44 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
1.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Initial Relationships
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category: Characters
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tags: characters, relationships, starting-state, continuity
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contextKey: characters.initialRelationships
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micro: Define how characters relate to each other before the story changes them.
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quickTitle: What are Initial Relationships?
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quickSummary: Initial Relationships describe the starting state between characters before later scenes create changes, reveals or reversals.
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screenshot:
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---
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# Overview
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Initial Relationships record how characters begin. They are the baseline for later relationship events, current relationship state and future relationship map views.
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# When Should I Use This?
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Use initial relationships for bonds that already exist at project start or before a character first appears. Family ties, old friendships, rivalries, debts, secrets and professional roles often belong here.
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# How To Use It
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Choose the related character, relationship type, awareness state and confidence or intensity. Add notes for hidden history or reader knowledge, especially when the relationship is true in the world but not yet known to the reader.
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# Example
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Maggie and Beth may begin as strangers to the reader, while the writer knows there is a hidden family connection. The initial relationship can capture the author-facing truth while later events handle the reveal.
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# Writer Tip
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Initial does not mean permanent. It is the first marker on the relationship timeline.
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# Common Mistakes
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- Using initial relationships for changes that happen during scenes.
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- Forgetting to mark whether the reader initially knows the relationship.
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- Recording only romantic or family bonds and missing professional or hostile ones.
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- Duplicating a relationship instead of editing the existing baseline.
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# Related Guides
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- [Current Relationships](/Help/Article/characters.currentRelationships)
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- [Relationship Events](/Help/Article/characters.relationshipEvents)
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- [Relationship Map](/Help/Article/relationshipMap.overview)
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