A topic of discussion was brought up by one random soul in the vast swarm of tweeting romanciers earlier this month. It concerned the relationships (or if the case may be, lack thereof) that our hero(in)es have with their parents. An important question to consider when developing any and all major characters for works of fiction, methinks. Regardless of what the writer initially believes about that relationship’s relevance to the plot. Whatever input a young mind is fed during the formative years of their development would tend to have a lasting influence on shaping certain qualities and attributes of that mind, for either good or bad. Disposition. Approach to problem-solving. General outlook on life. That sort of thing. At least some of that input comes from the parents, but almost never all of it.
The question was open-ended, so I went with it. The website plug was something I tacked on at the end, because I just happened to have the link in my clipboard.
Six Strings and a Funky Pickup 