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.
Master and Apprentice
Description:
A master is a highly skilled worker with much talent and experience who trains an apprentice in a particular vocation. This relationship may go on for years for the apprentice to be properly trained and prepared to work on their own. Traditionally, the relationship exists in trade vocations, such as masonry, metalwork, welding, etc. In modern times, fields such as architecture, artistry, medicine, computer programming, and others may utilize an apprenticeship structure.
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.
The apprentice wanting to learn a trade and taking to the master’s teachings enthusiastically
An apprentice having the confidence to solve problems and make decisions without needing hand-holding
The apprentice having a half-hearted attitude about the situation (underachieving, showing up late, not doing one’s best, etc.)
The apprentice being unteachable (because the apprentice is only pursuing the trade to please someone else, they feel they know more than the master, etc.)
An apprentice needing constant affirmation and encouragement
The master knowing their trade well and delighting in training apprentices
The master wanting to do anything possible to make the apprentice successful
An apprentice being partner with a master who is strong in their craft but weak on mentoring and teaching
The master being so busy that the apprentice is constantly being sidelined or made to wait
A master not trusting the apprentice with important jobs; giving them busy work that robs them of the ability to learn and improve
Either person taking credit for the other’s work or ideas
One party being more concerned with what they can get out of the relationship that what they can give
Using the relationship as an opportunity to dominate, control, or abuse the apprentice
Either party having biases or prejudice toward the other
Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
The apprentice getting a better offer from someone else
The master taking on multiple apprentices
Either party developing a bias (socially, culturally, racially, etc.) against the other
The master becoming jealous of or feeling threatened by the apprentice’s skill
The apprentice reaching a skill level that makes them feel they don’t need further instruction
The master’s business booming, resulting in less time for them to devote to the apprentice
The apprentice surpassing the master’s skill level
The master falling ill
The apprentice causing a severe accident or disaster
The apprentice sustaining an injury that impacts their ability to work the trade
Either party dealing with a difficult personal situation that impacts their work performance
Either party discovering a hidden secret about the other party
The apprentice stealing the master’s ideas or work
The loss of the physical setting or tools necessary for training (due to fire, theft, disrepair, etc.)
A shortage of supplies needed for the trade
An economic downturn that results in financial hardship for the master
The apprentice being a willing learner but lacking skill, dexterity, strength, or another vital quality that limits their progress
Wounds That Could Factor into The Relationship
A learning disability, A parent’s abandonment or rejection, A speech impediment, An abuse of power, Battling a mental disorder, Being disappointed by a role model, Being fired or laid off, Being forced to keep a dark secret, Cracking under pressure, Falling short of society’s physical standards, Giving a child up for adoption, Growing up in the shadow of a successful sibling, Having a controlling or overly strict parent, Living with chronic pain or illness, Losing a limb, Losing one of the five senses, Social difficulties
Conflicting Desires that Can Impair the Relationship
The apprentice not wanting to learn the trade (because they were forced into the situation by a parent, for instance)
The master not wanting to share their knowledge
The apprentice wanting to do as little work as possible
The master wanting things done differently than the apprentice wants to do them
Either party wanting more control than the other party will yield
The apprentice wanting more praise than the master feels comfortable giving
The apprentice wanting to change masters or trades
The parties not wanting the same level of involvement in training
The parties having different desires for order and structure within the training
The apprentice wanting to prove themselves for the wrong reasons
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Ambitious and Lazy, Judgmental and Oversensitive, Nurturing and Withdrawn, Controlling and Weak-Willed, Independent and Needy, Mature and Irresponsible, Efficient and Scatterbrained, Cautious and Reckless, Confrontational and Timid
Negative Outcomes of Friction
Fights and arguments
The apprentice avoiding their training
The master bullying or belittling the apprentice
The master taking advantage of the apprentice so he or she can do less work
Either party feeling like a failure
The master feeling helpless in guiding the apprentice
Shame and feelings of worthlessness
Feeling trapped in the arrangement
One of the parties quitting and having to start over with a new partner
The apprentice being promoted without having learned the necessary skills
Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
The master discovering a weakness in the apprentice that he or she is uniquely able to help them overcome (or vice-versa)
Finding common ground in an area of personal life
One party saving the other’s life in a hazardous situation
The apprentice’s success garnering attention for the master and their work
Standing united against a challenging third party (a customer, the boss, the apprentice’s family, etc.)
The master helping the apprentice find the right path in their professional life
The apprentice fulfilling a child or friendship role for the apprentice
Working together to innovate and create something new in their industry
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
Both parties learning from one another and growing
The apprentice’s life being greatly enhanced through the apprenticeship and what results from it
The master finding renewed passion for their craft
Both parties learning to compromise and work together
Either party learning to self-advocate and create healthy boundaries
An apprentice discovering depths of talent or aptitude they didn’t know they had
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
A fall from grace, A quest for knowledge, Beginnings, Coming of age, Friendship, Inflexibility, Innocence, Journeys, Knowledge, Passage of time, 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.