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.
Headmaster and Student
Description:
A headmaster is the primary administrative figure at a school, overseeing the academic experience for all students. The degrees of separation between these individuals often make it a superficial or transactional relationship., but with a little planning and outside-of-the-box thinking, it can become much more interesting.
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.
A headmaster taking great pains to make sure the student succeeds
The student respecting the headmaster’s position of authority
A headmaster actively mentoring a student
A headmaster taking special interest in a student because of a relationship with the student’s parents (they’re friends, donors, etc.)
A relationship in which the headmaster is also the student’s parent, generating resentment, awkwardness, friction, or rebellion
A headmaster and student with a purely academic relationship (only interacting when there are educational questions or concerns)
A cruel or unbending headmaster who rules the student with an iron fist
An entitled student believing the headmaster should give them what they want or have “earned”
A headmaster having low expectations for the student and being quick to believe the worst about him or her
A headmaster having unreasonably high expectations for the student
A student trying to ruin a headmaster’s career or make their professional life difficult
A headmaster being determined to remove the student from the school
A headmaster and student using each other to get what they want
A student blackmailing the headmaster
Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
The student getting caught breaking a rule or violating a policy
The school being embroiled in a scandal
The headmaster having to take a leave of absence and an interim taking his or her place
The student criticizing the headmaster or school online
The student having to repeat a grade
The student playing a prank on the headmaster
The student suffering a trauma that triggers PTSD, depression, or another mental challenge
Either party discovering sensitive information about the other
The headmaster showing favoritism to the student in a very public way
The student’s parent being hired to work at the school
The parties discovering ties outside of the school environment
The headmaster suspecting that the student is suffering from neglect or abuse at home
The student developing a relationship with the headmaster’s child
The student’s family pulling their financial support from the school
The student’s financial situation changing, making it difficult for them to afford tuition
The student becoming an athletic or arts phenom, giving them more power
Conflicting Desires that Can Impair the Relationship
Either party wanting to control the other
The student wanting a different academic path than the headmaster wants for them
The headmaster wanting a punishment for the student that the student deems unfair
Either party wanting different levels or kinds of communication
One party wanting a shared secret to remain hidden
One party wanting to change schools while the other wants them to stay
The headmaster wanting information about another student that the character isn’t willing to share
Either party wanting an inappropriate relationship
The student wanting the headmaster to provide support or intervene in a private matter while the headmaster wants to remain neutral
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Independent and Needy, Judgmental and Oversensitive, Responsible and Uncooperative, Trusting and Manipulative, Nurturing and Withdrawn, Controlling and Rebellious, Persuasive and Weak-Willed
Negative Outcomes of Friction
The student being suspended or expelled
The headmaster losing their job
Anxiety and frustration over not feeling supported in their respective roles
Either party feeling misunderstood in their efforts to please and support the other person
Feeling vulnerable at the hands of the other party
The student dropping out of school
The headmaster’s career or reputation being ruined
Arguing and fighting
Decreased trust
The student experiencing an abuse of power
The student failing academically
Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
The headmaster being able to help the student with personal struggles
The student influencing peers to support the headmaster
Coming together to plan a project or fundraiser that benefits the school
The headmaster becoming a mentor for the student
The student bringing information and insight to the headmaster that they might not otherwise get
Sharing a traumatic experience together, such as school shooting or natural disaster
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
Each party learning to respect the other’s position
The student growing and maturing under the guidance of the headmaster
The headmaster gaining a youthful perspective
The student finding an adult ally that they can trust
The headmaster finding deeper meaning in their professional life
The headmaster learning to accept feedback for improving the school
The student gaining a confidant
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
A fall from grace, Alienation, A quest for knowledge, Betrayal, Borders, Coming of age, Crossroads, Danger, Deception, Depression, Disorder, Evil, Family, Freedom, Friendship, Greed, Health, Hope, Illness, Inflexibility, Innocence, Instability, Isolation, Journeys, Knowledge, Loss, Love, Obstacles, Order, Passage of time, Peace, Perseverance, Pride, Rebellion, Recognition, Refuge, Sacrifice, Stagnation, Suffering, Teamwork, Transformation, Unity, Violence, Vulnerability, Wealth
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.