Holy Worlds Christian Forum :: View topic - Why do you kill your characters?

I do it a lot, but it does bother me. Main characters...I usually cry when I kill them. Like recently I killed the heroine of a 113,000 word novel about 25,000 words into the sequel. (The sequel has a different main character.) I LOVED that girl. She was my best character ever. And now I feel so bad I want to write a prequel or something. Short stories maybe.

My villains are so evil that when I kill them, I get all tense and angry and imagine that I'm the one stabbing them repeatedly or whatever.

Luke the Mindwielder wrote:

*needs to read that story to make sure it isn't who she thinks it is* :shock:

I do that about my villains too, in a way. It scares people.

I haven't actually killed a character off (yet), but my hope is that the audience will be so emotionally attached to them that they'll be screaming, "No! They can't die!" while reading when I do.

I better not read your book, Luke. I'll probably get so upset and mad I'll throw it at the wall or something.

I don't like it when good characters die! The world is full of bad characters, I always want the good ones to live!

LOL Bush, it's one of my characters, the one everyone loves and pities.

You'd have to read what I've posted in The Fireside to find out who he is, really. I have a topic in Character Development, too.

**trying not to derail the topic**

I better not read your book, Luke. I'll probably get so upset and mad I'll throw it at the wall or something.

I don't like it when good characters die! The world is full of bad characters, I always want the good ones to live!

I always try to make the deaths of the good characters honorable or otherwise useful to the story.

Not always 'heroic' deaths. For example, my latest main character to die was trying to get to her daughter so they could flee together. She was shot in the back in the process. So she was doing the right thing, but it wasn't necessarily heroic.

Well, I think that's still heroic.

Sending your bad guy to jail guarantees a sequel in which he escapes.

I haven't gotten to the point of killing my characters off yet, but I do ahve plans to kill a few.

I only use it if it makes the story better, and I try to use the emotional impact as much as possible.

I have one character that I can't kill, or everyone (Airia, Momma, and my sister come to mind) would be after me.

Shawn Henderson wrote:

I haven't gotten to the point of killing my characters off yet, but I do ahve plans to kill a few.

You would be in BIG trouble Lizzie, if you did such a despicable thing! Don't even think it! Or I'll... tickle you till you faint

I try to have "What would've beens" for the characters I do kill and even for the characters I transfer, future careers and families and things they would've done. It gives them a more real-ness, and makes me sadder to kill them.

Author:	The Wolverminion [ December 27th, 2010, 1:31 am ]
Post subject:	Why do you kill your characters?
I am so notorious for killing off people's favorite characters and making my readers cry. Usually when I'm going to kill someone I really just demolish them. Overkill, you might say. Although I've watched enough crime shows and read enough mystery books to know all sorts of ways to kill. Not to mention my father is a black belt who could kill someone real quick with his bare hands (and so could I with what I've learned from him...) I've pretty much got the killing thing covered. My trouble comes when I need to leave someone alive for a specific amount of time. In that case I'm usually more vague about the extent of the injury. Mod's Note: This is the thread to discuss the emotion and repercussions that death wields in our novels. Have you ever killed a character, or do you have plans to in one of your WIP? Who is the doomed soul, and why? How does their death affect the story? How does their death affect you? How do you like to see death handled in books that you read? Share and exchange feedback, but try not to get too worked up. For the science behind death, visit this thread: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=1650

Author:	Lady Elanor [ December 27th, 2010, 7:02 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
I refuse to read books or watch films where the main character or favourite character dies, It's just too annoying hehe! Mum and Dad don't understand me; we'll be watching a film and I'm like "oh no I can see what's going to happen here I'm not watching this" and I disappear quickly.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 27th, 2010, 3:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
I can identify with you, Elanor! I don't usually mind if its the main charrie that dies, but my favourite character is always the sidekick, and they're the ones who usually die. Anyway, back to the subject, I haven't killed a character in fiction yet, but I have a death lined up for someone. (How thoughtful of me) My sister is upset with me, because she doesn't want me to kill them, but I really need the scene to be so emotionally charged to bring out a certain outcome. Whenever I think of killing a character though, I feel rebuked by Dustfinger's comment from the movie "Inkheart": "You think I care what you wrote? You don't control my fate, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I'm not just some, character in your book, and you- you are not my god!" I kind of have two rules to go by if I'm going to write the death of someone: 1. Death must be worthwhile and for a good cause IF it's a main charrie or sidekick. 2. Quick pointless deaths must only be given to lesser characters, not main charries or sidekicks, or people with a significant role. I know these are the kind of deaths I'd prefer to read about. I seriously dislike "And the bomb exploded and -main charrie- died. The end." Those are my few random thoughts on killing characters.

