How do you draw the line with compassion for characters?

[anthorn]

As the title suggests, how do you do it? How do you separate yourself from the characters you are writing and murder your darlings?

The reason I ask this is that although I am aware that doing so can create more ways to develop characters, I am reluctant do so in some instants.

For example. One character has been sold to a brothel against her will. She is very prudish, looking down on those who sell their bodies for sex. And as an example of how prudish. She disowned her sister who decided she wanted to be a whore (cause she loved sex) and left the academy they were at. She goes even so far as to make up a story about how her sister was raped and murdered on a journey between cities.

I know that it could lead to interesting areas if she is forced to lie with a man for the first time, and losing her virginity is then asociated with getting money for it. When she is eventually rescued she could then rebel and become a bit more promiscuous. (her virtue is gone, so why not?) Y'know.

So how do you lot do it? How do you seperate yourself?

 

[Abernovo]

That's one of the most horrific things that could happen to a woman and certainly not something I would ever want to read in detail.

However, if she was in that situation, would she not be a little more accepting of the others in the establishment, as they might very well have been in her situation previously?

So far, I hope you'll forgive me for saying, your character seems to be very one-dimensional. I try to put good and bad in every character, round them out. Good people can be snappy. Bad people might like little puppies.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I'm with Abernovo; dealing with this sort of thing needs a lot of work, and you have to be very careful not to trivialise the subject.

One of the characters in my book undergoes a horrendous lifechanging event, and I researched it for months/closer to years subconciously, read a lot of true books on it (good ones, not the my mother didn't love me stuff - I actually found John Mccarthy and Brian Keenan's books very useful for what I protrayed and both very easy to read), and quite a lot of academic research on it, even though it's well outside my sphere of specialism.

I was very aware what I was writing about was happening to a fictional character and I didn't need to write it; in choosing to do so I took an onus on myself to deal with it in as sensitive a manner as I could - without a easy happy ever after ending, because that, too, would have trivialised it.

the other question's a lot easier; i murder them quite a lot, actually. Build em up, use up, bump em off. no character volunteers for duty in my book. (well not if they want a sequel.)

Although I only do it if it moves the story on, to be fair.

Oh, and I did it painfully, with my eyes half closed when the character underwent the worse part of the ordeal. It felt terrible to do it to them.

 

[Brian G Turner]

You don't hurt characters because you *want* to - you do it because the story demands it.

 

[Mr Turtle]

I just finished a re-write of a scene where I killed of my favourite character. I wrote it about three months ago and was like "Oh well, thats that."

This time round, I'm not afraid to say, I shed some tears. It was hard, but as I'brian says, the story demanded it.

I have saved characters in the past - as I'm sure some people have, but sometimes you just have to let go. It can be hard, if it wasn't hard then you haven't done your job right, if you don't feel for them, the audience certainly won't!

Peace

P.S I'm with Abernovo and Springs, you gotta write that REALLY carefully, I don't know if you have any personal experience with such a thing? (I have) And looking at your other posts, may I carefully suggest that you re-evaluate the scene and the who, what, when, where and hows - its a SERIOUS topic and should not be undertaken lightly. (I'm not suggesting you haven't necessarily already done that) The emotional effect something like that can have is truly horrific.

That being said, if you can approach it correctly and write something truly moving then go for it, thats what a lot good writing can do, make people think and become of aware of such horrible things

Just my 2 cents.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

You don't hurt characters because you *want* to - you do it because the story demands it.

agreed - the best characters deserve the best stories. I do let them take the lead though because I find it a good gauge to their personality. When my characters fight something it is usually because it is better not to happen. (One character that wouldn't leave me alone until I went back and resurrected him went on to star in four books, and another one refused to die on me). It is a good gauge for how far to go with sex scenes etc Some of my characters don't mind voyeurs, but I have at least one who would be mortified.

That doesn't mean it isn't horrible, I had a time travel where a father figure killed 20 children he had been caring for - he was resigned to it and just wanted it over with, but it took me a month to write and I was physically ill. The response I've had from readers indicates it is worth it, somehow I've managed to keep him as a sympathetic enough character that they asked me to give him a shred of hope instead of destroying him at the end.

 

[Hex]

I find it very difficult to kill my characters. I've only killed one established character so far and I'm still sad about it.

re your woman in the brothel. Yes, be careful. If I were you, though, I'd write it first (and show it to no one) and then write it again, and again, and see how I could make it better. I'd probably start by writing it first person to help me get my head round what she's thinking. So, to answer the question: I don't think you do want to separate yourself. Not for this.

Just a thought, but does she get the money? Seems quite a generous arrangement, and not really what I'd expect for the sort of brothels which use slaves (which is what she is if she's been sold to them) and allow customers to rape them (which is what you're describing).

