I do kill off a character. Actually two. Actually a whole castle full of people.
I wrote that first character's death scene, and my sister said, "My nose started stinging." That means she was getting teary.
I did not cry, but I did get that strange little thrill in my stomach. I like that feeling, in a dark sort of way, so it was actually kind of...fun.
Then again, I had planned his death from the start. So I was able to develop him as a tragic figure.

For me, whenever a character has fulfilled their role and is just hanging around, I go into the danger zone of Romance so I kill them off as soon as possible.

I killed off a character in a historical novel. He wasn't the main character... just the one the main character never apologized to. *Cringes*

Reading about everyone tearing up over character deaths...

I love it when a book makes you scream as a character dies. But I don't usually tear up over stuff. What makes me tear up, is when absolute despair turns into staggering joy.

That kind of book would anger me through my sadness. I don't mind books or movies that make me cry, but when characters with such a substance die, I feel so upset I want to throw the book. I don't know why: maybe because I felt I wasted my time getting so attached to a character only to have them die in the end.

Funny thing though... I'm tossing around the idea of doing a similar thing in my own novel. *is horrified at the fact she is doing the very thing she hates*

Now can you tell us which book it is so I can go read it?

eru

I get really emotionally attached to characters (even other people's). I sometimes explain my connection with characters as like having a brother you only see when you pick up the book, anyways one time one of my "brothers" died and I was depressed for days!!
In my own books my characters are like my children so I usually don't let my main characters die except of old age.
Ana

I actually had one of my characters die so that her death could witness to another character.

I kill a lot of people in my stories.

If you go back to my earlier stories. (like...when I was 9 or 10) I had a huge thing for heroic tragic hero deaths. I still have a notebook with several pages. The many many last words of Dandylyon Shadowbane. And then two more characters commit suicide after she dies. And the bad guy dies spectacularly, and yes.

I recently have been revamping Elemental, and a lot more people are going to die than I had previously thought. One of them, decides in the end that he's going to be good finally, and he's mercilessly shot down for it. Another tries to help my heroine and he ends up executed for it. Oh, and a little boy ends up killed as punishment for someone escaping.

Wow...I just re-read that and I sound like such a terrible person! lol!

*WAAAIIIL!* (We need a wailing smilie. )
Your book sounds so SAD! When can I read it? When? When?

I have a book in where only a third of the head-characters survive

LOL! Anytime you want. Just let me know! Although, there are currently two different versions.

Oh! I have a question. What are ya'll's opinions on death speeches and last words?

Humor? lol jk

Keep 'em short and realistic. No speech, please. If a character needs to impart wisdom before he dies, I have him do it before he gets injured.

Ooh and it's always good to end their life right before they say the thing that is important! Like:

"Bob! You must know... your father..."
Joe struggled to keep consciousness,
"What, what?" Bob replied anxiously.
"Your father... you must tell him to..."
Joe lost the fight to consciousness and died.

Something like that? You know?

I haven't killed many characters, but I too have death lined up for people. Not many. I'm not fond of books where half the secondary characters die. I was annoyed at the end of Harry Potter because way too many people die just so that Harry becomes suicidal. However, the idea that death prompts an action and not just an emotion is a good idea. My characters die for a reason, and I probably will never kill a main character. (Part of this is because I write predominantly in first person, and it's odd to say "And then I died.") It would be too hard for me. However, one of the main characters' uncle dies, and it basically releases all the emotion he kept inside. It teaches him that he's not invincible, because he was way too self-reliant before. Also, it helps determine who kills the villain. So basically, I only kill characters with a good reason, even if it's not quite evident in the plot, I know how it affected the story. It's painful, though. I'm sad about killing this uncle and I haven't written about him yet.

When killing something, it's good to make it part of something more. Not just the end of one's life. If someone dies, we are sad. If someone important that we depend on died... E.G, the president of the US, we would be heartbroken! The nation would be shaken! So it would be more if he died because let's say, someone was a traitor, or that person was the only one that could finish a certain task that was/is vital to the security of that world.