KILLING OFF CHARACTERS - Terrible Writing Advice

Let Terrible Writing Advice show you how to properly kill off characters and more than likely kill off audience interest too.


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[cubicbanban]

Rule 1: if there is no corpse, the character is actually not dead
Rule 2: if there is a corpse, the character may not be dead for some reason

[Ehh]

Ah yes, the five stages of character grief:
Edgey brooding
Edgey brooding
Edgey brooding
Edgey brooding
and Revenge.

[loganstafford]

I'm going to make a character who constantly talks about his backstory, hopes, dreams and aspirations just to raise the tension, then never kill him for infinite tension.

[The_Misanthropic_Magpie]

Villain: *Kills very experienced and powerful mentor*
Also Villain: *loses to inexperienced protagonists because he’s angry*

[logansheat]

*mentor dies*
Main character: "Oh no!"
Main character: "Anyway"

[Anon-rtfx]

Sometimes I genuinely wonder how many terrible books this poor man had to suffer through to be able to give us this wisdom.

[PossumReviews]

The mentor usually dies at the end of the second act.

[luigiluigi]

"If the story doesn't end with the redeemed villain dying that makes everything awkward."
All Kirby villains:

[lemumle]

Character: *mentions backstory, their ambitions and dreams but is not the protagonist*

Story: your free trial of living is over; now you are going to be a plot device

[amriakhsan]

Soldier: Hold family picture



Author : "SO YOU CHOSEN DEATH"

[Oddity]

you know what I actually hate? When a character who deserves to die doesn't die.

[gnjtgfx]

And when Comic Relief dies, make sure his last words are: "Z-z-zap-pers..."

[donslipo]

Let's not forget that dead mother in the backstory should have the "dead mother" hairdo. (look Fullmetal Alchemist)

[JasonGodwin]

The more characters you eliminate, the stronger a writer you become.

[BigVorst]

Honestly the obsession with killing off beloved characters in recent years has made me not care about characters anymore.

[lmpeters]

One of my favorite examples of a death scene subverting expectations is in Hamlet. Shakespeare, of course, is legendary for mortally wounded characters giving long speeches just before they die, and Polonius was one of the most long-winded characters in any of his plays. And then when Polonius got stabbed, his entire death speech was, "Oh, I am slain!"

[-AAA-]

Extra points if you "foreshadow" a character's death by having them reveal their backstory and/or feelings for someone right before they die!

Edit: there be spoilers for literally everything (mostly Jojo's) in these replies.

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

But how will my audience understand that my story is mature and for adults unless I start killing indiscriminately and as graphically as possible despite the fun premise?
...Nuance? Advanced themes?
You mean cussing and banging and stuff.

[phantomaviator]

honestly i want a story where the narrator is extremely angry and just has the antagonist and protagonist die immediately, 5 pages in, and the rest of the 200 page book is the narrator taking out his anger and spite on the reader.

[lstsul]

Author: *creates fan fav character*
Fans: " We love him "
Author: *kills fan favorite character and only brings him back in dream scenes*
Fans: ;-;