Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major character

[Joe Washington]

I've come across a problem in the BDSM romance story I'm putting together. I’m thinking of giving the brother of one of the main characters a terminal illness (not cancer), giving him enough time to get his affairs in order and say his goodbyes, and killing off him by the end of the story or implying that he’ll die soon like what they did with Claudette in the Shield. But I don’t if I should pursue it or not because this character is one of my favorites and he’s in a loving romantic relationship which I would hate to end in tragedy.

For those who have seen or read their share of major character deaths and those who have made their own, what are your suggestions on the subject? Should I kill off this character off or not? How does one decide if killing off a character is good for the story or bad?

 

[Starbreaker]

Re: Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major charact

This would probably be better suited for Fan Fiction...

 

[Joe Washington]

Re: Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major charact

But this isn't a fanfiction story.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major charact

Dexter is a good example of when it makes sense to kill off major characters:

Spoiler: don't read unless you're totally caught up w/episodes!

It was obvious that Doakes had to die once he learned Dexter's secret - because to allow him to live would have forced the S3 storyline to become "Doakes accuses Dexter, does anyone believe him?" Not a bad plot for some story to have, but it takes the focus too much away from the lead character, and Dexter is an intense character study and not an ensemble piece. So it's wrong for this particular show

Rita had to die in S4 because S3 demonstrated that the show was losing its edge - the dramatic tension was winding down rather than ramping up, which is what you want stories to do. The only solution was to really challenge Dexter's ability to fight the Dark Passenger by thwacking him in the head very severely. Only the death of Rita, Deb or one of the kids could have done that, and I think the producers chose the right one to kill.

Those are examples of why characters must die - if the storyline and the needs of the main character(s) demands their death. Don't ask, "should this character die" but ask, "where is this story/main character arc going, and what does it need in order to get there?" If the answer is "X must die," then kill X. But there's no point in even contemplating killing X unless it serves a purpose.

Describe the overall direction of the story, the arc that the main character(s) will follow, and this character's place in the scheme of things. That should clarify whether there's any need to kill the character off.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major charact

It sounds to me like this is a case where a famous piece of writing advice would apply somewhat literally: "Murder your darlings." That is, if you really love something you've written but it gets in the way of the story, then you need to be ruthless and unsentimental in cutting it out. If you're just writing fanfiction or something for your own personal amusement, then you can indulge your own likes all you want. But if you're writing for an audience, it's not just about you. The needs of the story come first.

There have been times when I've killed off a character and cried for half an hour afterward. But it was what the story needed. If you're not willing to let your writing move you to tears, how will it move the readers to tears? Let the story take you where it needs to go, even if it hurts. Maybe especially if it hurts, because that tells you that something meaningful is happening.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Re: Having trouble deciding whether or not to kill off a major charact

^^^
I agree.

For example I recently watched Six Feet Under, and while it's generally an excellent show I think they made a mistake letting Nate survive. He had a dangerous operation, which ended in a cliffhanger and the first episode of the new season started with the usual montage of a person dying with that black-on-white "Nate Fisher 19xx-20xx". When I saw that I thought "wow, that's gutsy", it was really powerful, but then they pulled some weird reset-button shit...

If it makes sense for the story, kill him imo.