(no subject)

[morlockiness.livejournal.com]

In my novel, I MIGHT kill one of my characters to further develop my main character. The problem is, the character I'm thinking about killing happens to be one of my favorites, and I really don't want to kill her off.

Any advice? Are you dealing with something similiar?

Comments

[dutchess-axel.livejournal.com]

Well, personally, while not going through something similar, sometimes, it's necessary. (I, however, do have plans to nearly kill one of my characters... multiple times. >> << He's my favorite.)

Do you have other ways you can progress your main character, however? Think about that first, and then if you can't think of something else, go through it.

Maybe you can do something with flash backs or something.

[fuzziekit.livejournal.com]

yeah... my main character was not suppose to fall for this other character that wasn't even suppose to be in the first part but now is and in order to get her with the character she is meant to be with I have to kill him off in the first part. DANGIT... it is tough but sometimes you must do what you have to do to continue a story. Even if that means killing a character you like.

[tracy-d74.livejournal.com]

If it is best for the character, the book, you have to do it. In another book I wrote, I did not like what one of my characters did and I wanted to kill them off. I wrote a draft with him gone, but realized it was not best for the story and brought him back. Think how J.K. Rowlings felt about Dumbledorf . . . it had to be done in order for Harry to develop into the person he needed to be. If there is no other way to develop your character, you have to kill the person.

[solarbird]

DIE BITCH BOOM!

(srsly, if the story needs it, do it. that's all there is to it. there's commentary professional writers make about this sort of thing: always kill your favourites. this is because the work as a whole is what matters, no matter how much you like one character.)

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

This, exactly.

Don't let the story suffer because you love your characters soooo much. See: Laurel K. Hamilton as an example of someone who puts characters above plot. ;)

[bailzzararco.livejournal.com]

Is this one of those stories where you can kill her, but then she will be a ghost? That way you could still have her in the story and she'd also be dead. I am so brilliant, I should be president.

[takatohedgehog.livejournal.com]

Off topic but USOPP :DDD

:D back

[bailzzararco.livejournal.com]

I heart One Piece.

[ceitean.livejournal.com]

...is your MC a guy? If so, I'd be careful not to step over the line of Unfortunate Implications. Having a female character and killing her off for the sole purpose of getting the male character to angst for his character development is a pretty clear definition of Fridging the Girl.

Then again, I don't know what your story is like at all and this may having nothing to do with what you've planned. But I hope that if you are thinking about using this particular trope, you investigate its history a little bit before you commit to it.

[morlockiness.livejournal.com]

No, my MC is a girl. It's a motivator for my MC to go through with a plan that the dead!character failed trying to complete. It's for the MC to take charge and develop into a leader, which is something she never really saw herself as.

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

Not in the novel I'm writing now. But I have another story about a main character whose mother commits suicide when she's a kid. I absolutely dread the fact I had to do that, because I LIKE the character, but if I didn't do it the main character wouldn't have developed the same way.

[takatohedgehog.livejournal.com]

I'm killing off Icarus eventually.

>>

It needs to be done.

[alessandriana.livejournal.com]

Is there any way you can just make the MC think she was killed, but not really kill her?

[morlockiness.livejournal.com]

Well, funny enough, the entire thing is in my MC's head, so the character I'll be killing as never really real in the first place.

[hunterinadress.livejournal.com]

I don't know what to say, but I am dealing with something similar.
I was thinking of killing off everyone but my main character and antagonist,
to make a more original less cliche ending.
Problem is, I'm really attached to most of the characters.
One victim is going to be a 15 year old girl who is on suicide watch,
who finally has something to live for but gets cut off. :c
It sucks ass but if it pushes you through the plot,
don't be afraid to make that choice.

[nebulia.livejournal.com]

kill her off but not really and have her come back later or lurk in the background or something. alternatively, have her sitting in heaven/hell/afterlife of your choice commenting on the narrative.

Iunno.

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

If your story or your characters demand something you don't like, well...too bad. You have to do it anyway. You're only along for the ride, IMHO. The characters and the story come before us writer's petty little desires.

Just my humble opinion.

In the words of the great Stephen King, though, MURDER YOUR DARLINGS. It must be done. He was referring to wonderful turns of phrase, but the same applies to characters. Do what needs done, mate.

[morlockiness.livejournal.com]

You got me with the King quote. I adore that man.

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

I've only ever read one book of his, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who tries to write. It was recommended to me, and I'm very grateful. I pass it on whenever I can. Read, re-read, then read again: On Writing, by Stephen King.

[morlockiness.livejournal.com]

I read that a few years ago. You should really read some of his other stuff. He's quite brilliant. My favorite book of all time is by him.

[jackwabbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, there is no question that he's a great writer, but I'll never read his stuff. I don't like scary. At all. And yes, I know they aren't all scary and I might get around to reading some of the tamer stuff later, but...maybe not. No gore, no blood, no scary for me.

I only commented that On Writing is the only King book I've read because it shows you how wonderful it is and how much a I value the person who recommended it to me's advice. A non-King reader recommending a King book means something, you know? I didn't read it be a fan, but to improve my writing.

[darkleporidae.livejournal.com]

I killed off a character I happened to be quite fond of. Actually three of them. I just tried to emotionally distance myself from them...and then imagined the phone call I will get from my friend after he reads that particular chapter. It should be quite entertaining and well worth the pain of 'losing' those characters. (They still exiist in my head, moaning about how they died. They're not truly gone until you forget about them completely, in my opinion.)

Anyway, it was necessary for the advancement of the story. They had to die so I killed them.

[kittydesade.livejournal.com]

I sort of went the opposite way, I killed off a character because I knew it would be advantageous to the plot, and it was about that time int he plot for him to die.

Then when I actually started writing the character in detail I got attached to him. Now I don't want him to die, but I'm stuck with it. :/

[bohemiabythesea.livejournal.com]

Very old and very nutshell-y answer:

Kill. Your. Baby.

It will only be credible if you loved the character, bcs then it won't read as if you created the character only to kill it.