DISCUSSION: Killing Off Characters

[Griff4815]

I think that killing off a character should have a narrative purpose, either as an ending to that character's story or in how it affects another character. I don't think that the A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones method of killing off a load of characters willy-nilly for the shock value or darkness value (and this is something a lot of modern shows seem to be doing lately) is the right way to go about it. I find it can waste characters with a lot of potential for fleeting, short term rewards (like edginess cred). Although, depending on the tone of the story, I also think that killing off absolutely no characters or having faux-death scenes where they come back later can run the risk of lowering the stakes and drama for the audience, unless it's a story like a journey fic where the tone might be lighter and there isn't any reason for characters to be killed off.

For me, personally, a happy medium is the best route. I've killed off characters before, but I'd say that I'm generally averse to killing off characters. I do become attached to them, so it makes it difficult at times to kill them off, unless I decide from an early stage that I want the character to die so I can build up to it. It's easier to do it if you prepare for it, I find.

 

[Beth Pavell]

the A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones method of killing off a load of characters willy-nilly for the shock value or darkness value

As far as A Song of Ice and Fire is concerned, there's a bit of a complex relationship between character deaths and the narrative. In large part, the darkness-value is deliberately done for narrative purposes to make clear to the reader that the author will not step into save the favourites. That being the case, George Martin does have a habit of overdoing it. It gets to the point where as a reader you know damn well what kind of story you're reading and don't need another war atrocities scene to take the point.

The difference between the book and TV adaptation does raise another point, which is that whether a character dies or is saved by the network execubots survives has to be thought through in terms of the implications

 

[Gengarzilla]

I think I'm at the position where I'm not shy to explicitly mention death in a fanfic and even have some characters mistakenly think that another has been killed, but not ready to actually show it for real, especially not with any character who's important to the story.

These close calls are as far as I feel comfortable writing at the moment, and I believe they still get this point across: The aggressor(s) is/are perfectly willing to take lives.

That said, if I can become a better and more confident writer, then all bets may be off.

 

[Life]

There's a story I'll never write where I always intended to kill off the supporting character/protagonist's pokémon (and no it's not a bird lol). Really just because I didn't think it'd be realistic for the party not to come out of battle with a death, and the specific pokémon is the main one battling so it just kinda made sense. Had some ideas about making them come back to life, ultimately caused by the protagonist which would have shown his growth, but that always felt too cheesy/plot-device-y to me so I'm not sure I would have done it.

However I do think death is needed in certain stories, not to give them a suspenseful moment, but to give a sense of realism to the world. If you're going in to a big battle, it's just unlikely that everybody on the protagonist's side is going to come out fine unless they're overpowered or something like that, which really is never the case.

 

[UselessBytes]

Alright, first things first, killing characters is an ART, so it’s disappointing when I see a lot of people use it as a way to generate shock value or to get rid of characters they don’t want to write anymore. I’ve got a few multi chapter stories where I’ve killed main characters off that aren’t on this site, and I’ve never killed someone just for the heck of it, or because I’m tired of writing them. Every time I write a character death, it’s because it can and will influence the plot at almost every significant point. Death shouldn’t just be used wildly, especially for individuals as important as a main character.
You can use character death to great extents. It can majorly influence plot events and help develop other characters in big ways. All in all, character death is something that’s hard to do perfectly, but it beautiful and intriguing when done well

 

[CrystaI]

And that's why death is a difficult issue to deal about. It is a plot device aka a tool used in writing for specific purpose, hence should be used only in specific situation and condition. And like any other tools such as software or even just a screwdriver, one should if not mastering it at least then understand its usage and function before utilize the tool in your work. If not, then the said tool may just hinder the performance of your work, where it may be better of not utilizing it in the very first place.