A question about Ginny

[malenkayacherepakha]

 I'm finally feeling ready to start working properly on a fic that's been taking shape in my mind for a while now, but as I've begun to plan I've come across a question about Ginny's role in the fic, and I wanted to ask for some opinions. I tried and failed to put the rest below a cut as it deals with divorce and less than brilliant parenting, which I know won't be everyone's cup of tea, so please skip reading the rest if you want to avoid those topics!

For some background: the fic is going to have a focus on Harry and Ginny's divorce and the aftermath of it (it will most likely eventually be Drarry but it'll take a while). The split is mutual, and pushes Harry to reconsider a lot of his life (he's going to rebuild a house which I'm so excited to write about), and also does the same for Ginny. The kids are in their early twenties/late teens (no longer living at home anyway), unhappy about the family breaking apart but aware that it's for the best. 

My dilemma is as follows: I want James to be angry with Ginny, and I want to make sure that her actions don't seem (too) out of character or like bashing. I envisage her kind of accidentally drifting away from her kids - she's excited to make a new life for herself now that she's out of a less than happy marriage, she throws herself into her career (potentially travelling while coaching?) and meets a new partner relatively quickly, and as a result is less present in her kids' lives (writing to them less, visiting less etc etc), which annoys James. 

I love Ginny as a character, and I don't see her as a bad mother, but would the above seem too out of character? Looking for any and all opinions on this and the rest of the fic premise too if you have them. 

Comments

[walgesang]

A lot of great responses here and I just wanted to echo what you said about writing things that are tied to your own experiences. Don't be afraid to write things how they did happen for you! I remember a terrible writing class in college where I wrote something completely autobiographical and was horrified when classmates were like "nobody would ever act that way!" and "you've got to make this character more realistic." But much later in life I realize that truth is often waaaay stranger than fiction and if it's something that feels right to you, I think you're on the right track.

I think I'd be interested to see how Ginny reacted to the children leaving the nest in the first place and perhaps what kind of relationship she has with her children before the divorce that would cause James to be so angry/insecure.

I also agree with others that there sadly does seem to be less eyebrow-raising when the father remarries or starts dating as opposed to the mother. Yet no one seems to be bothered when fathers are portrayed as being less in the children's lives than the mother as if that's a given!

It sounds like you have good ideas and I like the idea of the whole family adjusting to a new normal if that works best for them. :)

[malenkayacherepakha]

That's a really good reminder, life is often way weirder than you think is possible! Sorry about the shitty writing class, I would hate it if people said my experiences were unrealistic (and I do slightly worry about that with this fic).

That's an interesting idea - I like the idea of somehow exploring whether things were already rocky or whether it was a change etc. I have so many ideas now I've started chatting to people that I have no idea how to work into the fic now!

Thank you, I'm glad you like the idea <3

[walgesang]

Thanks, though it all worked out in the end and was probably a good life lesson!

The fic will be whatever you want it to be, that's the most important! ♥