Dissociation from intensely negative unresolved issues in a childhood self is an astoundingly common modern human experience. Witness the enormous cultural resonance of the image of the inner child.

you were my student I’d ask: “Why is it that so many successful plots begin at the family plot?” Because for most of us—especially among young people—our worst fear is of losing our parents. If you create a world where one or both parents have died, you’re creating characters that have survived your reader’s worst fears. Your reader will respect th