˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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❛ JUST 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 YOUR CRYING,
IT'S A 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵 OF THE 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺. ❜

reasons to kill a character! ━━ no. 028
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     I REALLY LIKE KILLING OFF MY CHARACTERS.

     Now, before someone calls the cops on me— hear me out. I really like killing off my characters because not only does it free up space in my mind, but it's so much fun to off a character and have their death affect the book and its other characters.

     I love it when a noble character— or villain, sidekick, whatever— sacrifices themselves for someone they love or for a larger cause, or is killed unexpectedly. I love tugging at my own heartstrings, and especially the readers'. I love the epicness of a well-placed death in any book and the shock value.

     Authors are always being advised, especially by one another, to be mean to their characters, fuck up their lives, and just cause chaos. Oftentimes, this inevitably leads to killing them off. And even though we may cry or mourn over our beloved characters' deaths, most of us tend to gain some sort of satisfaction and fulfillment from it. As authors, we gotta play tough and the bad sometimes, and do whatever best serves our story, right?

     But then this begs the question: Is killing off a character really the best way to serve your story? And what are some reasons why we should sometimes kill them off?

     Today, we discuss.

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝟏𝟎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article from Screencraft. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          ❝ 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿? ❞

          "As you develop stories, you always need to be looking for opportunities to shake things up, inject more conflict for characters to deal with, and surprise the reader and audience. These are the elements that you need to ensure that your stories are compelling and engaging. Things need to happen. Routine storylines do nothing more than bore the reader or audience. And because of this truth, you're going to have to find story points and plot devices to make your story and characters more interesting and impactful. And there's no more compelling and engaging plot device than killing off a major lead or supporting character."

          Here, I share ten simple and straightforward reasons why you should consider killing someone off in your story.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. To add stakes to your story. "The best screenplays and novels showcase genuine stakes that your characters must face. Stakes inject more conflict into the story—and conflict is everything when it comes to an engaging and compelling screenplay or novel. If the reader or audience doesn't feel like any of your major characters are going to be in harm's way (stakes), their investment in the ongoing drama isn't going to be that strong. And when they're not invested, you're not doing your job as a writer.

          "Killing off a major character can show that the villain, antagonist, or threat means business. They or it isn't going to let anyone off the hook. When you create that tension by killing off a character that the reader or audience has grown to love or empathize with, you're creating an atmosphere of uncertainty that drives the narrative and raises the stakes of your story.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. To inject empathy. "Empathy is a vital part of storytelling. You want to affect the people that are experiencing your stories. And the easiest way to accomplish that is by having them live vicariously through your protagonists. One of the strongest emotions is sorrow. When someone loses somebody close, the sorrow they feel is deep. And that is something that everyone can relate to.

          "When you kill off a parent, grandparent, sibling, mentor, best friend, or peer, people empathize with the loss of that character, as well as with those that mourn them."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. To create catharsis. "Catharsis is the feeling we feel after the resolution of the story and the protagonist's overall journey. It is what we feel when we leave that theater, finish that episode, or close that book. How are you going to affect the reader or audience enough for your story and your characters to stick with them when the story is finished? Killing off a character can create a memorable cathartic experience."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. To add tragedy and despair to your story. Yes, this is a simple and somewhat obvious one, but it's a good idea, nonetheless. "Maybe your story is too light? Maybe it lacks in stakes? Maybe things are coming to your protagonist too easily? Tragedy and despair are powerful story elements. If you feel that your story needs a little more oomph, those two elements may just be the answer. And what is more tragic than the death of a beloved character?"

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟱. To add a twist. "Audiences love twists. And what better way to shock the reader or audience than to kill off one of your main characters? Plot twists allow the writer to change the trajectory of the story. It is less of a reset or redirection than a shakeup and wake-up call to make sure that everyone is awake, engaged, and invested.

          "For film and television, audiences crave surprises. They love what lurks in the shadows. They love the unknown. And when you kill off a major character unexpectedly, it's a twist that forces them to experience the unknown consequences and repercussions of what has just happened. And that is a thrill."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟲. To avoid complacency as a writer. "You may very well have a solid plot with interesting characters, but complacency is the writer's worst trap to fall within. Any good writer can plot a story together, taking a character or group of characters from Point A to Point Z. But the best writers know how to challenge themselves.

