February 15, 2007
Killing Me Softly
It could be somewhat perilous for an author to kill off characters. Don’t you think? I mean, there are rumors that JK is going to axe Harry Potter. After all, she would never get any peace if she didn’t because folks would want her to continue to write his story.
And who was the famous mystery writer that killed off his main character and it outraged readers so much, he had to revive him? I can’t remember.
Anyway. The point is…sometimes, you just gotta take ‘em out. But how? I mean, if you have a secondary character you eighty-six in the story, does that mean that character wasn’t necessary to the plot of the story after all? I wonder about this.
And the reason I’m wondering about this is because I have a character in one of my books I’m considering giving the heave-ho to. So I wonder - IS this character necessary to the plot? I mean, he sort of is. He is an integral part in the backstory (which of course is NOT an info dump - har har) and he effectively shapes the current events of the story. But when #1 Bad Guy gets wind he’s still alive, well, our villain wants him six feet under.
And fast.
So I intend to murder him - in the most vicious and villainous way as only our Baddie can do.
So, readers, does it piss you off when an author kills off a character (even a secondary one)? Or do you cheer the hero on that much more?
And who was the famous mystery writer that killed off his main character and it outraged readers so much, he had to revive him? I can’t remember.
I think you mean Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, when he killed off Holmes.
And no–I have no problem with murder.
Yes that’s it! See..I’m sickly so the brain wasn’t working properly…
I get mad when they kill my fave characters on TV
*taptaptap* so you better have a damned good reason for killing one in a book!
How’s me dragon coming?
I think the problem with axing HP is that you’re talking about a kid’s book. I understand her need to walk away and not allow anyone to use HP again, but I think it’s a bad move for a children’s author to take out the lead character in a book that has hundreds of thousands of kids living vicariously through him. For adult stories, it depends on what the character’s role in the book is.
I can’t think if I read anything that this has happened, nothing that sticks out anyway…
though the DH read all the Harry Potter books and every time they said the were “killing off” a main character, it was always someone they had only just introduced–well there was one biggie, but not so terribly big. (though, he didn’t tell me what happened in six–don’t wanna know)
Here’s an interesting question….do you think JK Rowling will ever write another book? I mean, how do you top HP? Not that she would WANT to top HP but I think folks would expect her to
do you think JK Rowling will ever write another book?
… if anything, the pressure is off her. She can write whatever she wants. She doesn’t have to “bank” on the book’s sucess to help her. She can do whatever calls to her and in the grand scheme of things it only matters as to how she feels …
I think folks are going to be waiting for what she does next and just hope it’s as good as the HP books.