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.
Editor and Author
Description:
An editor works with an author to strengthen their writing project. The author may privately seek out a freelance editor to improve their writing prior to submitting it to agents and publishing house editors. An editor working for a publishing entity may work with a contracted author on a manuscript that is already complete, for a proposed project that is not yet finished, or in a write-for-hire or ghostwriting capacity. The editor may support them through any number of edits, including copyedits, line edits, developmental edits, and more…
Relationship Dynamics
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict.
An editor at a publishing house working with an author for the first time
A writer and an editor who are working on a series together
A relationship being stymied by a lack of communication or transparency on either side
A relationship between two people who are professional and proper but have personality conflicts
Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
Either party not responding to communication attempts by the other party
The author and editor having a different vision for a project
The editor needing a manuscript on a tight deadline
The author feeling as though the editor was too hands-on in their approach
Wounds That Could Factor into The Relationship
A terminal illness diagnosis, A toxic relationship, A traumatic brain injury, An abuse of power, Battling a mental disorder, Being bullied, Being let down by a trusted organization or social system…
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Discreet and Gossipy, Independent and Needy, Controlling and Weak-Willed, Efficient and Scatterbrained, Generous and Greedy, Judgmental and Oversensitive, Persuasive and Gullible
Negative Outcomes of Friction
The parties going their separate ways and losing the relationship
The author feeling as though they have no choice but to give control to the editor
The editor having to fire the author
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
A fall from grace, A quest for knowledge, Beginnings, Betrayal, Deception, Depression, Disorder, Endings, Friendship, Greed, Inflexibility, Journeys, Knowledge, Obstacles, Perseverance, Recognition, Sacrifice, Stagnation, 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.