Money is not a subplot; it is a lie detector. When a family fortune—or a modest house—is on the line, every character’s true morality surfaces.
If you are a writer looking to craft compelling family drama storylines, avoid the trap of melodrama. Melodrama is when a character cries because the plot needs them to. True drama is when a character cannot cry because they have been trained since birth that tears are weakness.
To build a compelling web of relationships, you need more than just "mom, dad, and the kids." You need archetypal pressures. Here are the pillars of most successful family sagas: