HOST AND GUEST
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Relationships are part of the very fabric of your character’s life. How well or poorly they get along with others oftentimes comes down to personality, so carefully consider the positive traits and negative traits of your story’s cast. Another factor that can pull characters together or create friction is motivation, so keep each individual’s goal—both at the scene and story level—in mind as you write.
DESCRIPTION:
RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS:
Each party fulfilling their role to the best of their ability (as the good host, the well-mannered house guest, the sociable guest speaker, the appropriately attired attendee, etc.)
The parties having a personal relationship outside of their guest/host roles
The parties only knowing each other in this capacity
One or both parties reluctantly fulfilling their roles (a host who doesn't want to lead, a guest who was forced to attend, etc.)
An opportunistic host inviting a guest solely for their ability to bring attention or credibility to the event
The parties disliking each other but acting as if things are okay (with false smiles, passive-aggressive comments, etc.)
The parties openly disliking each other and creating friction at the event
The parties openly disliking each other and creating friction at the event
CHALLENGES THAT COULD THREATEN THE STATUS QUO:
A host being unprepared to handle a guest's special needs
A guest having unrealistic expectations the host can't meet
A guest showing up who was deliberately not invited
A guest not respecting the host's property, time, or reputation
A guest taking advantage of the host's hospitality
One party seeking to undermine or exploit the other
Either party using their role to make the other look bad
Either party making unreasonable demands—forcing too many rules on the guest or demanding a host go above and beyond, for instance
Either party engaging in undesirable behavior (a guest being racist or sexist, the host distributing drugs at a party, etc.)
A host looking down on certain guests and treating them differently than the others
A guest learning that the event is a cover for something nefarious—e.g., a party where trafficking is happening behind the scenes
A host going into debt to provide the perfect experience or impress their guests
House guests overstaying their welcome
Property being destroyed