: Re: When can I kill my character? When is it acceptable to kill a character? (and if possible, when is it most appropriate?) BTW, I'm not talking just about a protagonist; I'm talking about any

@Phylliss352

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Lauren Ipsum's point is spot on, but I'd like to elaborate further. Does killing them off or keeping them alive bring better conflict for the story, and deliver a better story arc for other characters than the character who lives instead of dying?

G. R. R. Martin is an obvious author to learn from. Even though he has a habit of killing off major characters, they generally form vital story arcs for other characters that increase overall conflict. A couple of spoilers from Game of Thrones to illustrate this point:

Consider the death of Ned Stark. If he had been spared, Arya Stark's journey motivated by revenge simply would not have occurred. It's questionable as well whether or not Ned Stark could have developed in such a way that it would have served the story in a better fashion and created better conflict. It also conflicted with what we knew about Joffrey's cruelty, and would have been less believable. Even though many people hoped Ned would survive, it was far better for the story that he didn't. It also provided GRR Martin what he ultimately needed, which was to demonstrate to the reader that the heroes of the story are not safe (more on that below)Consider as well Tyrion's murder of his father. Without this action, the house of Lannister would still have had his father at the head of the household, and there would have been very little change in the relationships between Tyrion and his siblings.

Killing off a major character is exceptionally useful when done right, because the reader always wills for the protagonists to succeed, but now there's the overall danger that they may not. Clearly, no-one is safe. This creates the tension needed for a reader to want to keep reading to see what happens. (This is one of the main reasons many superhero stories can be rather boring; the heroes are so powerful you pretty much know from the outset they're going to survive and win.)

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