Hello people of this website! I was just wondering- when do you think it is appropriate, interesting, or even just necessary to kill off a character, especially a protagonist? When have you used this to motivate another character or drive a plot point?
considering i accidentally killed off my main character halfway through the first novel, i don't think i'm one to talk. it just felt right in that moment to kill her and let the villain win. in the second novel, i actually killed a lot of people at once when the doors between faery and the human realm shut (it trapped some people in between and essentially killed them all…). in that some novel, a child died in the arms of the main character, which really put things into perspective for her and she realized she needed to really step in as a leader and take charge so stuff like that doesn't happen. usually when i try to kill off a main character, it's for the villain to get rid of people who are in the way. when it's side characters, it's to help the main characters realize something. sometimes i may or may not succeed in killing main characters.
I've never done it for real, but from what I've experimented with the biggest thing for me is how it affects the other characters, and how it affects the deceased character's legacy. For one, if you're getting rid of a vital part of a team, they could fail a ton and eventually lose the true fight, whether that means fantasy or realistic fiction. Or it could motivate those other characters, so it could really go either way. If the character has already completed their goal, that would be a good time to kill them off- or it could be the opposite, where their work is unfinished and it leaves an open ending for them. Those are my thoughts on it!
I've only killed off one or two characters as of me replying, but I think that while it would be more satisfactory for both you and the reader to have the character die when they accomplish their goal, sometimes it's best to kill a character in the middle of their character arc. This will affect the other characters greatly and much more than if they die after they finish what they set out to do. I think it's a good writing technique when you kill a character right when another character needs the deceased the most. Although it sounds cruel, it allows for growth in the other character and can teach them a lot. But really, base your timing on your gut and when you feel that their legacy will make the biggest impact. Good luck writing! :D
It really depends on the story. I killed off the main character's best friend in the first chapter, just to give her motivation because throughout the entire story she faces really challenging situations and has to make difficult decisions.
I'm thinking of killing off one of the characters at the end of the book, as a cliffhanger of sorts (I already have plots for the rest of the series).
I kill off one character that’s stands in the way of another’s development.
I kill of characters when I feel like that moment has come upon them. I would even kill the main character if their dead just seemed right to me.
To me, 1) if it will go well in the book, 2) when they seem most determined.
I’m going to kill of a character when she finally bonds with the people she is with, when she is just that close to getting what she wants, just when the reader thinks she’s going to win.