beginner’s guide to your fanfic tag game ✨

Thank you to @undercoverpena and @nerdieforpedro for the tag! 

If someone were to come to your inbox and ask, “which of your fics do you recommend I read first?” what would you tell them?

I don’t have a ton of fics, so this is pretty much my masterlist too lol

Working Title (Dieter Bravo) - This is my first series and I’ve been writing it since July. We’re almost 20 chapters in, so it’s a commitment. But if you like a slow burn or are looking for a more grown-up, well-adjusted Dieter who has his life together (mostly) then I’d recommend it. This story does have some angst and smut, but a lot of fluff.

Delta Landscaping (Triple Frontier) - This story, including how it all came to be, is also very special to me. It’s an AU and has a lot of OCs in it, which I know isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But, I’m treating this as if it’s my Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’m weaving in a lot of Pedro characters in it and it includes a few planned spinoffs (some of which are already live…).

Are You on Mute? (Benny Miller) - The Benny Miller brain rot is REAL. I inadvertently stumbled into a little Benny series (there is a plan to weave the Are You series of one-shots together), but this was the first fic. As a corporate girlie who works from home two days a week, I now look at Zoom meetings differently because of this.

npt: @laurfilijames, @frenchiereading, @gemmahale, @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin and whoever else wants to play (sorry if any of you have already been tagged or don't want to play!).

Writing Tips: The Power of Friendship

How To Portray Friendship?

Friendship is more than just agreement; it's caring for each other despite disagreements.

Common interests and shared values often form the foundation of strong friendships.

Trust and respect are fundamental to any meaningful friendship.

Establishing trust is a gradual process, and working well together helps strengthen it.

Each character may uphold different ideologies, leading to potential conflict and lack of trust. This is fertile ground for an enemies to friends trope.

Building Friendship:

Spending time together, especially pursuing shared interests, is a great way to build and nurture friendships.

Engaging in matching self-disclosure, where characters exchange revelations about themselves, deepens their connection.

Overcoming challenges together, even just being present while the other person faces difficulty, can solidify the bonds of friendship.

How Can Friendship Help the Plot?

Friendships can be used to resolve crises in the plot, especially when one character is alone and in a dire situation, and the Power Of Friendship comes to the rescue.

Common Tropes That Involve Friendships:

Teamwork: A group of friends lose cohesion at first, but in the end, work together to defeat the villains.

The Loner: Some characters may question the power of friendship, doubting their friends' loyalty. This leads to isolation. These loners often have self-loathing issues, stemming from abuse or abandonment experiences, making it challenging for them to trust anyone. Their arc, of course, is to learn to trust the right people.

The Never-Gonna-Give-You-Up Ideal: This character represents unwavering friendship. They are willing to endure physical damage and take on the world for their friends, providing reliable support regardless of the circumstances. They are the embodiment of the Power Of Friendship.

The "I know you are somewhere in there" fight: Involves attempting to reach the friend hidden behind the evil facade, drawing them back with a never-give-up bond, often seen in master/student, parent/child, romance, or simple friendship dynamics. Breaking the mind control is achieved through various methods, including: 

a. Friends slowly chipping away at the brainwashed character's beliefs by talking them back to the side of good, reminding them who they really are.

b. The brainwashed character committing an act so heinous that it shocks them back to reality.

c. A specific trigger phrase that reminds the character of their true self.

d. Forcing the character to cross a moral line they wouldn't typically cross.

Subversion of Friendship:

Villains can hijack the power of friendship by holding one friend hostage to lure the others into a trap.

They can isolate a character, taunt them and bring up valid reasons their friends have no interest in coming to their aid. Ultimately, turning them against their friends. Only to be proven wrong when their friends arrive to save them.

Villains can make the hero surrender by threatening a friend.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.

Please reblog and share with writer friends. We're trying to get a wide sample of answers

Thank you!

Me to my writing friends: MR KRABS!!! I HAVE AN IDEAAAAA

hey Shal! So nice to hear from you! I'm happy to read that my words were received kindly, I was afraid I was a bit "too much" as I always am eheh :) I can maybe understand what you mean with having trouble with word finding and I can totally see you put a lot of care and thought into your work. But, honest to god, I don't read the "labor", the hard work behind things being thought out one way and coming together differently on the page. What I read is that you have a very distinctive style and it's a super smooth one at that (is writing for cinema or screenwriting in general a thing for you? I'll say it again you got the eye). And the dialogues are soooo, like, real! I said that I can maybe understand what you mean because I personally feel like my brain goes way way waaay too fast. Sometimes it's hard cause I don't feel like I can express myself like I want to and then people actually don't understand me so I get upset at myself and end up being unable to express myself even more and the cycle begins again... At university things were the same, my papers were always too "convoluted", my ideas were "too much", I lacked structure etc. It was very painful and made me feel like writing was not for me like at all. Which is bullshit, writing is for everyone. Now I don't know why I'm saying all this stuff, see? My brain is a mess, but I guess what I want to say is that whatever it is that you're doing with your writing process, you're clearly doing it great! It's a gift to be able to open up one's own imagination and show it to other people. It might not be easy(when things are, really), but it is a talent for sure and you got it!

take care <3

I personally feel like my brain goes way way waaay too fast. Sometimes it's hard cause I don't feel like I can express myself like I want to and then people actually don't understand me so I get upset at myself and end up being unable to express myself even more and the cycle begins again... At university things were the same, my papers were always too "convoluted", my ideas were "too much", I lacked structure etc.

That's exactly how it feels! Too fast at the wrong times, too slow at the wrong times. Other times, just static.

Word-finding is the worst, and then ppl wind up nitpicking when you choose the wrong ones and it can be soul-crushing like, "Oh no wait. That's not what I meant," matched with the mean-spirited, "But it's what you said and no takebacksies!"

Ah...anyway.

If you like to write, maybe we can join up on a writing sesh sometime in the future! The only cure I've found so far for all the cognitive dysfunction is making a habit of it...and having good company.

Ugh I need more writing friends!!!!

I need writer friends to motivate me! Anyone want to be friends? I write original fiction and the occasional fanfiction. Mostly fantasy, but I recently started working on a romance novel. Would love to publish one day but my work isn’t ready for the world yet. Let me know! Feel free to comment on here, send an ask, or a message

i was just looking for you ✮⋆˙

ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ

hi hi! im trying to be more active on this acc and start publishing my writing more! so i would love to find some mutuals on here (≧ω≦)!

i would preferably like someone who has the same interests as me but i can be moots with anyone as long as i like them. i also would like some writing blog moots.

if you're interested, please just direct message me. i'm still setting up my official discord where i will make a server as well but until then we can just chat on tumblr.

my interests include:

-south park

-writing

-kpop

-subliminals/manifesting

-shifting (taking a break currently)

-south park creators

-thirteen (2003)

-ayesha erotica

-any and all things goth

-any and all things pink

i have two sides

vacation bible school - ayesha erotica

or

hold me like a microphone - ayesha erotica

you pick which one you like most <33

𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒

thank you

, ╱|、 (˚�� 。7 |、˜〵 じしˍ,)ノ