for context, I’m writing a story about a biker gang and at the moment I’m writing the origin of the gang and backstory of my main character, Hunter. he lives in a run down, semi rural trailer park where most of the inhabitants are unemployed and poor. He lives with his mother (Tammy) and sister (Harley) and at this point in the story, he is 7-8 years old and his sister is 9-10. Their mother is mostly absent and her new partner (Hal) is an aggressive and abusive petty criminal that has moved in. He doesnt like kids and doesn’t want them hanging around in the trailer. The siblings sneak in for food and sleep under their beds for safety. They have no other family, others in the trailer park are struggling and have their own problems. The police are struggling too with the crime in the area including the nearby town. social services and the schools don’t have the facilities or funding to help every child and teen in the area with their home lives. About two years later, Hunter gets revenge on a trailer park resident which causes the resident to argue with Hal, making him extremely angry to the point that he nails Hunter and Harleys bedroom door shut now what I’m struggling with is how to write Harley in or even out of the story for a while. Cos I need hunter to become best friends with another troubled MC by finding solace in each other
From what you've posted so far it sounds like Harley and the other MC are fulfilling the same function in the story, especially if you can only imagine introducing a best friend after removing the sister. Do you really need both characters? Lose one? Or you play on the fact that they fulfill the same role by making Harley go away (maybe after that kind of start in life she's tragically institutionalised), then make Hal either troubled that his new best friend is a sister replacement and have that as a story tension, or have Hal consciously and openly drawn to the new friend because of that.
Harley can run away from home and end up trafficked by someone who "rescues" her from the street. She can turn up later in a MC scene if necessary.
You said this is two years later, when the sister is about 12-15? Depending on how rebellious she is, she might be the sort of person who runs away on her own, hoping to escape the life. Either she could leave on a whim when Hal is distracted, or she could plan an escape, promising Hunter that she'll find a place for him to stay and take him away.
Yeah they’re fulfilling the same function essentially which is why I need Harley out for at least several years. But I don’t want her wiped completely cos I plan on bringing her back as a major or minor plot point, haven’t decided yet. the only reason I need her gone temporarily is like I said, so that Hunter can become friends/best friends with Austin (my other MC) who he’ll eventually form the biker gang with Im considering her going to juvie but I’m struggling with a good, realistic reason, especially since she’s 12 years old at the time. I like your idea of institutionalised but would also need a good reason. I’m not educated on either of those systems. Or do I just make her a bit older and come up with some other reason for her to not be around for a while? also, incase it wasn’t obvious, I’m a complete beginner when it comes to writing stories. Any help is greatly appreciated
I I did consider her running away but I couldn’t make sense of why she might leave her brother behind Do I write a better relationship between Hunter and Tammy, so that when Harley goes to runaway, Hunter feels a burden to stay with his Mom? Especially not to leave her with her abusive boyfriend?
About 12, yeah. Fairly rebellious, maybe more. I would need to make sense of why she would leave her brother behind. You said she could promise him she’ll come back for him but in my eyes i don’t think she’d wanna leave him unless they have a major falling out? As said in another reply, I’m a complete beginner when it comes to writing stories so any help is appreciated. Thank you so far
Desparation. She can only save herself by leaving, and by saving herself, she might be able to someday save him.
Is this story set in the US? Some states allow unrestricted employment for 16 year-olds. Maybe she'd start to work long hours. She'd also have to walk a long way to the bus and then ride for at least an hour to get to work. Btw, if you want to make the family look more financially unstable, maybe you could have the two siblings share one bedroom. It wouldn't be the case if it was an apartment, but it would in a trailer park.
