I'm not a storyteller so I just play my one family to complete goals. Switching the main focus between family members. For example the teen daughter of one of my original three sisters was the focus when High School Years released and the matriarch of the family was the focus for Realm of Magic.
The closest I come to changing direction is selecting another aspiration for a family member before I've completed the current one. Sometimes I'll complete it with the original sim or choose a different sim to work on it.
