Family Ties and Writing Inspiration by Ann Michelle Harris

As writers we want to tell compelling stories to keep readers turning the pages. One way to do that is to use universal themes to connect emotionally. Whether your primary story is violently intense or adorably cozy, relatability is an important way to drive a reader’s psychological investment.  Family is one of those elements that everyone can relate to—for better or worse. Exhausting sibling rivalries, close ties to a grandmother, an overbearing parent, intense protectiveness of a child, the lack of a family, or the creation of a found family, are all story elements that evoke strong emotions in real life and, consequently, a strong emotional investment in a story.  

Family ties can provide a powerful motivation for either committing or solving a crime. In Wanda Morris’s All Her Little Secrets, the protagonist is a high powered corporate attorney who gets caught up in a murder mystery, but a key element of the character is her relationship with her brother. In my short story “Drive,” a quiet woman’s weekend getaway takes a turn when her famous younger brother goes missing. Audrey prefers a peaceful life in the shadows while her younger brother Joshua is an outgoing and popular musician. Although they couldn’t be more different in personality and life choices, they grew up together and they love each other. When Joshua goes missing, Audrey’s intense search for him has heightened emotion because of the sibling connection. “Drive” is part of the Eighth Guppy Anthology, Gone Fishin’: Crime Takes a Holiday. Since the theme of the anthology is crime on vacation, several of the stories feature variations of family ties or family dysfunction.

Absence of a family or the use of a fake family can also be a useful theme. In my short story, “Changeling,” Shane, a grifter, uses a little homeless girl as a prop to con money from people at a fancy hotel. Shane initially treats the girl as an object for profit, but as the day progresses, she gradually begins to feel a connection to her, as if they really were the mother and daughter they are pretending to be. The story resonates with readers because of the poignancy of the inverted, iconic mother-child relationship.

The idea of a found family is one of my favorite tropes. A found family is a group of unrelated people who grow to love and rely on each other as if they were a family. Found families have an extra layer of comfort, vulnerability, and intentionality. In my novel North, family is a distant memory for the orphaned protagonist and, when he is taken in by a powerful household, he feels like a fish out of water. But soon his new friends become his real family. This adds complex emotions to ground the action and adds depth to the characters.

When stuck for inspiration, you may want to think about family ties in all of their various forms. Family connections can create powerful motivations for the core crime. Or, they can also add much needed complexity and authenticity to characters, whether it’s a cynical police detective with a doting grandmother or an overly curious amateur sleuth with a sister who tries to keep her out of trouble. For better or for worse, family, in its many variations, is a concept to which all readers can relate.

Ann Michelle Harris is a lawyer by day who writes crime, romantic suspense, and fantasy. She was a finalist for the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award from Sisters in Crime. Her crime short stories are featured in the 2023 grifter crime anthology Hook, Line, and Sinker and the 2025 vacation crime anthology Gone Fishin, Crime Takes a Holiday, both from the Sisters in Crime, Guppy Chapter. Her YA fantasy novel North debuted January, 2025. Find her at annmichelleharris.com  

Buy Links:

Gone Fishin’ Crime Takes a Holiday, The Eighth Guppy Anthology 
Hook, Line, and Sinker, The Seventh Guppy Anthology
North