Writing Family

I finally sent the science fiction book to the publisher. At last! That's after I reduced it by 13,000 words. Now, with a title (Blood and Bond) coming out next month, I'm doing the outline for another contemporary western. I am realizing again how much trouble it is to write family. A contemporary story, with a twenty-something protagonist, usually needs family to round out the character. We're talking two, maybe three generations. I've noticed characters of many books on the shelves have deceased spouses or lovers, siblings off at college, feature grandparents in assisted living settings, or suffering from Alzheimer's--a convenient way to "write" those family members out of the picture. And there are philanthropic uncles (or even parents) who just happen to be on a world cruise, or examining artifacts in Ponga Ponga, thereby leaving the protagonist on their own.

I'm currently trying to determine just who I want to include, or exclude in Ride Out (tentative title for the work in progress). I've already killed off the dad, and put the brother in prison; but this Is a ranching story, and removing (either by sickness or accident) too many family members won't seem believable in this contemporary setting.

I always knew I had trouble writing family; many of my books are odysseys about orphans. Fury in Sumner County was an exercise to develop a protagonist with extended family, so my protagonist has in-laws, two brothers, both parents, and living in an active community. Blood and Bond also has family situations, so maybe I can pull something off in this new book.