          "Take a look at your screenplay or novel and challenge yourself by asking, "What would happen if I killed X character?" This type of question should create several branches of story possibilities within your imagination as you consider the many different story trajectories that could come about as a result of a character being killed off. And those different branches and trajectories are what allow you to grow as a writer. You'll analyze. You'll imagine. You'll problem-solve. All because you got out of your plot comfort zone by killing off a character."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟳. To increase emotion. "Yes, empathy is an emotion that you want the reader or audience to experience within your story. But the emotions of your characters are the doors that they can take to experience that empathy. When you kill a character off, you open yourself up to the opportunity of showcasing the emotions of the other characters dealing with that loss. And those emotions they feel can be very telling.

          "Characters could be glad, mad, or sad. The death could rock their world or challenge them in different ways. The easiest way to create emotion within a character is to present them with something immediate and tragic. The death of a family member, friend, or foe will present the best opportunity to inject a lot of emotion within your story."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟴. To create, turn, or complete an arc. "Character deaths can create, turn, or complete the character arc of your protagonists." Without over-explaining it, here are some examples.

           ➳❥ Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Where would Frodo's character arc be completed without the death of Sauron?
           ➳❥ Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. Where would Luke Skywalker's character arc turn without the death of his mentor?
           ➳❥ UP. Where would Carl's character arc be without the death of his soulmate?

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟵. To offer a sense of justice. "Remember, readers and audiences live vicariously through the experiences of your protagonists. That's one of the primary purposes of reading or watching a story unfold. They empathize with your characters. And because many characters in stories are dealing with a conflict that involves an antagonist, villain, or threat that threatens their ordinary world, by the end of the story, people want to feel that justice is served.

          "The death of an antagonist, villain, or threat offers them that, which also leads to that cathartic ending you want them to experience and take home with them. Studios and production companies read so many screenplays that make the mistake of keeping those bad guys alive at the end—either to create a sense that a sequel could be born or to leave the audience theoretically wanting more. Don't make that same mistake. Give your characters, your readers, and your audience the justice they deserve."

          ╰─── 𝟭𝟬. To give closure. "Sometimes a character needs to die. And sometimes, the story needs to move on. If you have a character that has served their purpose within the story, killing them off can be a natural—but strong—way to offer closure to their story. If you have a protagonist that has made major sacrifices for the greater good, sometimes the best closure to their story is the ultimate sacrifice. And, yes, justice is always the best form of closure in the end when you're dealing with the death of the threat or bad guy."

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑: 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article from Helping Writers Become Authors. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          Oftentimes, whenever the idea of killing off a character is suggested, many authors go, "Is killing off a character really the best way to serve my story?" A question I asked at the beginning of this chapter. However, before we answer that question, let's take a look at some reasons that may justify our decision to end a character's life—along with some not-so-good reasons.

❪ 𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚈 𝙾𝙵 𝙷𝙴𝙻𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚂. ❫

           ➳❥ 𝘎𝘖𝘖𝘋 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘖𝘕𝘚 𝘛𝘖 𝘒𝘐𝘓𝘓 𝘈 𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘌𝘙. . . We can find many good reasons for snuffing (important) characters, including:

               *˚‧ It advances the plot. (Melanie in Gone With the Wind.)
               *˚‧ It fulfills the doomed character's personal goal. (Obi-Wan in A New Hope.)
               *˚‧ It motivates other characters. (Uncle Ben in Spider-Man.)
               *˚‧ It's a fitting recompense for the character's actions up to this point. (Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.)
               *˚‧ It emphasizes the theme. (Everybody in Flowers of War.)
               *˚‧ It creates realism within the story world. (Everybody in Great Escape.)
               *˚‧ It removes an extraneous character. (Danny in Pearl Harbor.)

           ➳❥ 𝘉𝘈𝘋 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘖𝘕𝘚 𝘛𝘖 𝘒𝘐𝘓𝘓 𝘈 𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘌𝘙. . . Some less worthy reasons for doing our characters dirty include:

               *˚‧ Shocking readers just for the sake of shocking them. (Shock value isn't without its, well, value, but not every author is Alfred Hitchcock and not every story is Psycho.)
               *˚‧ Making readers sad just for the sake of making them sad. (An old saw says, "If they cry, they buy." But readers never appreciate being tortured without good reason.)
               *˚‧ Removing an extraneous character. (I know, I know. I just said that was a good reason. But you have to double-check this one. If the character is extraneous, then you better verify if he really belongs in this story in the first place.)

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝟔 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article from Writer's Edit. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          "Part of being a writer is facing the heart-wrenching necessity of killing our darlings. While this practice can refer to many aspects of the creative process—scenes, plotlines, carefully crafted descriptions—bumping off a lovingly created character can be one of the hardest choices to make.