Author:	Calenmiriel [ December 27th, 2010, 9:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
If I kill a character the death must play a part in the story and some sort of good should result from it.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 27th, 2010, 11:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Ah... yes. That is the short version of my lengthy rambling post.

Holy Worlds Christian Forum https://archive.holyworlds.org/

Why do you kill your characters? https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1795	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Elanhil [ December 28th, 2010, 11:58 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Hmm... Killing characters doesn't really bother me that much. Maybe that means my characters are shallow...

Author:	The Wolverminion [ December 28th, 2010, 2:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
I do it a lot, but it does bother me. Main characters...I usually cry when I kill them. Like recently I killed the heroine of a 113,000 word novel about 25,000 words into the sequel. (The sequel has a different main character.) I LOVED that girl. She was my best character ever. And now I feel so bad I want to write a prequel or something. Short stories maybe. My villains are so evil that when I kill them, I get all tense and angry and imagine that I'm the one stabbing them repeatedly or whatever.

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ December 28th, 2010, 4:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Luke the Mindwielder wrote: I do it a lot, but it does bother me. Main characters...I usually cry when I kill them. Like recently I killed the heroine of a 113,000 word novel about 25,000 words into the sequel. (The sequel has a different main character.) I LOVED that girl. She was my best character ever. And now I feel so bad I want to write a prequel or something. Short stories maybe. My villains are so evil that when I kill them, I get all tense and angry and imagine that I'm the one stabbing them repeatedly or whatever. needs to read that story to make sure it isn't who she thinks it is I do that about my villains too, in a way. It scares people. I haven't actually killed a character off (yet), but my hope is that the audience will be so emotionally attached to them that they'll be screaming, "No! They can't die!" while reading when I do.

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ December 28th, 2010, 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Whew! I thought you meant Rosie.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 28th, 2010, 6:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
I better not read your book, Luke. I'll probably get so upset and mad I'll throw it at the wall or something. I don't like it when good characters die! The world is full of bad characters, I always want the good ones to live!

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ December 28th, 2010, 6:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
BushMaid wrote: I better not read your book, Luke. I'll probably get so upset and mad I'll throw it at the wall or something. I don't like it when good characters die! The world is full of bad characters, I always want the good ones to live! And Iri. You can't forget Iri.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 28th, 2010, 6:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
I've been hearing the word Iri about but I haven't the foggiest what it is.

Author:	Lady Eruwaedhiel [ December 28th, 2010, 8:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
LOL Bush, it's one of my characters, the one everyone loves and pities. You'd have to read what I've posted in The Fireside to find out who he is, really. I have a topic in Character Development, too. trying not to derail the topic

Author:	KathrineROID [ December 28th, 2010, 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Lady Eruwaedhiel wrote: LOL Bush, it's one of my characters, the one everyone loves and pities. You'd have to read what I've posted in The Fireside to find out who he is, really. I have a topic in Character Development, too. trying not to derail the topic That's because you cut off his ear tips! Elf tips! Whatever you call the difference between human and elf ears. . . How could you do that and not expect us to pity him? Back on topic. . . One book I have is rather high in the specific body counts (it high in the unspecific body counts, too). But hey, it's a civil war trying to break out! I even have to make my FMC kill. . . she's mad at me for that. And then there's the whole Marshka ordeal. . . ------ CHARACTER INTERRUPTION FMC: She was a wonderful girl! Why'd you kill her? Me: Because she was 2D. FMC: In a FIRE?? Me: She was saving your life! FMC: That's the problem! END CHARACTER INTERRUPTION ------ Yes. So. I don't understand it when peeps say they cry when they kill their MCs, but then, I don't cry over death (I know, weird). In this massive series I have planned, a couple former MCs will have to die. ------ CHARACTER INTERRUPTION FMC: Are you talking about me? Me: I'm not sure. . . FMC: Oh no you aren't!

Author:	Airianna Valenshia [ December 29th, 2010, 8:45 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
refuses to participate in Iri discussion, no matter how sorely she is tempted. MUST. NOT. DERAIL. THREAD!

Author:	Rachel Newhouse [ January 5th, 2011, 11:16 pm ]
Post subject:	Why do you kill your characters?
Appropriate posts from the "Science of Death" thread have been semi-successfully split to this topic. I apologize for any confusion. Continue sharing your tales of death, mates!