It could be a really powerful section in your book. Full of pitfalls, though -- and sadly not unusual. See no.30 in the Strange Horizons list of stories they see too often

I'm slightly worried about the story with her sister. I might be totally off the mark but putting yourself into a brothel in the sort of society where women can be sold and raped, sounds like something more profound than liking sex (which is generally not too difficult to find in other ways).

@ David E.D. -- sounds super. Hard to go wrong with an asteroid impact.

 

[David Evil Overlord]

I have a super hero character I'm writing now. I plan to give her a long and difficult life (you think being a super hero is easy?). Eventually, she is going to die a hero (you think being a super hero is a safe job with a great pension plan?).

I haven't quite figured out the details of her heroic death just yet. Although my thoughts are leaning towards an asteroid impact.

 

[Warren_Paul]

You don't hurt characters because you *want* to - you do it because the story demands it.

I have found so far my characters never do what I want them to. I found that out the moment my protagonist ran right off the pages of my originally planned story line and kept going.

It is like they have a life of their own, but that makes them even more real to me, and being real means that when something bad happens I'm feeling their pain along with them. I must admit to crying several times as I wrote my manuscript. And I know my second book will be even worse when I start killing off my favorite characters.

I think being emotionally tied to your characters is a good thing, it will help develop them more. I remember hearing George Martin talk about how upset he was when he killed off main characters in his book.

 

[anthorn]

TO HEX:

I've written the aborted suicide attempt and currently I write a scene in which the Brothel owner explains that just because you sell your body for money it doesn't make you any less of a person. You do what you do to survive.

Also making her character a little less snooty when comes to this topic, making it clear its her own personal feelings and that she understands how people can do this sort of thing.

To add more to the background. It's a brothel owned by a gang leader who is aspiring to become governor of the city. Five years ago before the girl returned to the city the academy was burned to the ground, the surviving girls sold into slavery and the money distributed to the gang. Girl returns and as she has little money finds work in a workhouse using her trade as a healer.

Five years later. She accidently witnesses a murder and is threated by the killer to keep quiet. Unknown to her, this man reports her to the city guard (under employ of gang.) She is sold to brothel so that they can get rid of her easily. They see it as an easy option as she is the daughter of a rich merchant family, and if she disappears this way there would be a lot less questions.

As to her sister. Her storyline has changed several times. The first was where she went with her sister on a journey to another city, and decided they would take a shortcut. This ended up with her being raped and kidnapped. When they reunite years later, the sister is crazy and wanting to kill her because she sees her as abandoning her.

I then changed it to (current)where just before they leave the city she decides on becoming a brothel worker. (she likes sex and sees no reason why she shouldn't get paid for doing what she loves.) Sister sees this as abandoning her and then decides to tell people she's dead. (adding the raped part because of her own opinions) When they reunite, her sister is full of remorse for abandoning her, realising that the life she chose wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When she isn't forgiven for this, she commits suicide, leaving remaining sister with guilt.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Actually, I sometimes enjoy killing characters off. Almost nothing can define someone so completely as the manner of their death.

The only one I've really struggled with was a female character who has a relatively minor role but is very likeable. I couldn't decide (and rewrote the scene three times) whether she should end up dead, or wounded (to recover for a later book). In the end I went for wounded, and it does fit with the storyline

 

[Coragem]

What I don't do is hurt my characters just as a cheap and easy way to spice up a flagging scene. Rather, if a scene is flagging I think, struggle, and strive to make it better.

But sometimes you have to hurt characters to be true to them and to their world. One of my characters is very, very ill, and as such bitter, but it wouldn't be true to the character for her to suddenly be happy and well and optimistic.

Coragem.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

TO HEX:


Five years later. She accidently witnesses a murder and is threated by the killer to keep quiet. Unknown to her, this man reports her to the city guard (under employ of gang.) She is sold to brothel so that they can get rid of her easily. They see it as an easy option as she is the daughter of a rich merchant family, and if she disappears this way there would be a lot less questions. I'm sure there's lots more ways to get rid of her, quietly. If she's in a brothel people see her. if she was being sent to the brothel and killed there and then because it was the easiest place to hide the action I could see it; but it she's being sent to the brothel to work then that's not trying to kill her and get rid of her. If you are trying to find a plot reason for her to go to the brothel this one seems quite flimsy.

As to her sister. Her storyline has changed several times. The first was where she went with her sister on a journey to another city, and decided they would take a shortcut. This ended up with her being raped and kidnapped. When they reunite years later, the sister is crazy and wanting to kill her because she sees her as abandoning her.

