Of course I'm talking about Characters in your stories...
I did a presentation for Young Willamette Writers in Portland, Oregon and thought I'd share my class notes with any other writers out there who might be interested.
Killing Your Characters
Workshop project:
Here are two options for you to choose between:
Think about Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or any Disney
Princess.
1)
Now, take a few minutes to write what might have
happened in the story if your favorite/main character had been killed off early
in the book.
Or
2)
Give three plot examples of how you could change
the story with compelling narrative options for killing off your favorite
character without ruining the story.
Writers have lots of
different reasons for killing off their characters. But before we decide to
kill anyone, we want to have a good reason to do it otherwise all we’re going
to do is put your readers in a rage.
1)
Resurrections. Of course we want to create tension but not to the point of killing
off characters and then having to bring them back to life – say with a dream
sequence.
2)
ShockNADO or not another Shock Attack. Don’t simply kill off a character to create
shock value. This will turn readers off and we want to keep them reading to the
last page.
3)
Emotional Hostage. Don’t be a sociopath and kill for no reason. Any
character’s death needs to be worth the cost. Readers are attached to the main
character…or should be. So remember, no writer should kill off characters like
a serial killer…for no reason. Make sure every death packs a punch that’s worth
the price.
4)
Stop, Look and Listen. And make sure your other characters are in tune
with the emotional timing. These characters are now not simply backup singers to
your story. They are going to have to carry your show so make sure they take a
moment to Stop…and process what has happened. Your minor characters are now the
ones who will display the heartfelt reactions we are feeling from our loss.
5)
Make sure you have a Backup. I mean another character who can step into our
Hero’s shoes. If there’s no other character for us to love, worry about or at
least care for, we’re going to close the book and that’s the end of the story.
Not a good way to end a story. We want our readers to want to read to the very
last page. So, we have to give them a reason.
There Are Good Reasons
to Kill…Off Characters.
1)
Remember the Alamo or at least the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
There would have been no story or plot without killing off a lot of wonderful
main characters in this trilogy.
2)
No Guilt Over the Bad Guy No one cares if we kill off the bad guys but
remember good guys die too and for our stories to ring true to our readers we
have to have authenticity and sometimes our loved ones have to die.
3)
The Disney Delusion. We can’t always have a prince (or princess)
ride to the rescue. Not every story has to have a happy ending. Sometimes the
most heartfelt stories are the ones that stick with us long after we close the
book. (The Lovely Bones, The Fault in Our Stars, and even the classic of The
Diary of Anne Frank).
4)
James or even Jane Bond. Unless you want to tell an unrealistic story
just for the pure fantasy or the excitement of the ride, we have to be honest
with our characters and the way they live and/or die.
5)
Die with Dignity. If you do decide to kill off your character, the
death needs to be a crucial part of the plot. Let your character have death
with dignity. Whenever we lose a loved one, we want to make sure we understand
what happened, how and why. Don’t let an emotional moment be lost by rushing
through it. If it must be done, do it “write.”
If you have any questions, let me know. And If you want to see what else I have to say about writing, check out my website or connect with me on Facebook.
Posts