Author:	Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ January 6th, 2011, 1:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
* tries to decide whether or not to drop major spoilers for the sake of the conversation * My first novel was a true Shakesperian tradgedy. I had characters that existed just so I could kill them. My last chapter looked like a scene from Hamlet. I started with over thirty characters and ended with less than a dozen. Later on I realized I wrote it this way because I'd been greatly influenced by Shakespeare. I figured out who had to die, and which ones were simply for Shakesperian effect, and rewrote the plot to leave most of them alive. There is one character, however, who still has to die simply to close a plot hole. (Oh dear... I can't remember this particular part of that book... how do I get that to work??) So my siblings tell me I kill too many characters. I am very fond of a well written tradgedy, but I never kill a character without a very specific purpose. Usually some kind of sacrifical purpose. The MC dies so everyone else can live, that kind of thing. I love books with that element. And yes, I do confess to getting teary eyed over my character's demise. Some of them. The special ones. The ones I spent two years working on... and I cried over all three drafts of that book too.

Author:	Rachel Newhouse [ January 6th, 2011, 4:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I think readers will forgive you for resilient bad guys if it's a serial work, especially TV or comics... I like to convert my bad guys, too, because I dislike letting them go unsaved... In Alaidia, there is one traitorous half-bad-guy (you know, a confused Iri-type character) whom I save at the end and then kill. I wasn't planning to kill him, but as I was writing the very scene it all snapped into place. It's very fulfilling, because he goes as a hero, and it ties things up nicely.

Author:	The Wolverminion [ December 29th, 2010, 3:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
BushMaid wrote: I better not read your book, Luke. I'll probably get so upset and mad I'll throw it at the wall or something. I don't like it when good characters die! The world is full of bad characters, I always want the good ones to live! Nah, you'd probably just cry and tell me you liked it anyway. Like that other person who said they hate it when nice characters die...

Author:	BushMaid [ December 29th, 2010, 6:26 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Yeah, probably. I'm not too bad if they have a noble, useful, good cause worth it death. But a pointless death, or one in shame is one I can't stand.

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ December 29th, 2010, 9:11 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
To avoid further derailing... Try this linkie for a start.

Author:	KathrineROID [ December 29th, 2010, 6:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Luke the Mindwielder wrote: I always try to make the deaths of the good characters honorable or otherwise useful to the story. I can't figure out if always giving good characters honorable and heroic deaths is good writing or not. On one hand, it's unrealistic. On the other hand, I don't want readers throwing my book at me. And, for yet another death conversation topic, does anyone else have a habit of working in the death of their 2D characters? I realized what I was doing when the only two hard-core good guys to die in the whole story (Honor System) were my (hopefully) only 2D good guys. And so, I have deaths that are crucial to the story, but happen to characters the audience won't care about since they're 2D. Must fix. I just want to know if anyone else has had/is in this situation.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 29th, 2010, 10:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Well, I think that's still heroic. She wasn't walking down the street and some random gunman shot her in the back. I'd cry over what happened in your story, I'd throw the book if it was the latter.

Author:	Aragorn [ December 30th, 2010, 12:22 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Luke the Mindwielder wrote: Not always 'heroic' deaths. For example, my latest main character to die was trying to get to her daughter so they could flee together. She was shot in the back in the process. So she was doing the right thing, but it wasn't necessarily heroic. BushMaid wrote: Well, I think that's still heroic. I agree. That sounds heroic to me. I try to keep protagonist deaths rare. Not non-existent, just rare. I prefer that they come very close to death, but manage to survive.

Author:	BushMaid [ December 30th, 2010, 12:56 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Yes, to that. Escaping death has much more thrill. You're exhilarated after reading it, now down and sad.

Author:	KathrineROID [ December 30th, 2010, 8:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Ack, so often-superior-in-some-way bad guys get killed, and no good guys do? I like thrill as much as the next person - and my MC hates me for it - but that's quite unrealistic. To do anything, there is sacrifice, and when that anything involves fighting, it's lives. I just want to know if killing heroes heroically (and I don't mean half the book circling around it heroically, I mean getting killed while doing the right thing heroically) is a chronic disease or not.

Author:	The Wolverminion [ December 30th, 2010, 4:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Death
Yeah, when you start doing it, you can't stop. I have to write really dark short stories to get it out of my system so I don't kill all my main characters.

Author:	Elanhil [ January 6th, 2011, 11:16 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
The first two characters I killed was because it was a big part of the plot. They had to go, or else the book wouldn't make sense. The next one I killed because I was done with him. His purpose was served, and if I kept him in, it would have been hard to avoid his marriage to another character without getting the reader upset. Sometimes I regret his death. All the others are bad guys. Didn't really mind killing them.

Author:	Angelsword [ January 6th, 2011, 1:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I kill someone if the story needs it. Otherwise I've found you don't really need to kill anyone off unless it's a big impact in a story... In my first draft I killed 4 main characters out of 8 and it served a purpose, but I rewrote that...

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ January 6th, 2011, 2:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I haven't gotten to the point of killing my characters off yet, but I do have plans to kill a few. I only use it if it makes the story better, and I try to use the emotional impact as much as possible. I have one character that I can't kill, or everyone (Airia, Momma, and my sister come to mind) would be after me.

