How to Write a Good Fanfic

10.5 - Character Death

Character death is certainly not a topic to be trifled with, yet unlike the other sensitive subject matters I write about this is actually a subject people tend to actually stay away from when they write. After all, nobody wants to kill off their favorite character.

Or is it a narrative element we stay away from?

I think when I first started the subject was definitely more prevalent than it is now, but it has become less so because people have called others out for killing off characters simply because they don't like them, or because they're doing it simply for entertainment value.

Narratively speaking, character death rarely doesn't make sense most of the time unless say you're writing for fandoms such as Hunger Games where death is common place and then it definitely makes sense within the narrative. Even in original fiction we don't see canon characters killed off often. Usually, it is an unnamed character, or a character who isn't a main.

What is the answer to when and how to kill off a character?

I honestly don't think there is any solid answer that can be given to this one. Character death is meant to have an impact though, so if the death has no impact why bother? Character death shouldn't be used to get certain characters out of the way. I'd like to say that only fanfic writers are guilty of this, but I've seen this from writers taking over an IP where they try killing off the character say for making way for their preferred ship.

Character death also isn't entertainment. On top of Die for Our Ship stories I've come across stories where the writer thought killing off all the characters was amusing, but to them it didn't make sense why stories outside of horror always have a happy ending, so they decide to correct this and kill everybody off ,or in reality everybody but their personal favorite or favorites.

However, if the narrative calls for it, they shouldn't be afraid of killing off the character. Of course, some argue that the character is a woman, the character is a minority, so...

Stop.

By this logic only straight white men who are rich should be allowed to die. That doesn't make for a good story. A few will argue, don't have them die first, and yet, that doesn't work either because it's still saying that only straight white men who are rich should die first. You're also likely using an aggregate trope to argue the point, which is never good.

What matters is that their death is impactful. By this I don't mean it makes an impact because it is shocking, but because it makes an impact emotionally, and not just on the readers but the characters involved. Make them fleshed out characters, but don't make the only reason they existed to die, or if we're talking about a minority to be a minority.

The other thing is to make their death meaningful and in character. A character who never drinks getting killed while drinking and driving doesn't make sense. A character dying because something good happened – unless you're dealing with a fandom where cruel irony is common place also isn't okay

Last, keep biases out of it. Don't make the character die just so your ship can go on, and don't do it because you hate the character. Then again, don't accuse someone of killing your favorite character for doing just that, or if they ship a pairing which breaks up your own don't accuse them of that either.