Fake Family Trees & Genetic Clues

[Hazel Edwards]

Does anyone else create fake family trees for their characters for genetic reasons? Currently I'm co-writing f2m about a transgender character,( female to male) who needs to have an intersex ancestor such as a great uncle. Since this character is likely to be infertile, it's not possible to have a child descendant, and so the recessive gene is carried elsewhere. Plotting is getting quite complicated, but intriguing and is accurate medically.

[D.R. MacMaster]

Once in worked out a system where all the lead characters in a variety of my stories, from crime, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, were all somehow related through history, the future, and alternate dimensions. But I ditched that because it made continuity a nightmare.

[Melanie Wardlow]

Hi-

I have a very good book that has an exercise where you have to create a family tree. (That is just one of the many things it has you do.) The book is called The Novelist's Notebook. Have you ever heard of it? This book is one of the many books that I use for various resources. Hope this helps.
Your Friend,
Mel

[Hazel Edwards]

Dear Mel,

Thanks for this advice. I do know of the Novelist's Notebook.
My issue was more the genetic complexity of creating a fake family with recessive genes travelling down some family members in a way that was accurate.I think I've managed this now, thanks. Even if my drawing of a family tree is a bit basic. The co-written book f2m, will be out with Ford Street publishing in Feb 2010.