In a guest post on Writers in the Storm, Becca Puglisi offers advice on creating chemistry between your characters, even if they are enemies. “If we can bring chemistry into the protagonist’s friendships, rivalries, or even mentor/protégé and adversarial relationships, the characters and dynamics will come alive for readers,” she writes.
Her tips include:
- Make the Characters Clash. Opposing personality traits – impulsive v. cautious, logical v. emotional – can create tension between characters, even friends. Characters may have clashing goals or morals. “Differences create friction, and friction creates interest,” Puglisi says.
- Let Them See Each Other Clearly. “Maybe one character sees something in the other that most people miss: an undervalued strength or how they’re uniquely different,” Puglisi explains. “Maybe the character sees a friend’s flaws and weaknesses and are able to call those out in a way that’s challenging rather than critical.”
- Don’t Forget the Subtext. Even friends hide things from each other: feelings, backstory, fears, and goals. “So a character’s surface-level interactions (their words, choices, and behaviors) contradict what’s really going on inside (visceral responses, thoughts, and emotions),” Puglisi writes. “That subtext charges the energy in the relationship, making it crackle.”
- Create Shared History or Inside Moments. Shared experiences create bonds, inside jokes, shared secrets, and character chemistry. “If the characters are just getting to know each other and don’t yet have a history, create bonding moments—even something small, like a shared joke or win—to start building that depth early,” Puglisi recommends.
- Make the Relationship Interesting. Opposing traits, goals, or morals create interest. Create an unusual pairing, a difficult objective, or powerful enemy, and add mystery. “One of my favorite pairings in all of fiction is the one between Scout Finch and Boo Radley,” Puglisi writes. “Their relationship teems with chemistry despite them not talking or officially meeting until the very end.”
- Ebb and Flow. Relationships should evolve and have their ups and downs. Puglisi suggests mapping out the relationship and marking places where the friendship strengthens or declines. If you don’t see enough change, add choices and turning points that affect the relationship.
