Game of Thrones taught its audience to never get too attached to a lead character, but also showed writers that killing beloved characters won’t necessarily turn off an audience. In a post on Writers in the Storm, Ellen Buikema shares advice for killing characters without pissing off your readers. “When and how you choose to kill off a character can make or break a story,” she says. “It’s quite difficult for authors. The characters are very real. Permanently dispatching them is a bit like purposefully ridding oneself of an ally.”
The most significant key to character death is that the event should occur when it will have the most impact on the story. So, how can you ensure that?
- Make the Death Meaningful. Readers don’t like it when a character dies for no reason, or when the death has no impact on the story. When you decide a character must die, show how the other characters are affected and explore the repercussions on the plot.
- Foreshadow the Character’s Death. Done well, foreshadowing creates emotional tension and signal the reader to possible outcomes. Dialogue, setting, omens, symbols, and settings can be used to forecast what’s ahead. If you prepare your reader for this outcome, the death will feel like a promised fulfilled, rather than an out of the blue tragedy.
- Avoid resurrections. Unless you have a great story reason, don’t bring anyone back to life. Even then, you should have an understanding of how your character survives their seeming death. Don’t pull this rabbit out of your hat! Prep the audience for it.
- End on a Positive Note. Even if your story doesn’t end happily, it can end on a satisfactory note. Show something positive that occurred because your character lived or the beneficial outcome of their sacrifice.
