Hide Death Flags

[Deleted member 58005]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Save a character once.

 

[Jemini]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

Easy. Just have the death come out of nowhere without giving them all the character moments most authors give to a character about to die.

It is those character moments that people have taken to calling "death flags."

There are good arguments in either direction. No death flags makes for a more realistic death. Having the death flags prepares your audience more for when it comes, and at the same time also adds to the sense of tension.

There is a reason why these writing tropes exist.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

I mean...that's notanything hard to do. Just dont do any "see you later"s, you know?

I mean sure you can do a few fake outs to trip the readers up. But a real surprise character death is just sudden and unexpected. When you think, "they are a main character, they wont die" and then they trigger a trap and get impaled or get stuck in a mud slide and die.
Give them hope. Then take it away. Let them bask in the comforting balo of the character being a main instead of a random mob.

Not every character death has to be meaningful, my man. Dont be afraid to just kill them due to a misstep and have them die from a big rock on the ground. Readers may rage, but fuck them.

 

[virgilknightley]

Just kill someone abruptly. Right? Give them arcs to be fulfilled, make lots of promises to the reader in the text about their potential as a character and set up their relationships with other characters, and then just kill them without warning.

 

[greyblob]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

Deaths flags are not natural. They are not something you avoid, but add intentionally. Just don't go around giving any hints or clues, and you should be fine.

 

[Deleted member 58005]

Save a character once.

Is it to give the readers the illusion that no one dies?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Is it to give the readers the illusion that no one dies?

It's to give an illusion that this particular character won't die. Save this character once, twice, even thrice, and then kill him\her. By doing this, even if you write the death flags every time, this death would be both foreshadowed and unexpected.

 

[Deleted member 58005]

I mean...that's notanything hard to do. Just dont do any "see you later"s, you know?

I mean sure you can do a few fake outs to trip the readers up. But a real surprise character death is just sudden and unexpected. When you think, "they are a main character, they wont die" and then they trigger a trap and get impaled or get stuck in a mud slide and die.
Give them hope. Then take it away. Let them bask in the comforting balo of the character being a main instead of a random mob.

Not every character death has to be meaningful, my man. Dont be afraid to just kill them due to a misstep and have them die from a big rock on the ground. Readers may rage, but fuck them.

Maybe I've read too many manhwa's but almost always the MC gets revived/reincarnated if he dies :D

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Maybe I've read too many manhwa's but almost always the MC gets revived/reincarnated if he dies :D

There can be multiple main characters. Sub characters can be part of the main cast. Mobs, extras, those are the ones who arent important.

It would be like killing off Zoro from One Piece

 

[2021]

Instead of having like “Go bye” scene, just like have a moment of peace then bang they die

 

[ElijahRyne]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

Depends on the situation. If the person who will die is seriously and chronically sick or something, you can foreshadow their death. If they are an average person living a non-dangerous life, don’t.

 

[Plantorsomething]

Many times I've seen obvious death flags, that people even comment about it in stories I've read. So I wanna know how to hide a potential character death. Like you won't expect it at all.

Thanks for tips btw :D

Instead of that character dying, something bad happens to the main character instead? Or rather than that, specifically call out the death flag to call it into double reverse psychology logic.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Put up an obvious death flag for someone else and then bait and switch. Even better if thr character arc of the soon dead character is currently going strong

 

[Cipiteca396]

Spoiler: Reference

Basically, if your audience isn't expecting a character death, it's probably bad writing. Obviously that isn't really true, since death is something that happens in real life. But you as a writer are almost never going to write a death that exists just to be realistic. There's always a meaning to it, even if it's 'I need to show that the story is realistic.'

As long as the death has meaning, there will be indicators that people can notice. If it has no meaning, then nobody will see it coming, but they also either won't care, or they'll rightfully think it's bad writing.

 

[Deleted member 58005]

Spoiler: Reference

Basically, if your audience isn't expecting a character death, it's probably bad writing. Obviously that isn't really true, since death is something that happens in real life. But you as a writer are almost never going to write a death that exists just to be realistic. There's always a meaning to it, even if it's 'I need to show that the story is realistic.'

As long as the death has meaning, there will be indicators that people can notice. If it has no meaning, then nobody will see it coming, but they also either won't care, or they'll rightfully think it's bad writing.

I guess that's true.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Basically, if your audience isn't expecting a character death, it's probably bad writing

True, but readers can still expect a character to die and still be surprised about THAT character biting the dust instead.

And a death can be meaningless but only if it generates meaning later in the story.

 

[Deleted member 58005]

True, but readers can still expect a character to die and still be surprised about THAT character biting the dust instead.

And a death can be meaningless but only if it generates meaning later in the story.

Doesn't the last part contradict

 

[BearlyAlive]

Doesn't the last part contradict

A death can be meaningless for most part of the story and then turn out to have meaning later on. Or that a death turns into a motivation or fuel for growth way later than the actual death

 

[Deleted member 58005]

A death can be meaningless for most part of the story and then turn out to have meaning later on. Or that a death turns into a motivation or fuel for growth way later than the actual death

Well, I guess that makes sense. Thanks :D