RELATIONSHIP THESAURUS

NEIGHBORS



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HELPFUL TIP:

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:
Neighbors, by definition, live close to each other. For the protagonist, this could be the person living in the house across the street, on the farm that borders their property, or on the other side of an apartment wall. In today's world, people are often busy and may not interact with neighbors very often, but the opportunities for support and strife within this relationship make it one worth exploring.

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.

Both parties respecting physical and emotional boundaries
Looking out for each other
Providing what the neighbor needs: a listening ear, caring for a pet while they're out of town, privacy, etc.
Addressing problems directly instead of going through a third party
Each person reasonably maintaining their property so it doesn't negatively impact the other
Being considerate when it comes to noise, parking, etc.
Making certain decisions with the community (instead of only themselves) in mind
Acting thoughtlessly—e.g., throwing loud parties that run into the wee hours
Either party disregarding requests to keep their property safe and reasonably clean
Disrespecting the neighbor's property (letting the dog poop on their lawn, allowing trees to drop rotting fruit in their backyard, etc.)
An offended party reporting an issue to the Homeowner's Association instead of trying to work it out with the neighbor
Either neighbor prying into the other's personal business
Either neighbor constantly coming over unannounced
Someone borrowing tools and not returning them
One person monopolizing streetside parking or blocking a neighbor's driveway

CHALLENGES THAT COULD THREATEN THE STATUS QUO:
A neighbor engaging in activities the other person finds unethical, such as raising dogs for fighting
A neighbor the character is on good terms with experiencing a cut in pay and needing to bring others into the household who disrupt the relationship
The Homeowner's Association making changes that negatively impact either party
A neighbor moving out and deciding to rent their home as a vacation property
Either party becoming part of the association board and advocating rules or changes the other person disagrees with
One person's pet being attacked by a neighbor's dog who is not kept on a leash
A neighbor engaging in activity that makes the other character feel unsafe, such as the neighbor watching them when they're laying out in the backyard
Being falsely accused by a neighbor of wrongdoing

WOUNDS THAT COULD FACTOR INTO THE RELATIONSHIP:
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POSSIBLE CONFLICT SCENARIOS:
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CONFLICTING DESIRES THAT CAN IMPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP:
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CLASHING PERSONALITY TRAIT COMBINATIONS:
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NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF FRICTION:
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FICTIONAL SCENARIOS THAT COULD TURN THESE CHARACTERS INTO ALLIES:
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WAYS THIS RELATIONSHIP MAY LEAD TO POSITIVE GROWTH:
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THEMES AND SYMBOLS THAT CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THIS RELATIONSHIP:
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