![]() ![]() If the character is extraneous, then you better verify he really belongs in this story in the first place.)Ī Final Consideration Before You Kill a Character (An old saw says, “If they cry, they buy.” But readers never appreciate being tortured without good reason.) Making readers sad just for the sake of making them sad.(Shock value isn’t without its, well, value, but not every author is Alfred Hitchcock and not every story is Psycho.) Shocking readers just for the sake of shocking them.Some less worthy reasons for doing our characters dirty include: It creates realism within the story world. ![]() It’s a fitting recompense for the character’s actions up to this point.It fulfills the doomed character’s personal goal.We can find many good reasons for snuffing even important characters, including: (Featured in the Structuring Your Novel Workbook.) Good Reasons to Kill a Character We gotta play tough and do whatever best serves the story, right?īut that, of course, begs the question: Is killing off a character really the best way to serve your story?īefore we answer that question, let’s take a look at some reasons that may justify our decision to end a character’s life-along with some not-so-good reasons. And even as we may bawl over our beloved characters’ deaths, most of us get a strange sort of fulfillment out of it. Often, that meanness involves killing them off. I love the epicness a well-placed death can bring to an otherwise mundane story.Īuthors are always being advised to be mean to their characters. I love pulling on my own heartstrings, never mind my readers’. I love it when a noble character-or perhaps an ignoble one on his way to redemption-gets his grit on and sacrifices himself for someone he loves or for the larger cause. This post was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered.I love killing people. ![]()
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February 2023
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