The saddest part is that she needed to die. Authors often kill their characters.! Some readers were shocked and wondered why I would do such a thing – when they really liked the woman. When a character is shot, stabbed or blown up and whisked to hospital it creates tension. When there is a death emotions are even more affected. In almost all fiction novels someone must die. Undoubtedly, it is easier to deal with emotionally if it’s the angry-looking dude who twirls his mustache, or the chubby bald guy who was planning world destruction. Sometimes a character that we like, or love, has to die to make the plot work. It also shows the reader something more about the other characters – even the one that you would have preferred to die.
Author’s are meanies – and do as they please.
The murder has to be done for the right reason:
- Killing of a character has to have purpose
- Killing off a character must propel the plot or effect another character.
- There must be an aftermath.
- The point of the story is to get the reader to like/hate the characters, so the death has impact.
- The reader will be heartbroken if the favorite character is killed but, with purpose and a valid reason, most will understand.
But be warned: Too many deaths leaves the reader refusing to bond with the characters for fear of them dying.
“Linda has published fifteen books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on the challenges a writer faces, including marketing and promoting your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews and how to self-publish.”