Rest in Pieces | Killing off characters and ideas for making it more poignant

Death is a part of life. It comes with the change of seasons, when leaves turn brittle and drift from trees; or when animals reach the end of their time; or when we must say goodbye to a loved one. Really . . . it's just a part of living in a fallen world. Death . . . it's hard. And - don't tell anyone - even us writers get emotional when it comes to killing off our babies. It feels like a part of us is dying, too. And, maybe, part of us is.

As tragic as death is, though . . . we always seem to find ways to put it in our stories. In my last completed story, I had more than five deaths - and all of characters mentioned by name, not just random people on the sidelines. I've had quite a few experiences with death, especially in writing. Do I know what it's like to lose someone really close to me? No. And this is not me trying to say that I know what that's like. But I have been writing for quite a bit and reading even longer than that. And this is what I've learned in that time. We ready?

First, ask Yourself . . .

DOES THIS CHARACTER ACTUALLY NEED TO DIE?

Or do I just feel like I need a DB? Readers tend to think that authors just sit down to write, scroll through their manuscript, and say, "I'm feeling stabby today. 🗡🗡" This is a gross misrepresentation - at least for all the authors I know. When I kill off a character, I always, always, always ask myself if this is a must-have death. If it's not, the readers will know you were just trying to up the body count and maybe add a little spice to the story. And if there's one thing readers hate, it's reading the death of a character and then going, "There was NO call to kill him."

How do you make sure a character needs to be killed? I'm so glad you asked . . . 😉

WHEN TO NOT KILL A CHARACTER

☠ if you're bored in a story and want to add some excitement - unless it's a murder mystery. then by all means, kill somebody

☠ if you're writing a contemporary romcom that is supposed to be lighthearted

☠ if you feel like you have to kill someone in order to write a good book

☠ if you just finished watching a Hallmark murder mystery and are feeling i n s p i r e d - totally not guilty of this myself, hehe . . .

☠ if you're feeling strongarmed (whether by people or other books) into killing them

☠ it's the villain . . . hear me out here. if you want your story to be as realistic as possible, that sometimes means killing the good guys and letting the bad guys get away. as much as it stinks, that's the world we live in. that being said, don't let the villain get away scott-free (unless it's book one in a series) without justice being served. but sometimes, a villain doesn't have to die, and it actually makes a bigger impact on the story.

☠ if you really and truly feel like this person needs to live - always listen to your gut

WHEN TO KILL A CHARACTER

☠ if you're writing a murder mystery - i'm sorry, this one's just inevitable

☠ if you're character is in a corner and there is no way out

☠ if there's a battle - again, inevitable

☠ if you have a psychopathic or similar character who kills for a living - more or less

☠ if you're character has just been reacting to things that happen to her - she needs to be kicked into gear

☠ if a character has been fatally wounded - literally, just read the adjective: FATAL. please, please, please don't torture a character beyond belief and have her be totally mended in the next scene. this is inaccurate, and highly, highly annoying.

☠ if you really and truly feel like this person needs to die - always trust your gut

Notice that the last one is the same on both lists. Ultimately . . . I can't be the one to tell you whether or not Bob in the Corner needs to be eliminated. That is up to you as the writer and creator of your story. If you feel the need to kill someone . . . don't be afraid of getting flack. If God is guiding this story, He'll let you know how to do it.

So. You've gone through the lists. You've examined the angles. You'd done a body count and decided that yes, indeed, someone needs to move into the cemetery. How do you do that, exactly? How do you, as the title suggests, make a death more poignant? I've got a few notes . . .

Making a Character's Death More Poignant

🩸 have him not-quite finish his character arc. this will totally shock the readers (and possibly make them mad at you), and it's a very powerful tactic when it fits with the story. especially when it's a villain on an upward arc in his character.

🩸 have him just have gotten something he's always wanted. ever watched the second How to Train Your Dragon movie? if you have, you'll know exactly who i'm talking about. this can seem really cruel, especially when it's something they thought they lost, but it's makes our hearts go out to the character.

🩸 death before forgiveness. i actually did this in a story of mine, where someone close to my main character betrays her, then dies before she can forgive him. it tore my heart out writing it, which is a good sign when it comes to effecting readers. at least i hope.

🩸 make death the thing they're afraid of. example: hook. when a character is afraid of something, it's almost certain they will have to face it later on in the book. even if it's the main character afraid of death, and they lose a sibling or a love. we grow stronger by facing our fears - the same is true for our characters.

🩸 make it the main character's fault. no matter how many times i read this, it makes me cry and wail in anguish, "nooooo!" why? because, deep down, we know that it was the character who got him killed, and, by golly, that recognition h u r t s.

🩸 he was secretly in love with her all along. this usually comes with either tragedies or love triangles, and it's the most horribly beautiful, sniffle-inducing, tear-coaxing things that can happen.

And that's it for today! This idea came to me out of nowhere, so I really hope it isn't too out-of-the-ordinary for you guys. 😂 I also wanted to take a moment to say . . . if you've experienced death firsthand, or lost someone you loved . . . I'm so sorry. So very sorry that you had to go through that. I hope you know I'm praying for you, friend. <3

What was your favorite tip? Have you ever killed off a character when you didn't want to? Who else wants to storm Dreamworks for that plot twist in HTTYD 2? What are YOUR tips for writing character deaths? I'd really love to know!

p.s. image credit - pinterest <3