Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone else had problems writing about your MC's family. I am writing a story were I haven't written anything about her family yet. I don't really want the family to play a part in the story, but not mentioning them at all feels strange. The most easy thing to do is just "kill them off" but I don't want it to become a sad story about a girl whos family died when she was just a baby, if you know what I mean. Anyone have a solution for this?
If the family isn't important then it's okay not to mention them too much - you don't even have to introduce them if you're writing about a character who is old enough to live independently (or for any other reason does not live with their family). The only things I mentioned about my MC's mother in a 185k first draft was that: she loved pop music, had a perm, worked as a lifeguard at a local swimming pool and then later turned to drugs.
For some reason my first thought went to the video game InFamous. In the story you are somehow given a very good picture of the character's family life, yet his family plays no part in the story and they are hardly ever mentioned. It is briefly mentioned (at an appropriate place) that they are disappointed in him and lies about what he does for a living, and you gather a pretty good picture from that (or at least by how it was presented in the game). My point being, a few lines can give a pretty strong image.
Only bring it up when it needs bringing up. If the MC's family play little to no part in the overall scheme of things, then it's not bad to simply not include them.
If it's not necessary to the story then leave it out. I only bring up my MC's family when it's relevant to the story. Otherwise they're not really mentioned. I remember when I first started writing it felt wrong or odd to totally cut the MC's family out of the picture. One time I even tried writing them in. They didn't need to be in the story so it just bogged the whole thing down. Now I only bring them up if it's somehow relevant to the character or the story in that moment.
If you feel the need to bring the family up then you could put in a few lines describing them compared the character. Is she like the black sheep of the family? Or does she does things that her family does not approve of? Or perhaps her family is holding her back in some ways- emotionally or physically.
Angst adds flavour to everything ~~ Personally, it depends on who your MC is. Is she old enough to live on her own? Does she live with her parents? Is she CLOSE with her parents? Certain things have to be taken into account. If, for example, your MC is a regular high school student, then I would imagine having her family being involved in her life a little more... unless they are neglectful. When you're a teenager, misguided parents will usually meddle into your life, all the while wondering if you're on drugs or if you're having unprotected sex. However, if she's a young adult or even an adult, an easy way to get rid of the parents is to simply not have her live with them. Young adults usually go away for college and adults have (or at least should have) established a life on their own.
