One of the problems of writing characters who actually like each other is that much of the value of friendship goes unspoken in day-to-day life. Friends don’t spend all their time explaining why they like each other or unpicking the positive qualities of their relationship.
Verbal irony is the use of words to convey something other than their literal meaning. If you accidentally dropped the ice cream cone you just bought and said, “Oh, great!”, you’d be using verbal irony.
Perhaps the most famous example of this type of character is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – a character whose aloof presentation makes him not just unfriendly, but hard to believe as the protagonist’s ultimate love interest.
The love triangle provides the perfect frame for conflict and resolution. Done right, a love triangle can mean double success: readers enjoy the complexity, the oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-s/he-did-that factor, and the deep sigh of satisfaction when everything’s finally resolved.