          "With death being one of two certainties in life, it's no surprise it plays a significant role in fiction. But that doesn't mean every character has to die, or that you even need to include a death in your story at all.

          "So, before you start swinging the ax, take a look at these six times you should refrain from killing your darlings, and how and why such deaths should be avoided."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Their death serves no purpose. "Few people enjoy pointless death. Killing one of your main characters purely to elicit shock from your readers is a surefire way to get them offside. After all, you've spent all this time developing a character's backstory, making them real and flawed and endearing to the reader – and then you go and bump them off for no reason? Talk about betrayal.

          "That's not to say character deaths shouldn't happen, or that they shouldn't be shocking – quite the opposite, actually. But you need to have a significant reason for killing a character you and your readers have both invested time in, and that reason needs to be more than 'I want to see some people cry'.

          "In order to test whether your proposed death is purely for shock value or not, consider what effect it has on the story at large. Is it propelling the plot? Establishing the villain's power or wickedness? Or is it the consequence of a character's previous actions?"

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. They're not going to stay dead. Okay, yes. I am very guilty of this with my old stories (that are now unpublished). "If you're writing fantasy or science fiction where the concept of resurrection is possible, it may be tempting to bring your slain darlings back from the grave. Resurrection, reincarnation, reanimation, and time travel are all potential ways for writers to get around the pesky permanency of death. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

          "Choosing to bring a character back from the dead is a messy path to walk. While resurrection can be a convenient way to torment and shock readers by (temporarily) killing an integral character, it opens a can of worms in regards to logistics and plot holes.

          "In fantasy novels, writers go to great lengths to craft believable magic systems based on reason and law. Including the ability to reanimate a corpse or resurrect a fallen hero can sometimes leave magic feeling too powerful and slash the tension you've so carefully built. Furthermore, if this power suddenly manifests without proper integration into the story, you leave yourself open to the pitfalls of plot holes and deus ex machina. The last thing you want is readers scoffing at a climactic scene because the whole thing appears far too convenient."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. They're an insignificant character. "One thing to consider when writing meaningful character deaths is the need to avoid predictability, and there is nothing more obvious than killing a 'Red Shirt'. This trope gets its name from the insignificant supporting officers in the Star Trek universe, whose untimely demise on a mission is almost guaranteed.

          "Minor characters like these are often introduced only to later serve as cannon fodder to the villain's flex of power. This is problematic for a number of reasons. If the character's purpose in the story at large is simply to die, there's a strong chance that they have not been developed to the point the reader actually cares.

          "The senseless murder of a secondary character not only fails to inspire an emotional response from your readers; this type of death can ultimately be just as pointless and infuriating as shock for shock's sake. Death doesn't just happen to minor ranking officers or insignificant characters. You don't want main characters protected by 'plot armor', which is every bit as tension-slashing as overpowered heroes and contrived struggles."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. The character is LGBTQIA+. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, this is one that really gets under my skin. "The next few points look at representation and the tendencies for minorities to be the most expendable cast members. Much like the hero and his magic armor, no character should be immune to the call of death, but you need to think twice before taking a metaphorical knife to your diverse characters.

          "As an example, we turn to our master of death George R. R. Martin as an example of what not to do. All the major characters in A Song of Ice and Fire who identify as LGBTQIA+ (Renly Baratheon, Loras Tyrell, and Oberyn Martell) are killed throughout the course of the infamously murderous series. (Well, Loras is technically still alive at the end of A Dance with Dragons, his death is all but certain due to grave injuries received in battle.) While it's plausible to pass off these deaths as nothing out of the ordinary, there is something more sinister at play, and it goes by the name of 'Bury Your Gays'.

          "From The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) to Goldfinger (1959) and The Stand (1979), to The Book of Lost Things (2006) and Armada (2015), authors have been including sexually diverse characters—only to kill them off.

          "While it's worth noting that not all queer characters are killed because they are queer, the 'Bury Your Gays' trope is very much homophobic in nature, as it reinforces the idea that queer characters are more expendable than their cishet castmates. However, take care not to swing too far in the other direction by granting a character death immunity thanks to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

          "If your LGBTQIA+ character really has to die, you can avoid this (and tokenism) by ensuring they are not the only diverse character on your team. Having LGBTQIA+ peoples represented in your novel should be the norm, but you do need to be conscious of how they are treated to avoid these harmful stereotypes and tropes. The same can be said for racial diversity, which brings us to our next point."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟱. The character is black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC). "Often joked about due to its predictability, the movie trope 'Black Dude Dies First' is farcically common and overtly offensive to black, Indigenous, and people of color. While generally linked to horror/slasher films, the act of killing off POC characters in fiction is just as problematic. When a specifically identified BIPOC character (nearly always flagged as being Other, given the casually racist assumption of 'white until proven otherwise' in written media) is killed early in a narrative, it creates a number of issues.

