We all have them. And they are all so different.
I have been blessed with an amazing family.
Did I mention I'm blessed?
But not everybody is so fortunate. They didn't grow up with loving parents in a secure home. They didn't receive hugs freely as a kid to have them to give to their kids. They didn't hear that they were treasured by God from an early age.
Experiencing that marked me. It made me the woman I am today.
Not hearing or experiencing that is just as scarring. It makes people who they are.
So think about your characters...what's their family like? Are their parents married? Divorced? Were they an only child or surrounded by siblings? Did their family have money? Were things hand to mouth? Did they grow up in a family with parents who led them to God? Or did their parents give them a warped image of God? Those questions matter because the answers change how they will respond to the life and challenges you're giving them today.
So what about you? Was your family more functional...or dysfunctional?
4 comments:
I feel so blessed to have had wonderful, loving parents. Not many folks can say that, it seems.
Your mom is a sweet lady, Cara. Lucky you!
Love your sister, too! :)
Cara,
Thank you for reminding me, although it may be painful at times, it's good to look at family and use that experience for a character who may have had the same abusive, ungodly upbringing as I. But I am healed by God's grace and that too is something that can be used in my stories. Blessings, AnneGale Nester
I was raised by the Cleevers, but even better, I'm was an only so I didn't have to share anything attention with Wally.
Pam, Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to be an only. Alas, I was the oldest of four. But that made me who I am. Family makes such a difference in us, and is a tool I think we often overlook as writers.
Post a Comment