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.
Caregiver and Client
Description: There are moments in time when caregivers are needed. If your character is elderly, injured, recovering from surgery, mentally disabled, or a pregnant woman on bedrest, someone may be hired to help them out. Caregivers can be round-the-clock and live-in helpers or they might come during certain hours when family members aren’t available. They might be hired for a limited period of time or in perpetuity. They may be a professional caregiver or a neighbor or friend of the family who is hired to do the job. Regardless of the details, this relationship is based implicitly on trust, with a vulnerable party depending on someone to meet their most basic needs.
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations: Responsible and Uncooperative, Courteous and Disrespectful, Discreet and Gossipy, Independent and Needy, Persuasive and Gullible, Controlling and Weak-Willed
Negative Outcomes of Friction
A client’s condition worsening because they don’t get along with their caregiver
The caregiver losing their job
An abused or mistreated client not speaking up and getting help because they need a caregiver’s assistance
Friction with family members who must step in and take over duties when a caregiver leaves or is fired
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
A client who resists help learning to accept it
A client or caregiver who sees themselves as superior is able to learn from the other party
An emotional need may be filled, such as a caregiver who was orphaned seeing their client as a parental figure, or the caregiver filling the role of the client’s estranged child.
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
Beginnings, Betrayal, Depression, Endings, Freedom, Friendship, Health, Hope, Illness, Loss, Passage of Time, Refuge, Stagnation, Suffering, Vulnerability
Other Relationship Thesaurus entries can be found here.
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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.