I have a confession. I’m a heartless, cold-blooded killer.
It was completely premeditated. In fact, I selected my victim before I even got to know him very well. Then I used him and eliminated him without a speck of guilt. He had it coming, after all.
The murder was cruel, painful, bloody. It took him hours to die and I watched every excruciating minute.
Wait! Do I hear sirens? No, no, officer–you’ve got the wrong idea! A character–I killed a CHARACTER!
Put your characters to work
I created a character in my novel a while back. He had a job to do. An important job. But once he’d fulfilled his responsibilities, I had no use for him. In fact, he’d be in the way. So what else could I do?
As soon as I decided to kill him, I gave him a raise. He may as well enjoy his short life. I invested in him, developed him. I made him weak and selfish, but likeable. I gave him hopes and dreams and motivation. I got to know him–and so did my reader. And then I gave him a choice: live a traitor or die a hero.
He bled his life away over three pages.
Invest in your characters
I read the scene aloud to a group of writers on the weekend. It met an appreciative audience. But among the group was a friend from my novel critique group who was familiar with the story. She cried. And then she told the group why.
I’d gone back and methodically developed him, she explained. She’d grown attached to the doomed fellow, despite his many flaws.
So there you have it. Not only am I a cold-blooded murderer, but I’ve profited from my crime.
Do you have a character you’ve killed? Why?
How many notches on your gun in total?
I loved this piece, Heather.
Yes. I am the crybaby of the bunch. I admit it. But he was worth crying over:)
I havn’t killed anyone I’ve let my readers come to love, Heather. Yet.
It’s only a matter of time.
That’s why I love writing fiction. It’s guilt free murder, and you can be as grizzly as you want.
Thanks, Adele. Not too many notches. But I’m working on it. Maybe after I’ve published this novel and a couple of sequels, you can call me a “serial” killer. (Groan.)
You gave me a great compliment with those tears, Sandra. Thanks so much. I like your “yet.” Listen to the dark side…
So true, Brian. There is a certain thrill to doing the crime without doing the time.
Interesting post. I stumbled across your blog, and I’m glad I did! I killed off a character in my WIP (darn serial killer got to her). It was kind of a sad moment for me because she was quirky. She practically wrote herself into the story. Sad to see her go, but it had to be done.
Thanks, Christina. So often the characters that just waltz in unannounced end up to be our favourites. So sorry your quirky friend had to die. Serial killers are like that sometimes, and then good people die. (And good books get written.) Good luck with yours!