Murder: How do know I'm not just killing for the fun of it?

[TheEldritchGod]

I got a bit of a hair trigger when it comes to murdering my characters. I've been trying to reign it in because so far I really haven't needed to kill anyone. However, I have come to a spot where I would totally, normally, murder someone, but two things.

1. It will derail the plot and the book is already running long. Normally a death ends plotlines, but I think at this point the fallout would become a plotline, and I'm already just about to wrap up act 2.
2. I come from a DM background so I usually have stats I can compare so I can roll some dice and let random chance decide the victor. I haven't been keeping stats, so I'd just be making it up.

On one hand, feel kinda like I'm wimping out. On the other, I think the death if a major character would subtract from the story, not add to it.

Any advice?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Kill them all.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I don't know what to tell you. What you do with your characters is ultimately up to you and how you feel. I must ask though, are you George r.r. Martin's ghostwriter?

 

[Oakpoke]

If not killing a character would improve the story instead of detracting from it, then not killing them isn’t wimping out, it’s called being a good writer.

But for a more in-depth look at things, if normally you kill off characters like a drunk rich guy in charge of a death game, then wouldn’t a main character managing to barely escape the jaws of death at the end of a big arc represent a spark of hope for thing to come?

 

[J_Chemist]

Always add more violence.
Always add more difficulty.
Always add more suffering.

The character will succeed or they will die. If they succeed they're worth it. If they die they were bitch made and you should move on.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I must ask though, are you George r.r. Martin's ghostwriter?

From what I heard, he refuses to use ghost writers for anything. However, it would not surprise me if something I sold wound up a subplot. His quality of work has plummeted with age. It's usually the other way around. I suspect addiction to the prestige. Addiction usually is the cause of this sort of thing.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

From what I heard, he refuses to use ghost writers for anything. However, it would not surprise me if something I sold wound up a subplot. His quality of work has plummeted with age. It's usually the other way around. I suspect addiction to the prestige. Addiction usually is the cause of this sort of thing.

That does make sense but I was just making a joke based on your description of wanting to kill off character's.

 

[georgelee5786]

No mercy. Pull out the axe.

 

[TASTYLEADPAINT]

I don't know what to tell you. What you do with your characters is ultimately up to you and how you feel. I must ask though, are you George r.r. Martin's ghostwriter?

George has a ghostwriter?

 

[Representing_Tromba]

George has a ghostwriter?

I don't know.

 

[Comiak]

My thoughts on character death is that it can be a cop out, a reason to not close out their plotline or make an epilogue for them. Of course there are good reasons to kill characters so just stick to those reasons if you want to kill a character.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

My thoughts on character death is that it can be a cop out, a reason to not close out their plotline or make an epilogue for them. Of course there are good reasons to kill characters so just stick to those reasons if you want to kill a character.

Yeah... I'm thinking of it being a cop out. It would make things smoother. I should take the thorny path.

 

[Cipiteca396]

In good writing, killing characters is a major sin. A written character is composed of potential, and killing that character kills their potential. Well, that's true in real life, too. It's a recurring thing that gets discussed in Trope Talk, but I'm not sure which video the best description is. Here's the first one that seemed relevant:

Spoiler: Bonus Material

Having watched through a few, the Plot Twist one is the one I was looking for. Killing your character with unresolved plot threads falls into that category for the most part.

 

[WeissBlatt]

George has a ghostwriter?

His ghostwriter must have ghosted him. That would explain the delays.

 

[Shard]

IMO it is simple logic. Is the character in a situation where their actions or lack thereof would lead to their death? Then they die. If not, they don't die. Then again, I just observe the world and write what I see, I don't control my characters for the most part. I have goals I want them to follow, sometimes they agree and follow them, sometimes they don't. Nearly had one of my main chars die because another one was stupid, but luckily, the situation allowed them to survive even if it crippled another, because of the actions the other felt they had to take. IMO there shouldn't be a choice of if X lives or dies, it all depends on what happens naturally.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Use condom!