Killing a major character

[DrMclony]

How do you find it? does it come easy? or do you resist and struggle with it?

I never thought it would be hard, but I currently have a character that has to die and I have slowed my writing down considerably, working over every tiny detail in the lead up to the deed.

I don't rightly know if I am avoiding the inevitable or just striving to get the surrounding events properly configured. I know the story arc is benefiting from this slow methodical period, because the event in question will be well supported by everything being in place. I just worry it might lose the spontaneity in the process.

Any of you guys struggle with character deaths? (I know minor characters are easy to bump off. but this is a key individual about a third into the story)

 

[darkfox]

So long as it serves the story and isn't just there for shock factor, the death of a major character can really affect your reader. I usually have at least one friend who reads chapters as I write them to give me an idea of how the story is being received. I don't want to spoil my own work, but when I killed off a big character (one that he really empathized with), he was blown away...luckily it was in a good way.

The main trick, IMO, is to make sure you don't let your reader see it coming. If they do, it won't have the impact you're likely looking for. Try not to set the stage for the death before the actual death.

 

[chrispenycate]

I had this particular problem a couple of years back, and started a thread (http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/50341-writing-for-the-chop.html) about it.

I don't know if the advice will be of any use to you, but I succeeded in writing the scenes after.

 

[Glen]

"Terminate with extreme prejudice"

There was a re-run of "Apocalypse Now" on the TV the other night. So, of course I had to stay up to 1pm to see the end. That has a bit of a twist on the killing of a major character. The killing is a big part of the film, and we spend most of the film learning about this character Kurtz, and seeing the background to his insane reasoning, and knowing, all along, that he is to be killed. Works for me.

Interesting question though. I would want to be upset if I the story needed me to kill off a character I had grown to like, or I don't think it would be a successful story-telling.

 

[Vargev]

I've never had to kill off a major character in my novels as of yet, although I have plans to kill off one of them in suitably epic style in the fourth and final novel in my series. I have the scene in my head, although I haven't written it yet.

 

[DrMclony]

I managed to bring about the character's unfortunate demise as well as the resulting trauma for the people around him. Sometimes you just have to get in and do it lol. Subsequently I bumped off a couple of bit players in a blizzard, but now I can move on with the story and those three character deaths are providing some wonderful fuel for the drama of survival against all odds.

Thanks for the posts in here and the other thread chrispenycate posted

 

[StirlingNewberry]

If it is too easy, maybe it wasn't a good character to begin with. We are attached to our characters if there is anything there in them.