I’m a writer blog

Guidelines for writing Poems, Stories and Tales

When do I successfully kill off an important secondary main character… in a series of five books?

When should you kill off a main character?

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.

How do you kill off an important character?

Dead and buried



Character deaths are a shaky currency and the less considered they are, the more likely the reader is to feel short-changed. The key to an impactful character death is to convince the reader that they’ve lost something and, annoying though it may be, it’s almost impossible to fake that.

Can you kill the main character in a book?

There are many reasons writers decide to kill off their protagonist. The trick is to do it for the right reasons and in a way that won’t make the reader stomp off in a huff. If you’re a writer considering doing away with the main character (MC) in your short story or novel, we’ve got a few tips to keep in mind.

Why do authors kill off main characters?

It advances the plot; it fulfils the doomed character’s personal goal; it motivates other characters; it’s a fitting recompense for the character’s actions; it emphasises the theme; and it creates realism within the story world (which certainly applies to Westeros, where the average lifespan must be very short).

How do you make a character death sadder?

How to make a character’s death sadder

  1. Don’t have them die of old age after a long, fulfilling life. …
  2. Leave one of their major goals unfinished. …
  3. Give them strong relationships with other characters.
  4. Make them fight against whatever is causing their death. …
  5. Kill them in the middle of their character arc.

How do you write a good death scene?

7 Tips For Writing Meaningful Death Scenes

  1. Make the reader care about the character. …
  2. Make the reader despise the character. …
  3. Show the death’s effect on other characters. …
  4. Avoid over-dramatisation and clichés. …
  5. Don’t rely on shock value. …
  6. Try not to make a death predictable.

What is it called when the main character dies?

The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a character dies, but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television, film, video game, anime, manga and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpected death motivated by factors beyond the storyline.

Why do people try to assassinate your character?

Narcissism. According to Thomas, character assassination is an intentional attempt, usually by a narcissist and/or his or her codependents, to influence the portrayal or reputation of someone in such a way as to cause others to develop an extremely negative or unappealing perception of them.

What happens when a protagonist dies?

A story that casts death as permanent and final, ends with the death of the protagonist. All that can come after it is an epilogue. Certainly you don’t have to narrate the story chronologically, and there are novels that begin with the protagonist’s death and are all flashbacks, but the story still ends with his death.

What books kill off the main character?

11 Books in Which the Main Character Dies (This Post Is Less Spoiler-y Than You Think)

  • Atonement, by Ian McEwan. Robbie and Cecilia lived happily ever after. …
  • Animorphs, by K.A. Applegate. …
  • The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. …
  • V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore.


Why do they always kill off good characters?

In short, the reason why your favorite characters always die because authors set you up to care as much as possible about these characters. This ensures that, when the time comes, their deaths will mean something. There are few things worse for a writer than an unmourned character whose death was meant to be tragic.

How do you kill a character in a novel?

How To Kill A Character



  1. It should be sudden. Death is never expected. …
  2. It should not be a normal death. Having a warrior die in battle is something that only happens in real life. …
  3. It should be glorious or meaningful. Make sure their death is noticed. …
  4. It should be noble or horrid. …
  5. It should feel right.


How do you kill a character in a novel?

How To Kill A Character

  1. It should be sudden. Death is never expected. …
  2. It should not be a normal death. Having a warrior die in battle is something that only happens in real life. …
  3. It should be glorious or meaningful. Make sure their death is noticed. …
  4. It should be noble or horrid. …
  5. It should feel right.


How do you write a gruesome death scene?

Without further ado, let’s dive into our gruesome guide on how to write a death scene that works!

  1. Develop a Strong Relationship Between the Reader and the Character. …
  2. Create an Antagonist That the Readers Hate with Passion. …
  3. Avoid Using a Natural Adversity as Your Antagonist.

What is character kill in RP?

Description: The death of an RP character. A CK, or Character Kill, is when your Role-Play Character is killed or maimed or incapacitated in some way.



What are the rules of RP?

To follow is the list of common role-play rules that every role-player should understand and follow.

  • Do Not God-mod.
  • Do Not Meta game.
  • Do Not Auto (Auto hit, Auto walk, etc)
  • Do Not Lore break.
  • Do Not Power-play.
  • Do Not Play Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus.


What does PK mean in GTA RP?

Player Kill” is the most common definition for PK on online gaming forums. PK. Definition: Player Kill.