forum Death is bittersweet: killing off characters to make readers scream!!!!

Started February 20, 2019 by @eztliraldclairinda

tune

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So… anyone want to start?

Ways to kill off a character and make it effective:
-Have them strive to reach a goal, and make the reader want them to reach that goal. Kill them right before they reach their goal. Have them come so close that they can practically taste it. Then kill them, right before it happens.
-Have them be an important character who is extremely close to the main character, possibly even their best friend.
-Have them reach their goal, but lose it again and still die at the end.
-Have the person closest to the character turn on them and kill them. It can be your choice of conscious betrayal, mind control (which can be traumatizing and painful in itself), or other ways of manipulation/control.

Please note: it may seem cold, but if the readers don't know the character, their death isn't going to affect the readers as much, despite the fact that the character might be a MC's best friend. There are a few exceptions though but honestly it's hard to say what the distinguishing factors are. Kind of a divergent spoiler I guess Example: I cried when a character was killed by her sister in the prologue but not when tris died (sorry) and I have no idea why also I'm not saying tris's death was poorly written I think I just didnt like her.
Shock and horror are good tactics to make people cry

Please note: it may seem cold, but if the readers don't know the character, their death isn't going to affect the readers as much, despite the fact that the character might be a MC's best friend. There are a few exceptions though but honestly it's hard to say what the distinguishing factors are. Kind of a divergent spoiler I guess Example: I cried when a character was killed by her sister in the prologue but not when tris died (sorry) and I have no idea why also I'm not saying tris's death was poorly written I think I just didnt like her.
Shock and horror are good tactics to make people cry

Yes…they are. I have plans for one of my characters finding her lost brother and then loosing him. See, she thought she lost everything when she was seven… but not yet. evil grin

And remember that death for the sake of death/feels is bad writing.

The way to tell if a character needs to be killed off: If you think "how much will the plot change if I take this character out", and nothing changes at all, then you have to get rid of them because their just taking up space.

The way to tell if a character needs to be killed off: If you think "how much will the plot change if I take this character out", and nothing changes at all, then you have to get rid of them because their just taking up space.

Hmm…I never thought of that. Thanks!

The way to tell if a character needs to be killed off: If you think "how much will the plot change if I take this character out", and nothing changes at all, then you have to get rid of them because their just taking up space.

Hmm…I never thought of that. Thanks!

You're Welcome ☆⌒（＊＾∇゜）v

Well I would add on. I would say keep them from existing in the first place. Because killing a character is serious business that has lasting consequences.

Well sometimes we make characters that have real importance to the plot but after they complete their purpose their just there, doing nothing, only filling up space, then you have to get rid of them. Killing a character is suppose to make lasting consequences in a plot, you don't want to death to NOT make any effect to the plot/reader. I think, besides for filling the MC quest of sort, a death of a character is very important, it helps bust the emotional connection with the readers to the MC and helps move the plot forward a ton! (When we make a character we don't know if their useless or not, we only know that when their purpose we made them for is over, tttheeenn we know we made a 'mistake' in creating them, but who knows what? Maybe those "characters that were probably going to be a big mistake" are actually very helpful in a story and are actually needed!)

Fun way to kill off an unimportant character but still have it be important: kill them off gruesomely in front of the main character and have it be something that the main character remembers for the rest of the book at the most inconvenient times. MC about to be killed? Remembers unimportant person's death. MC about to do pretty much anything? Remembers death. Idk how effective it is for other people but… Just don't overuse it because that's not fun for anyone

Fun way to kill off an unimportant character but still have it be important: kill them off gruesomely in front of the main character and have it be something that the main character remembers for the rest of the book at the most inconvenient times. MC about to be killed? Remembers unimportant person's death. MC about to do pretty much anything? Remembers death. Idk how effective it is for other people but… Just don't overuse it because that's not fun for anyone

How ironic! That was my plan for my main character! I planned to kill her brother right in front of her just like the way she lost her hometown.