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.
Stepparent and Stepchild
Description:
Many factors play into the dynamics of the stepparent/stepchild relationship. The child’s age and receptiveness to the stepparent will have a lot of impact. Similarly, the stepparent’s willingness to fill a parental role, their experience with children, and their relationships with the child’s biological parents can all determine how things play out. This relationship is anything but simple, making it fertile ground for plot and character development.
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 stepparent and stepchild who deeply fulfill relationship needs for each another
A stepparent who pursues harmony with the stepchild’s biological parent for the benefit of the child
A stepparent being introduced into the life of a young adult child—smoothly, without much upheaval
A stepparent who tries to be the stepchild’s friend more than their parent
A reluctant stepparent who is playing the role of father or mother out of obligation
Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
The stepchild becoming injured or ill on the stepparent’s watch
The stepparent separating from or divorcing the child’s biological parent
A situation in which one of the two parties is lying, forcing the biological parent to choose who to believe
The stepparent and biological parent having a child of their own
The death of the stepchild’s biological parent
The stepparent needing to relocate for work, resulting in a major move for the child
The teenaged child rebelling against the stepparent and rejecting their authority
One of the child’s parents dealing with mental illness or addiction
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Controlling and Rebellious, Independent and Needy, Nurturing and Withdrawn, Responsible and Uncooperative, Persuasive and Weak-Willed, Trusting and Manipulative, Trustworthy and Dishonest, Abrasive and Oversensitive
Negative Outcomes of Friction
One person forcing someone else to make a choice between people
Decreased trust
Feeling caught in the middle of competing interests and alliances
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
Increased trust and a widened support circle
Discovering that family can be found outside of genetic ties
Learning to embrace different views and parenting methods
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
Alienation, Beginnings, Betrayal, Coming of age, Depression, Endings, Family, Health, Hope, Illness, Inflexibility, Innocence, Instability, Journeys, Loss, Love, Passage of time, Rebellion, Refuge, Sacrifice, Teamwork, Unity, 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.