Killing off protagonists?

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Hello. :D

I have a quick question, which I suppose is debatable because...well I've been debating for weeks over it.

Should protagonists be killed off?

I have one particular protagonist (there's more than one) in a story I've been writing for almost a year and as the storys developed I've come up with so many different endings for it. And one of which includes this character dying.

Another is that this character dies and then comes back to life, but that's been used so much that I'm wondering if it'd be better if they just stayed dead.

Should I kill off my protagonist?

Comments

[tracy-d74.livejournal.com]

If the death is needed for other characters to develop. Kill them off. Books do it all the time (Harry Potter, Shakespeare is the king of this). I just killed off one of my favorite characters, but it had to be done. Bringing the person back to life? Well, if you have established the rules for such a thing in your book, you can. But the foundation for the ressurection needs to be in place, otherwise it is very soap opera-ish.

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Yes you're right there! It never occured to me, which I find ironic considering Harry Potter and Shakespeare are one of my favourites in the book department.

I know I thought the ressurection thing was very soap opera, I don't think I'd use that one to be honest, at least I wouldn't unless I get a flood of inspiration.

Thanks for answering. I've found it really useful! :)

[awproductions.livejournal.com]

I agree with killing the character off, unless if it were just for drama or effect? I really don't know how I would feel about that, but of course it is your story.

I am having something of a problem about that too. (that is killing one of my protagonists) I have a three maybe four book series and as I develop the story and character I don't know if I want him to leave at the end. He falls in love with two very great people and they both love him, I just don't know which one to make him fall for.. so i was like.. Kill him and it solves everything.. lol

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

No I wouldn't just kill them off for dramatic effect, although obviously it would add to the tenstion of the sitauation but I don't think it'd very good if I did that. Plus this is a character that's been inside my head for nearly a year now, I don't think I'd be able to kill him off for the sake of drama haha.

Ohhh haha! Well I think a good answer to that would be killing the character off! Would that mobe your story on as well though?

[thebonedawg.livejournal.com]

I agree with the others: only kill them off if it is crucial to the story. If you're killing them off just to say you killed them off, then no, don't do it. There needs to be a good reason for doing so.

I started my novel knowing full well that my MCs wouldn't be killed off. But as I write more and more and near the end of my novel, the evil writer on my shoulder is saying "Do it! Do it!" and I just try to ignore her...or else fling her off my shoulder entirely. I know I won't actually do it, but the possibility has been lingering on the back burner.

I actually wrote out an "alternate ending" just to try and get that desire out of my system. It helped too. I was able to write the dramatic and tragic ending but it won't be part of my novel.

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Actually that's a really good idea about writing an alernate scene! I think I may well try that! :D It really would get it all out of my head!

We're having trouble deciding about another topic to do with the story as well, but although I tihnk we've finally cracked that one, I may well do the same thing for that one.

[thebonedawg.livejournal.com]

Glad I could help. =D I think the "alternate" scenes not only help get those writing urges out of your system, but they also allow you to see another side to your characters. If you put them into situations you don't actually want in the novel, you will still see how they will react in those situations and it will help you better understand them as characters. And that's always a good thing.

[the-mome-wrath.livejournal.com]

Killing off a main character should only be done if it furthers the plot or the growth of the other main characters. Otherwise it just comes off as being pointless.

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Yeah I agree. It wouldn't feel right from my point of view either really I don't think.

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

I may well not. :)

[theskimblishone.livejournal.com]

Well, an author notorious for the high body count of narrating protagonists is George R R Martin. I think whether or not a protag's death is acceptable or not can often depend on the genre and/or setting of the story; fantasy, history and war novels, for example, can come across as vastly more realisic if an author isn't afraid to take chances. In a bloody epic, not killing off a protag looks like an author too in love with her characters - when a reader knows, given the setting, people really should be dying. However, if this is a different sort of genre altogether then it might look contrived - a death to solve a problem, or just for unecessary angst, rather than a death to enhance the setting and/or plot or further the development of other characters.

If you know why you're killing off said character, and it advances plot/character development, then I'd say go for it. I might be weird, but I adore and respect fantasy authors who aren't afraid to kill off characters they, and their readers, care greatly about, just to demonstrate the 'anyone can die' nature of the setting.

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Ironically the character I'm talking about is from a complete fantasy background, and it includes a very largeish war. I liked what you said about the wars especially (I agree to it all by the way) but I found that in particular very helpful.

You're right, people do just die in wars. It's the whole point of a war, and I think maybe if i made the whole idea of the war in this story more dangerous with literal threats like that then it'll work much better. :D

And may well kill off the protagonist... or another protagonist/supporting character. I'm not too sure where to place him!

Thanks for replying!

[beres-ford.livejournal.com]

Well first off, thankyou all for replying. :D It's really nice to see a few comments about this! I wasn't expecting that so it was a lovely surprise.

I think that killing off protagonists is a very big decision and I agree with everything everyone has said about it. Ironically it's just what I thought... so that's helped me become more stable in the decision about this character.

So yes, thanks all for replying! :D