Author:	KathrineROID [ January 6th, 2011, 4:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
Vanya Katerina Jaynin wrote: Sending your bad guy to jail guarantees a sequel in which he escapes. THIS. And sometimes you can blow a bad guy up and in the sequel he informs you he is still alive. That was NOT in the original outline. He's not even major, but he's my MC's arch-nemesis or something, always managing to stay alive. He's been handed over to someone who had no reason to keep him alive and a good many to kill him, been shot by my MC (who thought she'd killed him), and been blown up in a ship. In space. And yes he's still alive to cause trouble in the next book. head/desk I've yet to plan his final death. I'll need to chop off his head or something. Um, resilient bad guys, anyone?

Author:	Melody Kondrael [ January 6th, 2011, 4:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I can't remember if I've actually successfully killed off a character before... I'm more of the 'nearly dead is not the same as all the way dead' kind of writer. There is a character who I let the other characters think I killed off for most of a book...but I couldn't bear to let him really die because I loved him so much. Yup, that sounds weird...but he is my favorite of all my characters, and one of the first and most memorable. <grin>

Author:	Neil of Erk [ January 6th, 2011, 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
At the end of Bonesword I kill the primary villain. Not traditionally, though. The hero, Bonesword (who has renamed himself at this point) is about to kill the villain out of vengeance, when he realizes that doing so would be denying his new found faith. He banishes the villain from his country (an appropriate punishment when all is considered). The villain, after cursing God and rejecting one last offer of forgiveness from the hero, goes into the wilderness, where he is (literally) struck by lighting after cursing God again. I'm not sure why I originally wanted to kill this villain, but I want the book to end with a high emotional climax, but also end somewhat darkly. So I felt that some poetic justice would be appropriate.

Author:	Airianna Valenshia [ January 6th, 2011, 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
Shawn Henderson wrote: I haven't gotten to the point of killing my characters off yet, but I do ahve plans to kill a few. I only use it if it makes the story better, and I try to use the emotional impact as much as possible. I have one character that I can't kill, or everyone (Airia, Momma, and my sister come to mind) would be after me. You would be in BIG trouble Lizzie, if you did such a despicable thing! Don't even think it! Or I'll... tickle you till you faint

Author:	BushMaid [ January 6th, 2011, 6:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
Ooh, scary Airi!

Author:	Kiev Shawn [ January 6th, 2011, 6:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
Airianna Valenshia wrote: Shawn Henderson wrote: I haven't gotten to the point of killing my characters off yet, but I do ahve plans to kill a few. I only use it if it makes the story better, and I try to use the emotional impact as much as possible. I have one character that I can't kill, or everyone (Airia, Momma, and my sister come to mind) would be after me. You would be in BIG trouble Lizzie, if you did such a despicable thing! Don't even think it! Or I'll... tickle you till you faint Augh! I won't kill him unless the story writes itself! Hey, I love Aryn too. He hasn't even really come into the story except through my MC, and everyone passionately says they will get me if I kill him... Maybe it's because everyone fels for my MC. Anywho, back on topic.

Author:	Celearas [ January 7th, 2011, 9:20 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I kill tons of characters. Often I write war stories, and in war, everyone can die. The greats, the littles, the random kitchen boys, everyone can die, and I want to bring that across. I want people to believe my main character can die. Usually I don't kill my main character, but I want people to be scared that I might. Because that's just realistic. I have a character in my head that I absolutely love, but I know that I'm going to kill her. I'm sad, but it just has to happen. I at least like her and I hope other people will, and it needs to be brought home that in war beloved people do die. It's not really war if only the "Red shirts" die. To me, it seems dishonest and disprespectful to portray war as somehow "safe." As for the emotional effects on me? I'm not sure. I haven't been with these characters for very long, and while I like them they're not "family." I know when JK Rowling was writing sometimes she would have to kill a favorite character of hers, and her husband would find her huddled over the page at two in the morning, sobbing. But in her words, "In children's fiction you have to be a ruthless killer." People die. That reality shouldn't be hidden from people just because it's fiction. Then it is pretty escapist, this perfect world. I don't like books like that. Especially if they're war books. I won't, however, kill a character just because I don't know what to do with them. That is lazy, and red-shirt-y. I'll carry them as far as I can with the standards I'm used to, then I'll push them off on the next commander. But I won't kill them. I try to have "What would've beens" for the characters I do kill and even for the characters I transfer, future careers and families and things they would've done. It gives them a more real-ness, and makes me sadder to kill them.

Author:	Airianna Valenshia [ January 7th, 2011, 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Why do you kill your characters?
I am, aren't I Aussie. * waggles eyebrows *