Enemies to Lovers? Here’s How to Actually Do It Right

Enemies to lovers is a trope that I’ve frequently discussed before and in the spirit of launching my new Ultimate Guide to Writing Romantasy, I figured that I’d explore the concept again and talk about how to do it the right way for romantasy or really any other genre. Enemies to lovers happens to be a trope that I’ve seen and observed in a lot of romantasy books, so chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about writing a romantasy book yourself. So, here’s how to actually write enemies to lovers the right way for your next book. 

Before you dive into this post though, be sure to download these FREE 20 in-depth romantasy prompts that include tons of different story setups and details to help you get a good headstart on your next book. Grab the prompts here → Get my prompts now

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What Makes the Trope So Popular?

Enemies to lovers is popular for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is the fact that it already comes packaged with some conflict. The potential couple are already on opposite sides of something like a war or a quest or ideology. You don’t need to come up with much drama because the plot already hands that off to you through the enemies to lovers setup. 

Also, it’s really great as a trope because it comes with high stakes. Falling in love with an enemy often comes with a ton of risks and so the conflict feels more real and the outcome becomes much stronger to the reader. 

On top of this, the setup of enemies to lovers provides for a lot of room for growth. Readers are going to see that you have a story where there is room for your characters to change and adjust, and that’s part of the reason why they will fall in love eventually. 

Also, enemies to lovers is a fun trope to read at the end of the day. There’s a lot of room for tension and a ton of emotional expansion in a story based around this trope or a story that at least includes it in some capacity. However, it does need to be done right in order to sink the idea in properly.

Examples

• Gideon and Rune in Heartless Hunter
• Feyre and Rhysand in A Court of Thorns and Roses
  
• Jude and Cardan in The Cruel Prince

Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)

Enemies to lovers can sometimes also be done wrong, and there are common pitfalls that can allow for this to happen. Firstly, if the enemy is just so evil that they damage the protagonist beyond any and all repair. There are some of those dark romance books out there that exist with romances like this, but most of the time, that’s just a niche genre and most romantasy or romance readers aren’t a fan of extreme villainous behavior. Trauma isn’t the best way to set up a romance story. 

Also, enemies to lovers implies that they’re going to be enemies for a good period of time. A single moment should not be enough to flip one person from hating the other to loving them. There needs to be some time and growth over that time. 

Additionally, having no personal growth for the characters is a bad idea. One can’t just remain stagnant while the other changes, because that will make the relationship feel pretty unbalanced. 

How to Write Enemies to Lovers the Right Way

1. Anchor the Conflict in Opposing Goals

Enemies exist because the desires and goals each person has are different and opposing. For instance, maybe one character guards the very thing that the other must destroy for their kingdom’s glory. This clash is concrete and powerful and gives a solid setup for why they’d oppose each other.

2. Turn Tension into Revelation

Arguments and tension that exists between the two potential lovers should create room for surfacing something about each person. You want to sort of peel away complex layers to your characters and show the readers that they have more depth beyond just potentially falling in love with each other. It also helps to build empathy between the characters when they learn about things from each other over time. 

4. Slow Burn Beats Insta-Love

Slow burn and enemies to lovers goes hand-in-hand. Insta-love doesn’t work in enemies to lovers because that defeats the purpose of the enemies part of the arc. You want them to hate each other and you want them to genuinely be enemies. Having insta-love would just make the story not really a true enemies to lovers arc. If you want to learn how to write a slow burn, check out this post!

5. Keep the Stakes Climbing

You need to have high stakes throughout most of the story. Their potential for falling in love needs to cost them something that will inevitably make them resist each other. They need to have something that they may give up or their life needs to change in some capacity in order for the romance’s effects to hit hard. 

Need Extra Help Crafting Your Enemies-to-Lovers Saga?

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Writing Romantasy, which is a step-by-step instructional workbook packed with all the material you need to learn how to write an amazing romantasy book from start to finish with tons of trope discussion just like this one!

Still brainstorming? Snag the 20 Romantasy Prompts PDF and get your next book started right away!

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