          "A death early in the novel means the character is likely to be underdeveloped, which creates the idea that BIPOC stories are not as important as white characters' stories and, as such, do not need to be fleshed out beyond a tokenistic stereotype. The main problem with this is that flat characters are not memorable to readers. The resulting lack of emotional connection to an underdeveloped BIPOC's death is the harmful suggestion that the character (and BIPOC at large) is not worthy of empathy.

          "A tempting solution used by some writers is to forcibly create a stronger response by describing the death in an excessively gruesome or detailed manner. While graphic description can result in a visceral reaction from your readers, what is actually happening is the glorification of violence.

          "BIPOC character death also has a tendency to occur as a means of propelling the white hero's character arc forward. Whether it's serving as a call to action or a path-changing epiphany, using a BIPOC death as a motivational tool is another dangerous plot device to avoid. While Rue's death in The Hunger Games inspires a rebellion and drives Katniss' story, the importance of the developed POC girl's character and the respectful treatment of her passing helps Suzanne Collins's popular YA series avoid falling into this trope trap.

          "As with LGBTQIA+ characters, if a BIPOC character in your novel is required to die, then ensure they are developed and not the only minority character in your main cast. And if you don't plan on giving your white characters exceptionally brutal deaths, do not subject your BIPOC characters to it."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟲. The character is female or identifies as female. "Female characters have a terrible habit of finding themselves 'stuffed into fridges'. This shocking plot device sees women killed, raped, maimed, or otherwise disempowered as a means to move the male protagonist's story forward.

          "The term 'fridging' stems from comic book origin, where Green Lantern's dead girlfriend was literally stuffed into a refrigerator for him to find. Further research has gone on to discover this trope in a range of popular media, from film and TV shows to literature and manga. Unlike the 'shock for shock's sake' death, fridging arguably serves the purpose of rallying the protagonist. However, the destruction of another (usually female) character to achieve this is a lazy way to elicit a cheap emotional response from your cast and readers. Not only is fridging sexist, but it also devalues the character in much the same way as using BIPOC characters as plot pawns or cannon fodder.

          "Before putting a female character on the chopping block, consider ways your protagonist may be motivated without the need for death or violence. While it might not carry the shock a death would (which, as we discussed earlier, is not always a good reason to kill a character anyway), the end result is still the same: driving your protagonist to take action. As is the case with all under-represented groups in fiction, it's about balance. Ensure that there are a number of strong, developed female characters among the surviving cast at the book's end and you'll keep yourself safe from unintentional sexism."

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑: 𝑨 𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑪𝑲𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article from Helping Writers Become Authors. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          "Lucky for our sadistic little souls, roles and archetypes can shift from character to character or be shared by several characters. In short: when a character dies off, his death doesn't have to mean his role will be left vacant for the rest of the story."

          With all this in mind, here's a quick checklist for figuring out if you can get away with murder:

           ✓ 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝗎𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗓𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝖿𝖿 𝖺 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋.
           ✓ 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗍 (𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇).
           ✓ 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗋𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗋𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗍𝗒𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒.
           ✓ 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋(𝗌) 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝖻𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗈𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁.

          OR. . .

           ✓ 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗌𝖿𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝖾𝗌𝗇'𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝗋𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗉𝖾𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽.

          "Sometimes the death of a character can raise an ordinary story into something special. If you can justify a character's death, then go for it! Special may be just around the corner."

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐀 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article from Helping Writers Become Authors. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          "Now that we have a grip on what makes a character's death work within a story—and what's sure to make it fail—we next have to consider what could end up being a crucial reason not to kill your character.

          "Every character in a story should be there for a specific reason. They're there to enact a specific function. If they don't enact that function, then you have to question their purpose in the story. And if they do fill a role within your story, well, then ask yourself this: Who's gonna fill that role if you kill them off?"

          Dramatica authors Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley explain: "𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮'𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩. 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢."

     I hope these were all helpful and if you have any questions or want more tips on this topic, let me know!

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❛ THEY TOLD ME THAT 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫
IS 𝑵𝑬𝑨𝑹, WE GOTTA GET 𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀
FROM 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴. ❜
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