Q&A Forum

[Anonymous]

@godlyfantasy12 ooh, now that’s a good one!!! 😁😍

[Anonymous]

@godlyfantasy12 @euodia-vision @folith-feolin @otherworldlyhistorian @loopylin @sarafini @kyronthearcanin @anyone-else-in-this-forum-lol-XD

Sooooo…to make a long story short, I’m currently creeping up on the 2nd character death of my WIP 😅

 

I’ve had this idea for a long, LONG time, and sadly the charrie MUST die, but I’m worried about copying another trope XD

 

bc, you see…a mentor figure is about to die.

 

he technically sacrifices himself, taking the full blame of treason, and thus protecting one of my MCs from arrest/death. I know how/why/when he dies, but….I know the “mentor dies” trope is a recurring trope that some people may be tired of

 

and i’m kinda lost on how to avoid readers being like “oh yeah, totally haven’t seen this before 🙄”

 

 

i meannnn…i guess no one will think that way if they love the charrie enough, but still XD

 

any advice???

[GodlyFantasy12]

@freedomwriter76

 

SOB I THINK IK WHO UR TALKING ABOUT AND…. *wrenches over grasping heart…*

Yea, honestly it usually comes down to how it is written.

if it is written Cliche, then it will be Cliche, does that make sense? But at the same time, that doesn’t always matter, because even if it’s cliche, if the character is loved, people aren’t going to care.

 

Sometimes…(I cannot believe I am saying this because I hate this because it BREAKS MY HEART TO PIECES…)

But sometimes a way to really plot twist someone, or make someone believe a character isn’t going to die, AND THEN U KILL THEM, is by giving the reader and that character something to look forward to.

 

And then the reader says “Well they CAN’T die, because THIS has to happen!”

NOPE! They die…

Maybe it’s a love interest they leave behind. Maybe a child or family member they cared for. Maybe it’s something unfinished that even if you knew they were going to die, you thought they’d at least finish that before they did!

This kinda happens in my series?? (But also not because I…uhh…use the “OH LOOK THEY AREN’T DEAD” trope? Which…I also worry about using HEH XD but this isn’t about my insecurities ahem….

 

but if ur really worried about it that’s a good way to kinda help.

 

Otherwise? I’d focus on making the character genuine and lovable, then it won’t really matter.

Also, don’t look at it as the Mentor Dies trope.

 

Don’t look at him as the Mentor.

look at him as his own individual person. To him, he’s is his own person. He has a life. He may not even see himself as a mentor. He’s just trying to do what’s right, maybe failing some along the way, but we never see that.

Every character, even side characters who don’t have POVs have a story. Don’t focus on the Tropes of characters or who a characters is within a Book Personality, but who they are individually.

 

They might be the Best Friend, but they’re so much more.

 

does that make sense???

#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb

[GodlyFantasy12]

Me getting philosophical cuz I absolutely luv characters XD

#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb

[Anonymous]

@godlyfantasy12 Ahhh, tysm!!! That’s so helpful!!! I loved that so much!!!

and now i have an idea for 2 charries to have unfinished dreams/motivations…oh no 😭 i do like that trope tho, even though it is sad

 

 

alsoooo…are you SURE you know who I’m talking about??? XD

[whaley]

@freedomwriter76

How many charries are you killing?? Bc they need donuts and hugs more than anything else honestly…

“Everything is a mountain”

[Folith-Feolin]

@freedomwriter76

Well I have some time right now in between the end of my AP Euro test (the most fun I’ve had all week) and going to my next class so I will try to make a proposition.

 

You should be fine killing the mentor it’s normally that people don’t like tropes because either they can figure out some major plot twist solely on tropes or the tropes make the scene feel overused and not meaningful. As long as your mentor character is a well crafted character that feels more like a person than a trope you will be fine. If you’re worried about people not liking the death because they already know it will happen that shouldn’t matter if the charries are crafted well enough. For example look at the fault in our stars by John Green.

[Ava Murbarger (Solfyre)]

@freedomwriter76

Arrgh, I know! I had to do this same thing a while back, and grr it’s so frustrating because sometimes it just has to be done… I mean, tropes became tropes because everyone thought they were a good idea, sooo…. There must be something there, right? XD

Anyway, I’ve got a few random thoughts (this might not be helpful because I have no idea who the charrie is XD, unlike @godlyfantasy12 might, heh). First of all, realize the trope doesn’t have to be ‘avoided’ completely. Use your mentor’s personality/situation to change things up a little. For example, my mentor was old, like a lot of mentors lol, but he had this really strange (almost goofy???) personality that kind of made the whole situation really different, because he couldn’t be like that in this kind of situation, but he still… tried to be. Kind of a mad but also wise kind of thing, I guess (i know, i’m bordering on another trope there XD) . This might not help you at all, but it just came to mind, so I thought I’d share. 🤣

Also, the build up to the death could play into it. (there may not be one, it might be a kind of sudden thing, but idk). It could be either completely unexpected or long-awaited, depending on how you put it together, but there are multiple ways of going about it. Or it could be how he faces his death- calm, or terrified, or angry, etc. It depends on the charrie.

