: Re: Killing off a character: deciding if, when and how Killing off a character is a serious issue. Secondary characters or even extras can pass away without too much negative response from the readers

@Mendez196

Vote Up Vote Down

Killing characters can be a tricky idea. There are a few main ideas behind killing characters that you have to keep in mind.

The first is that you shouldn't kill a character just for the sake of killing a character. This goes especially for killing main characters, but can count just as well for "red shirts" (nameless, unimportant side characters). Here are some times when you should or should not kill a characters (as a general rule of thumb, not a hardfast rule):

If you just want them out of the story, killing them might not be the best idea. It might mean instead that they didn't fit in your story to begin with. Look at that character and see if they were doing any good in your story. If not, maybe you should figure out how to write the story so they aren't there to begin with. If they are doing good, maybe you should rethink killing them. You might not personally like them as a character, but if they're being useful for your story, and are driving the plot along, you probably need them.
If it will cause an emotional reaction in your character, you should think very seriously about whether you want to kill them off. If you are doing it solely so your character will be angry/sad/emotional, it might be a waste. You want to move the plot forward, and if it will move the plot forward, go with it. If it will hinder the main character and force them to work harder, go for it. If it will just make your MC weep and cry and be whiny, it might not be the best idea.
If they have done something that will bring about their death, you should probably kill them. Nothing is more annoying than a character who is supposed to die but doesn't because the author loved them too much to kill them off. If they do survive, there should be a very good reason (someone sacrifices themself instead, they win a fight through actual ability and working really hard and training instead of just being the author's darling). But if you set them up to inevitably die, you should probably kill them.
If they are the villain, you don't have to kill them in the end. Think of the consequences of killing them or of not killing them. If he is the king, there might be a huge uprising if you kill him. But if he's a dictatorial king, there might be a huge uprising if you don't kill him and sentence him to lots of jail time (think Egypt post: Arabic Spring). Just remember that killing him/her isn't the only option.

For how the person should die, remember to make it fit within the story. If the person is going off to battle the big bad evil guy (or if the big bad evil guy is coming to battle the MC), don't have one of them die in a car crash. Maybe your MC can be stabbed by a poisoned dagger sent by the big bad evil guy and then someone else has to fight in his stead or the fight never happens, but only do that if the big bad evil guy would send an assassin with a poisoned dagger to kill him. This is really just an example of a time when it depends entirely on your story, but just make sure that it's internally consistent.

(0)

Login to post a comment!