Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive and supportive, pushing the protagonist to positive growth and helping them achieve their goals. Other relationships do exactly the opposite—derailing your character’s confidence and self-worth—or they cause friction and conflict that leads to fallout and disruption. Many relationships hover somewhere in the middle. A balanced story will require a mix of these dynamics.
The purpose of this thesaurus is to encourage you to explore the kinds of relationships that might be good for your story and figure out what each might look like. Think about what a character needs (good and bad), and build a network of connections for him or her that will challenge them, showcase their innermost qualities, and bind readers to their relationship trials and triumphs.
The following is just a sample of the content available for this relationship. To see it in its entirety (along with 45+ additional relationship entries), check out our Description Thesaurus Collection at One Stop For Writers.
Executive and Personal Assistant
Description: Executives are busy people who very often will hire a personal assistant to handle their administrative needs. The assistant’s responsibilities may be strictly professional (scheduling appointments, fielding phone calls, taking notes during meetings, etc.) or also personal (ordering a gift for the nephew’s graduation, planning meals and shopping for groceries, etc.). Whatever the agreed-upon duties, a personal assistant uses their skills to keep all the executive’s plates spinning.
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations: Controlling and Independent, Cruel and Just, Disloyal and Trusting, Disorganized and Fussy, Thrifty and Extravagant, Flaky and Sensible, Gossipy and Private
Negative Outcomes of Friction
The assistant being fired
The assistant becoming resentful, leading to them seeking vengeance against the executive
An assistant burning out and becoming less effective
Things becoming awkward at work
One party domineering and controlling the other
A lack of trust eroding the relationship
Negative feelings factoring into the assistant’s performance review
Important assignments or business relationships getting caught in the crossfire, resulting in lost professional opportunities
One party losing respect for the other
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
One party’s workaholic ways can be challenged when they see the other’s fulfilling personal life
A doormat assistant may learn to stand up for him or herself and set healthy boundaries
Both parties may learn the importance of keeping things professional at work
An assistant may learn important skills or knowledge from the boss, becoming better at their job and advancing professionally
Either party may overcome prejudice
An older executive may become more relevant due to a younger assistant’s influence
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
A Fall from Grace, A Quest for Knowledge, Betrayal, Crossroads, Disorder, Enslavement, Freedom, Friendship, Greed, Inflexibility, Perseverance, Pride, Sacrifice, Teamwork
Other Relationship Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Need More Descriptive Help?
The content you’ve just read is a sample of one entry found in our Relationship Thesaurus at One Stop for Writers. To access the complete entry and the other collections in this powerful show-don’t-tell Thesaurus Database (18 unique thesauri and growing!), give our free trial a spin.

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.