So, this is just how I see it, but I’d say just decide depending on what fits the story and the characters. It’s going to feel forced if you write the scene around a trope. Changing things up within the trope is what can make it perfect, because tropes really can turn out well, too, though I wouldn’t try for them. The sacrificial death thing, for example, that’s real. I mean, Jesus sacrificed himself for us, and we wouldn’t go around calling that a trope.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. 😅😉

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Ava Murbarger (Solfyre).

Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.

[GodlyFantasy12]

@freedomwriter76 I’m pretty sure….

BUT GIRL IF IT IS SOMEONE I LOVE MORE (no offense to the Charrie I think it is) WE ARE GONNA HAVE PROBLEMS….

 

U ALREADY TOOK ONE OF MY BABIES FROM ME….

 

 

(the one I ACTUALLY cried over. U KNOW WHO I AM TALKING ABOUT…)

#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb

[Anonymous]

@folith-feolin Thanks! 😁

@kyronthearcanin Tysm for all of that! <3 Definitely gives me some things to think about!!! And I guess mine is already a little different…this mentor character isn’t old. In fact, he’s only like 38…although that adds an even sadder note to it 😭

@godlyfantasy12 heh…yea….no more babies (for now, at least 😅)

i get what you mean tho…I made myself cry over my own writing earlier today…just reading the last appearance of the 1st character to die before they died😭😭😭

 

@whalekeeper UhM…WElL…uh…for this one WIP…4 😅

 

listen y’all, I’m writing about WWII, y’all have to forgive meh!!! XD These deaths are sadly necessary!!!

[Anonymous]

@whalekeeper scratch that, make it 5 😅

[Ava Murbarger (Solfyre)]

@freedomwriter76

Awesome! Well I guess he already has something a little different about him, then, so that worked out! 😁

Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.

[Anonymous]

@kyronthearcanin Yep!! 😁

[Esther]

Idk who to tag so… here we go!

I have a question concerning my trilogy. This is also concerning plot twists/character deaths, so read at your own risk!!

*ahem*

Alrighty. Now for the actually problem.

In my whole trilogy, only one important character dies…

I feel like I need more characters to die.

😅

Now I know that sounds like I may be trying to be like other authors, but that’s not the point.

So, the first character death is Everton’s (one of the MCs) dad, Malyk. This is reeeeaaallllyyy important, because its the climax of their reconciliation to each other and it plays a huuuuuge role in Ev’s character arc. He’s the only important charrie so far who dies. But something feels off.

You see, Amidala’s (the other MC) family seems to be pretty perfect. But as time goes on, tension builds up and they have some issues. I was gonna keep it just like that, but I don’t know any more. Nobody in Ami’s family dies, and I feel like one should. There are two reasons why I can’t decide. 1) I love them too much. XD 2) I’m not sure if there’s a purpose. Ami’s struggle throughout the whole trilogy is trusting God and letting go of her worry and anxiety.

There is also another character, Dao, who I may have die. He helps the group (Ev and Ami’s families) as they travel and shows up sometimes. I almost want him to be the Jesus-figure, but keep in mind this story is not an allegory, though it has multiple analogies. Dao… well… I still have to figure him out some. He’s keeping lots of secrets from me and I can’t seem to figure them out. He’s kind of a complicated character. The problem with having him die, is that the theme of the book is not sacrifice. The theme has to do with trusting God in the dark.

I don’t know if any of that made sense. 😅 But if y’all have any ideas or advice or an opinion, I’d love to hear it!! 😀 (And I’ll be happy to answer any questions. Because I don’t know if any of the above made enough sense. 😂)

Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende

[whaley]

@esther-c

I’d say, first off the bat, that killing off a character doesn’t automatically make a book better. If you are going to kill off someone, it’s important to have a specific reason – to highlight the power of the villain, finish an arc, make a thematic point – instead of doing it just because you feel like it’ll make things better. I would recommend finding a reason to write another death, and a good one at that.

Maybe give me more specifics on your book’s world and plot? And whatever other themes you want to convey (plus just overall vibes)?

@everyone

This all applies to me too, actually XD I am currently deciding on whether or not to kill a charrie in my newest story (the one with Thorn, Cal, etc). But I think I’m going to do it, because it will perfectly conclude an arc. This death actually makes me a little emotional – which isn’t normal for me… the charrie and I have a lot in common.

“Everything is a mountain”

[Author]

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