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.
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. The working relationship is built on trust, with an editor who needs to understand the author’s intent and possess the skills to sharpen the writing. The author needs to trust the editor’s judgment and be willing to heed their advice in order to make the suggested revisions. A willingness to compromise and communicate openly is crucial in making this relationship function. But with competing interests and external demands, the editor/author relationship can be a challenging one.
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
An editor working with an author with whom they have a long-standing, exclusive relationship
A relationship based on mutual trust and respect
An editor working with an author who has difficulty accepting criticism
An editor who takes it personally when suggestions aren’t accepted by the author
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
One party who adheres strictly to deadlines working with a party who is terrible with time management
An author feeling marginalized by an editor who gives all their time and energy to higher-profile clients
An editor and author who have vastly different visions for a new project
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 giving the author harsh, conflicting, or unclear feedback
The author refusing to heed the guidance of the editor
The editor feeling as though the author’s manuscript is not yet ready (despite revision)
The author needing an extension on a deadline
The editor needing a manuscript on a tight deadline
The author feeling as though the editor was too hands-on in their approach
The author not receiving enough feedback for what they paid for a freelance edit
The author wanting to take their project to another editor
The editor (if freelance) raising their rates
The author submitting revised writing after edits have already started
The editor needing more time to give the author their notes
Either party deciding to pull the book due to controversial content
The editor moving the publication date for the author’s book
One person gossiping about the working relationship and it getting back to the other party
The author’s last project failing to earn out its advance or not receiving attention
A third party, such as the author’s agent or someone in the marketing department, becoming a wedge in the editor-author relationship
The editor realizing the work needed by the author is more than they initially believed
One party facing a major life change (illness, marriage, divorce, childbirth, etc.) that impacts the working relationship
The author making a very public mistake that requires the editor to sever ties
The editor leaving the author’s contracted publishing house
The editor reducing the budget for publicity, marketing, etc. for the author’s book
The author being pressured by the editor to promote themselves
One party bashing the other party in a public way
The author feeling as though their work is under-appreciated or is seen strictly as a sales commodity
The editor pressuring the author to share more about themselves personally than they feel comfortable doing
The author feeling pressured to take on a project that they do not have interest in
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, Cracking under pressure, Growing up in the public eye, Growing up in the shadow of a successful sibling, Having one’s ideas or work stolen, Living with chronic pain or illness, Making a very public mistake, Misplaced loyalty, Prejudice or discrimination, Social difficulties
Conflicting Desires that Can Impair the Relationship
One party wanting to control the other
One party seeing the project as a series and the other seeing it as a stand-alone book
Both parties wanting different levels of communication
An author wanting to stay true to their artistic vision, while the editor must focus on the business side of publication
One party wanting to please gatekeepers (such as parents, librarians, and reviewers), while the other does not
Having different opinions on time, money, and attention for the project
One party wanting to work together in the future while the other party does not
The author wanting to take their project or writing career elsewhere
The editor and author wanting different illustrators or cover art for the book
The author wanting greater creative license over a project they have been specifically hired to write with the editor’s vision in mind
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
Fights and arguments over proposed edits
Either party feeling undervalued
Either party bad-mouthing the other person in professional circles
The author refusing to pay for services
Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
A writing project having tremendous success (winning awards, exceeding sales expectations, etc.)
One party experiencing a personal difficulty that the other has experienced
Uniting to stand up to a trolling reviewer or a bully in the marketing department
An editor giving the author the guidance needed to unlock their vision for a project
The author’s project going on to become a TV show or movie
A similar project being worked on by a rival, turning the two parties into a team to produce a better outcome
The two parties joining forces to fight a legal battle against
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
The editor and author connecting on a personal level
Both parties learning from each other and wanting to continue working together
A party recognizing what the non-negotiables are in the relationship
The relationship dissolving, and one or both parties finding success with someone who is a better fit
Working together indefinitely, bringing stability to both parties
Learning to collaborate in an otherwise solitary professional environment
An author learning to accept help
An editor learning to respect an author’s vision
Encouraging an author to bring a project to completion or to take a bold step in their career
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?
While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (15 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.
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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.