Killing characters sucks. There really isn't a nice way to say it. It really does stink. And even though the characters I have killed thus far have not been beloved characters, the next one will be.
My intuition is to kill a certain character, who we will call Jill. This will allow her partner, who we'll call Jack, to grow and find themselves and eventually move on to someone else, who we will call... I don't know, Penny. However, killing Jill's character will certainly anger some of my readers. I never planned to get as attached to this person as I did, either. The more I write about Jack and Jill, the more I want to keep them together and just find a new partner for Penny. But now that I have reached that part of the book, I have to decide if it's worth it to continue the plan or to change it.
On the other hand, just because I want Jack to possibly end up with Penny, doesn't necessarily mean I have to kill Jill, right? In fact, if I leave her in the picture, then there is always a possibility that Jack would have to decide between them. Then again, love triangles are so overdone in fantasy novels that I almost want to avoid them completely, but that wouldn't mirror real life in which love triangles are a reality.
So to sum it up: To kill Jill or not to kill Jill... That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune... Okay, I'll stop there. Shakespeare is confusing and I'm confused enough as it is... :)
~J.D.W.
1 comments:
So, kill (or not kill) Jill, break Jack's heart, meet Penny and everything is grand slam? It's a twist.
I have a feeling I know which characters you imply, and I don't know how to respond. Though it would leave some readers in a slump, not all readers like the main characters to die. But then again, someone told me that happens often in Game of Thrones, so it could work. The question still remains unanswered, but that does not mean the answer did not already manifest itself.
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