I’m going to do something special, this year. Obviously,
since today isn’t Friday. Instead of one post on Friday, I’m doing two posts:
today and Saturday. And in the spirit (I never did understand the idea of this
“spirit”, because it’s only a thing in A
Christmas Carol) of Christmas, I’m going to talk about family.
But not just any family, the family in your novel and in
mine.
What sort of family does your main character have?
If your hero/ine is like many others, they may have very
little for family. An evil uncle or older brother, perhaps. A younger sister or
baby brother.
And… that’s about it.
Why?
That’s the question I’m going to focus on this week, along
with this question: what does a main character’s family do?
Let’s focus on the second question, today. What does a main
character’s family do?
See, most families we see around us aren’t the kind of
family we experience in novels. In novels we find families that are often torn
apart or missing various members. So when we do have those members in our novels, what do
they do?
I have found three things, in my pondering of this question,
that seem to answer our predicament:
-They support the hero/ine
-They give the hero/ine something to lose
-They represent the hero/ine’s Old Life
Each of these things is rather simple, is it not? Let’s try
to make this a bit more fun and expand on them, shall we?
Family supports the Main Character
Does your family hate you? Do they avoid you at all costs
and look down on you with disdain?
Most families… don’t. Yes, there are exceptions. There are
always exceptions. But most families – the kind of family that is genuine and real – stand by you. When others
disagree, they’re willing to stick in a good word for you.
Your main character is probably going to do something stupid
at some point in your novel. If they don’t, they are quite the perfect human
being. Er… angel, because human beings aren’t perfect. How does the family
react when the main character does that stupid thing?
Of all the emotions they experience, I find that empathy and
support are the strongest. You, as the author, have the ability to use powerful
emotions to show your reader what a family can do. Even if you have a broken
family, or if your reader has a broken family, it can be a powerful and sincere
message to show them (and yourself) a family that cares for its members.
Yes, it’s okay to have a character whose family is broken.
But if all you do through your whole novel is show family after family being
torn apart and hateful of each other, what sort of message is that?
I, for one, like happy messages to go with dark themes. But
that’s a topic for another time.
Family provides Conflict
By this I don’t
mean they create cliché conflict through being the villain. Nor do I mean they
create harsh and dark conflict through being abusive.
Yes, both of those are legitimate ways family can provide
conflict.
My real meaning, however, is that they can provide loss. As
Daniel Schwabauer [link] would put it, family provides the hero/ine “Something to Lose”.
Does your main character care about their family? They
should. Well, except for the ones that hate him/her. If we assume your
character has a loving and support family (see above), then your hero/ine will
care for them. Significantly. To the point where any loss of a family member
will be devastating.
Please note I am not
supporting the killing off of innocent main character family members
everywhere. That’s as much a cliché as the uncle being the villain.
Instead, I am advocating for the use of tension. If your
hero thinks his family is endangered, will he not struggle to protect them? If they
will be punished for his attempts to stop the villain, will that not make it
all the harder a choice for him?
Hard choices are the best kind, in novels. They provide the
strongest emotions and the most powerful conflict.
Family, especially endangered family, can provide hard
choices.
Family represents an Old Life
As a writer, you might often hear phrases like “a return to
the old life” or “contrasting the old life with the new” and so forth.
Basically, the heroine must change over the course of her
story. If she doesn’t, your story really isn’t a story. Stories are about
change, about struggle and emotions and conflict and wonder and truth. All of
those things involve change.
Suppose your main character goes on an adventure. She fights
trolls and goblins and finds a golden ring and helps steal from and slay a
dragon, fights in a battle, and then returns home (yes, this sounds like the Hobbit,
but the MC is a female so it’s obviously different and unique, okay?).
If the heroine of this highly familiar story goes back to
her old habits without a second thought or change, will you find that
realistic?
No.
Characters endure adventures and come out changed. Maybe
they become more courageous or kinder or more selfless. Whatever it is, they
can’t just slip back into the old routine without a hitch. Instead they must
struggle to find a balance. They find their place in their old life using the
new outlook they have on life.
There are many ways to show this, but family is one of them.
I wrote a novella about a year ago. It was about this girl
who went off to learn how to control the Gifts (that is to say, magical
abilities) she was given by a dragon (not your average dragon, but an adorable
little dragon with the personality of a grumpy cat). Lots of things happen, but
she comes back to her family and the family farm at the very end.
She is changed, to the point where her family has a hard
time reckoning her with the girl they sent off months ago. She's not different physically
(she’s the same, in that respect), but in the way she acts and thinks.
It’s a contrast.
Her younger brother acts pretty much the same as he did at
the beginning of the book. He’s lazy and in love in both cases. His stagnancy
provides a black-and-white comparison. The main character is different than she
used to be.
She’s changed.
Family is so important. So, so important. Often times they
shape who we are and who we become.
Shouldn’t they shape our heroes and heroines, too?
What do you think? How
important is family to your story? Leave a comment and share!
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