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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35149
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35149
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> Can you go overboard with this?

Obviously you can go overboard with anything, but a few dead parents (or both parents dead, maybe even three parents dead (natural and adoptive) is within the realm of plausible losses. **_Two_** certainly is, many children really do end up orphans and in the foster care system, or adopted (sometimes by relatives). I read once of a family that adopted a 12 year old neighbor when his parents died in a car accident; the kid was the best friend of their own 12 year old. I've read of kids adopted by their married aunts or uncles or even grandparents, due to loss of parents.

Losing parents to disease or accident or war is part of life, and traumatic, and can be an instigating incident that changes one's life, for better or worse. Not necessarily better because the parent is dead, but perhaps because it motivates other more positive changes in behavior (like better health changes or more diligent self-care), taking responsibility for new people or things, choosing a new and more ambitious career or path to change.

> What are some of the things you should avoid if you use dead parents in the story?

The same as anything else in your story, don't take it beyond the plausible limits or consequences. Parental death should probably not be the ONLY motivator in the story for all characters (unless you are writing about a whole mess of orphans). Don't stretch reader belief. That said, two people might be brought together in love because they were each orphaned at a young age and "get" each other through sharing similar traumas. That might be an interesting story (including how they feel about having kids).

But only about 1 in 185 kids (under 18 in the USA) are orphans, and only about 1 in 700 kids are up for adoption. (Others are in foster care or have become legally responsible for themselves). Keep that in mind when creating orphans in your story; it is unusual. That said, support groups or meeting people in the foster care system can account for many orphans knowing each other.

Original score: 9