I then changed it to (current)where just before they leave the city she decides on becoming a brothel worker. (she likes sex and sees no reason why she shouldn't get paid for doing what she loves.)very few brothel workers have this motivation; some need the money, some remove thmeselves from the process, but enjoyment of the job is not generally one which is mentioned. Particularly a brothel where she is controlled by a madam and has little control over the clients and environment; if it was purely love of the job there are easier and more manageable ways to do this. Sister sees this as abandoning her and then decides to tell people she's dead. (adding the raped part because of her own opinions)what opinions? this isn't a glib question, to have the kind of impact you're describing there has to be a clear reason for this lie. is it because she is unbalanced? did she witness the earlier rape? Has she an underlying fear? When they reunite, her sister is full of remorse for abandoning her, realising that the life she chose wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When she isn't forgiven for this, she commits suicide, leaving remaining sister with guilt.

I'm sorry Anthorn, it all seems a little easy. You talk of guilt, but you also justify working in a brothel as a way to enjoy sex.

I don't object to rape as a story line but I do have a concern that if it is a story line it needs to be dealt with as what it is; one of the most serious things you can do to a person, an action which has the most long reaching consequences imagineable. What is the journey for the reader? What do we learn about the characters through these actions that we wouldn't learn through another one instead?

I'm sure you've thought of all this, but there are so many books where rape is portrayed as just another plot line, as Hex has pointed out above, that if its the central premise to your story it needs to be the central point of the charater's life. If this is the case, a study in what rape can do to someone, where it can take them, I wish you the best with it; Alice Walker's book is an excellent one to look at in terms of this, although I'm sure you've already picked this one up if you're thinking of covering the subject.

your original question is how do you guys do it; kill off a character? My question back would be with difficulty, with a lot of thought if this is the best way forward, with poignancy; otherwise why have them there in the first place?

 

[anthorn]

So you prefered the first storyline? The witnessed rape and her believing her sister is gone? Rather than the sister joining a brothel because she wants to.

Yeah. I agree, rape is a tricky subject.
And to what else you mentioned.

I do actually mention the fact that sending her to a brothel is quite a lot to do to get rid of one witness.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I don't have a preference for either storyline. I just feel if rape is to be a theme in a book it needs to be dealt with sensitively in terms of its impact. I'd like to hear more about your motivation for choosing a rape storyline and where you're going to take it than which storyline you choose. But I'm sure you've already thought about all this so I'll bow out at this stage and wish you the best of luck with it.

 

[anthorn]

Well it's not really a theme, just something that happens. It came up naturally when I wrote the outline. (the original one)

Listening to people's thoughts here have made me rethink the change in the character storyline. If I go with the original, which is the main character's sister is raped and kidnapped, the rape is placed in the background, but not forgotten. And there are other reasons as to why the relationship between them is fractured (rather than the blaming the other for the rape)

I don't want to trivilise rape, and I fear that I might in consideration.

 

[Galacticdefender]

I have a sort of compassion issue in one of my stories too. The character witnessed his entire village destroyed and murdered by a race of aliens what are pretty much exclusively really badass space pirates. (The character is also an alien, or non-human, in terms of my universe, but that doesn't apply). Anyway after going totally insane and killing the leader of the pirates when he's offguard, he frikkin loses it, pretty much devotes his life to KILLING THEM ALL AGGGH. Anyway a bunch of stuff happens, etc.

At the end of this story, I'm forseeing one of two outcomes. At the end I know he's going to sort of "redeem" (for lack of a better word. His actions are never really adressed morally, in order to leave it up to the reader to decide) himself, but I'm not quite sure how. Anyway, the character is either going to die while helping people, or he is going to lose someone very close to him, and kind of just fade away, most likely never to be seen again, but definitely not dead.

I'll admit that was a huge post to say something relatively simple, but oh well I really like this character, and that makes the descision really hard. He's pretty much been through hell his entire life, being near death several times, and I'm tempted to just give him a happy ending, but I don't think that would be best for the story. He just doesn't seem like a happy ending character. Sometimes you just have to take the story into consideration.

 

[Toby Frost]

She disowned her sister who decided she wanted to be a whore (cause she loved sex) and left the academy they were at.

Er, I'm no expert here, but I don't think people get into prostitution for the bonking. I mean, if a young lady wants to have it away with young men, she can, well, just ask, really, and they'll almost certainly agree. Also, she'll be able to choose who she gets, which is always a plus.

 

[anthorn]

Yeah. Which is why after consideration, I am going for the first idea I had again.

 

[Toby Frost]

Fair enough. Sorry, it just occurs to me that she could become some sort of high-class courtesan/entertainer, like whatsit from Firefly, if the setting allows. Just a thought.