“The family is a system that operates according to rules, and those rules are almost never written down—but everyone knows them.” — Adapted from family therapist Virginia Satir

Common themes include loss, betrayal, identity, and the pursuit of healing.

Write a will reading scene. But don't let the lawyer read it. Let the deceased parent read it—via a video, a letter, or a ghost. What would they say to their children in death that they couldn't say in life? That message is your plot.