Be Mean!
If you're a writer (and if you're reading this I imagine that you must be), then you know how important it is to create believeable and compelling characters. Sometimes good or even great characters are the result of intense soul-searching, the cobbling together of variuos acquaintances, or even a labor of love.
Either way, many of us put a lot of work into the creation of our literary characters. Then once we create the perfect character(s) for our story or novel, we become enamored and protective of them.
That just makes it harder to kill them.
Sorry, but oftentimes it is our best characters whose death propels the story forward. You don't want to, in fact every fiber of your being screams out for you to have mercy. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you just have to be MEAN and do him or her in. Stephen King is a strong proponent of this, urging writers to, "Kill your darlings." Manuel Melendez did a great job of this in his novel, "When Angels Fall," by killing off the detective in his story almost at the book's end.
So yes, please work hard at creating your endearing, believeable, loveable, and realistic characters. Then be mean and kill them.
Either way, many of us put a lot of work into the creation of our literary characters. Then once we create the perfect character(s) for our story or novel, we become enamored and protective of them.
That just makes it harder to kill them.
Sorry, but oftentimes it is our best characters whose death propels the story forward. You don't want to, in fact every fiber of your being screams out for you to have mercy. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you just have to be MEAN and do him or her in. Stephen King is a strong proponent of this, urging writers to, "Kill your darlings." Manuel Melendez did a great job of this in his novel, "When Angels Fall," by killing off the detective in his story almost at the book's end.
So yes, please work hard at creating your endearing, believeable, loveable, and realistic characters. Then be mean and kill them.
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