Family

Posted on 10 November 2009

As my own family is in town today, I feel compelled to talk about the literary complications that can come in including family in a story that “doesn’t need them.” (isn’t that a short and sweet introduction?)

So yeah.  Sure there are plenty of books out there that are specifically dedicated to examining the complex interactions between family members through the course of strong events, but those are typically “literary” novels more than genre, and I have to wonder: Why is it that every person who is stepping up to save the day is an only-child orphan?  Aside from the mysticism of it, it’s a bit of an overdone trope in my opinion.

Now granted, I’m kind of guilty of it myself.  In two of my three manuscripts, not a single character’s parents are mentioned, nor siblings.  And I admit, this is a failing.  After all, if Average Joe has a problem, wouldn’t he be likely to consult the old tried-and-true pillars of wisdom that brought him up (provided they aren’t conveniently dead or missing or Darth Vader), or perhaps would he (and pardon the gender-typing, I’m meaning he in the gender-neutral sense) not also perhaps go and speak with a sibling, perhaps one who might even have some foresight into the matter.  And, here’s the kicker, could this supposed hero (or heroine), do this without the book being all about the dynamics of family?  Could it not, perhaps, be a story where these considerations of real-life phenomenon happen without it being a major plot point, but instead it could be just another way to draw a person into caring about the characters, connecting with them on a deeper level?  I mean, I think I’d seriously connect better with a hero who has a brother (such as I do), and interacts with him in a believable but not plot-dominating way that I would an orphan.

And now that I’ve harped on this, I’d better get off and start doing it.  After all, manuscript number 3 has a father, but it is somewhat plot-central.  Bah.  I guess it somewhat defies the Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) Law of Everything, and the general “get your money’s worth out of your words” law of writing, but it still bugs me.  Meh!