forum What is a good way to kill off characters in stories?
tune

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@The blue witch

Well i think a good rule of thumb when killing off a character is to make sure its not something that the reader will expect, like try to avoid cliches and stuff.

@SavvyWrites

kill them in the middle of their character arc, and make them struggle against their death if you really want to invoke emotion, make it so the character death is necessary, and not just a moment f excitement, make the main character have a mourning period that lasts throughout the book because loss doesnt just go away, it sticks,does the death advance the plot? if so, quiet down the plot for a bit (not too long) so the readers can process what just happened if the character is as important to them as it was to the main character, unless you really want to tug at heartstrings, then invoke action right away with the main character in pain so they have a "stand up even though youre broken" stage, dont include a funeral, maybe in minute detail if its really necessary, but it kills the sad mood to do so, and the death could be in the middle of a laugh, or the middle of a fight, make it unexpected, but make the character struggle, thats my advice, hope it was helpful.

@LittleBear group

Some good word are "I will walk with you always." Depending on who it is from it could be a blessing or a curse. We they the love of your character's life or their bitterest enemy?

@The Seliph-loving Gryffindor who also loves dragons and cats

So, there's this character in my story, she's the wife of my main protagonist who has known her since she was a baby, and she dies of childbirth near the beginning giving birth to the new main protagonist, seeing how much the story features on ghosts and spirits, should she talk with the protagonist last as a ghost or in her dying moments? That was the purpose of the question to begin with lol.

@Hey_Its_Snowy_And_Im_Generally_Confused

Maybe their death can be completely unexpected, or even an accident. Like a death that none of the characters could’ve prevented. That way you can disguise their last words as something that seems normal to say but has a deeper meaning when you think about it. Just an idea :p