okey, I got to wondering this, mostly because its nearing the point where I'm going to have to cut the life of a character short...or at least if I stick to my notes written long long ago for a short story that has apparently vanished into the ether not to be returned >.<
Problem is, in the notes and what little I can remember of the story the character in question was already six feet under, no development or personality given...
But now, I've had to develop the character, give her a personality and everything...and I like her too much. (Which has gotten me to pondering to throwing out the old notes and saying phooey)
But anywho back on track, I was wondering, has anyone else set out designing and building a character meant for an untimely demise just to end up liking the created character? And if so did you have any troubles going ahead with the original plan, or did you end up changing your mind?
and feel free to ignore me heh, I tend to do random ponderings and ramblings either when I'm restless or sleep deprived.
----------
8,014 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 08 46
THIS. This happened to me too! I like my character too much.
Then again, I'm evil enough to go through with it anyway, but I will be sad.
32,054 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 46
I have one story that I killed a character off at the end of the story and though I liked the character She wasn't my favorite. It wasn't easy, but as it was essential to my story I went through with it.
With my current NaNo story, I've got the opposite problem. After I started writing my doctor character I don't like him and got the urge to send him out an airlock or something. In fact, he's part of the reason I got stuck on my original attempt of the story and I'm trying a complete restart of the story. I'm still debating on what to do with him . . .
30,000 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 56
I had a similiar problem last year. About 3/4 of the way through my story I realized my character had to die. I didn't really want to, but it was what had to happen. Partly because he agreed with my villian that the group the belong to had to be eliminated, partly because she tried killing him about four times before and he kept coming back. I did ponder offing him in a way he could come back (sequal) because I had a love interest for him and everyhing. But I didn't. He ended up getting shot nine times in the chest at point blank range with high-calaber bullets.
He's very dead, no coming back. It can be done.
----------"Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters." - Neil Gaiman
"I write because I hate. A lot. Hard." - William Gass
25,299 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 17 08
i'm killing a main character too, and while i feel horrible, it HAS to happen. even though he's the (ish) antagonist, i love him and his past, cause i gave him all that stuff so of course i feel attached. but i've been planning his death since i first started outlining, and i can't imagine the story ending any other way.
i can see why you're changing your mind, but just think of the novel as a whole, and how this character's death affects the overall storyline and other characters. if she survived, would the ending be better? worse?
there's always room for change. i think you should just go with your gut feeling. i'm pretty merciless with my characters and ridiculously faithful to my outlines, but that's just me.
9,476 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 04 02
I actually had the opposite happen in my first Nano attempt. I had 3 MCs and they were traveling along and all was well, and then suddenly the antagonist appears, casts a spell, and one of the guys ends up dead. And I was like 'woah, when did that happen?' but it worked really well, and sparked many plot bunnies.
6,755 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 17 06
Well I stopped writing temp thanks to this problem, A: My story is more or less at the point where I have to decide whether she lives or dies. B: ITs been taking up too much of my idle thoughts which normally is when I think of things to move my story forward...
I'm going to start moving the story forward, because last night I finally thought it through finally. I basically decided the girl lives, but I stick with my original plans and notes with the rest of the characters...so the poor girl's family are all goners...and I feel like a freakin' bastard for deciding to go this route.
12,179 / 50,000
Nov 16, 2009 - 06 51
I'd found the perfect solution (I think) to that problem. I was going to seem to kill off my character, but I'm thinking about having it turn out that the whole death was a fake...and then kill the character again, just for fun and then end the novel with my audience wondering Is he really dead or is this just another fake?
----------My fingers are always stained by the ink.