Does your family bug you? Even if you love your family, your fictional characters probably have a more complicated relationship. In an article for Writer’s Digest, Daniel Aleman offers advice for writing about family in fiction. “I like to think of families as complex, imperfect units that can provide such rich material—if you know how to effectively utilize them to elevate your story,” he says. His tips include:
- Consider the Impact of Family Composition on Your Main Character. Examine who comprises your protagonist’s family and how your protagonist feels about each. “The answers to these questions may lead you to uncover important details about your protagonist, especially since people tend to be shaped by the dynamics they’ve experienced at home, and family composition could influence your main character’s personality, worldview, and way of doing things,” Aleman says. Birth order, emotional intimacy, and divorce are multiple elements that can affect point of view.
- Explore the Interconnectedness of Families. The choices of one family member affect the others, whether they like it or not.
- Lean Into the Emotion. Family members can be a source of comfort or they can drive you crazy. “Dig deep into what your main character feels toward each person in their family, and don’t be afraid to explore conflicting or contradictory emotions,” Aleman suggests. “A character could hold deep resentment toward a family member, while also feeling love for them. Or we could sense that someone in the family disapproves of certain decisions our main character has made, while also feeling proud of who they have become.”
- Think About Using Absence as a Tool to Elevate Your Story. Sometimes, a character’s absence can loom large in your protagonist’s life. Physical distance, emotional estrangement, and death can impact your hero’s outlook on life.
