What happens in a family drama? While the relationships are the meat, the plot is the knife. Here are the most potent engines for conflict.
Before writing a family drama based on truth, ask: Whose story is this? If you are the aggrieved party, your villain may be a hero in their own mind. Great drama requires empathy for the antagonist. The mother who abandoned you may have been fleeing abuse herself. Showing that complexity is not forgiveness; it is honesty.