George R. R. Martin loves killing his characters.

Author J. K. Rowling almost bumped off Ron Weasley but decided to preserve his life. Arthur Conan Doyle resurrected Sherlock Holmes. How did J. K. and A. C. D. arrive at their lifesaving decisions?

John Bowers explains why writers might want to kill (or not kill) characters.

By the way, “kill your darlings” means to kill the parts of your writing you love the most, the memorable parts — but the parts that also distract readers and detract from your narrative.

What is more memorable than a character you have developed over several chapters or books? Sometimes, it’s one of those “darlings” who needs to be chopped.

—

When you write a novel, or better yet, a series … are your characters safe?

In 2015, I published the fifth novel in the Nick Walker: U.F. Marshal series, Gunfight on the Alpha Centauri Express. Toward the end of the book, Nick Walker’s fiancée was gunned down right in front of him. My publisher at the time went ballistic, literally cursed me out, and has never forgiven me. Several reviewers also expressed objections, one as recently as last month. All because a fictional character died on the printed page.

I was amazed. On the one hand, I had to take it as a compliment — readers apparently loved Suzanne, which meant I had done my job well. On the other, a couple of readers declared they would never read another Nick Walker book, simply because some characters might not survive. I found that perplexing.

It wasn’t the first time I had killed off a major character (and it may not be the last), but it was certainly the most controversial such event in my writing career.

So how about it? Should we refrain from letting certain characters die? How safe are your characters?

Anatomy of a Murder

Suzanne Norgaard first appeared in the second Nick Walker adventure, Sirian Summer. She was born on Vega 3, a planet renowned for its extraordinarily beautiful women. Her parents moved to Sirius when she was a teen, and she met Nick when he was assigned to the U.F. Marshal office in her town. They met, they had an affair, and that was it.

In the third novel, when Nick was reassigned to Alpha Centauri 2, Suzanne sold her restaurant and followed him. They moved in together. Nick had commitment issues, so she was content to just live with him and give him space. They talked about marriage but settled nothing. Suzanne remained at his side through the third novel, the fourth, and the fifth.

Then, in Gunfight, Nick was chasing an interstellar terrorist, and things got ugly. In an effort to dissuade Nick from his pursuit, the terrorist sent a hired gun to stop him, and Suzanne was murdered. Nick eventually caught the terrorist in book 6, but some readers never got that far, never got to see the end-game, because they stopped reading.

Do I regret killing off Suzanne? Not really. I never wanted to kill her, never planned it, but my novels sometimes take on lives of their own; some of them take control of events and there is no stopping them. At the moment Suzanne was killed, it was in the best interest of the story, and my personal feelings were irrelevant. It was high drama, and drama is what I’m all about. It added complexity to Nick’s life, and as a U.F. Marshal on the Final Frontier, was just one more burden he was forced to carry. He got tougher. He got meaner.

And he prevailed.

Character Growth

Good characterization is a staple of good fiction, and everyone strives for it. But characterization may not always be enough, especially in a series. If you write ten or fifteen novels in a series and the protagonist never changes, never grows, he or she can become boring. To affect growth, a character needs to face challenges, hurdles, life-and-death situations. Muscles don’t grow without exercise.

Nick Walker eventually found another woman, Victoria Cross, and this one he is going to marry, but he will always regret losing Suzanne, especially because he feels responsible for her death. That is real-life pain, the kind of trauma that forces you to grow or die, and Nick is a better man, a better lawman, because of that devastating moment in his life.

I’m sorry that some readers were upset, but I would do it again (and I probably will), because even though this is “future fiction,” I still write primarily about people, and people have problems. People experience joy, happiness, hope, heartbreak, pain, and loss. My characters have to deal with all those things, and sometimes they lose loved ones.

Nick Walker has been shot, stabbed, starved, beaten, and horse-whipped, but it’s a safe bet that he will never be killed (unless I decide to end the series). He is, after all, the protagonist, and without him there is no series.

But no one else is safe.

To Kill or Not to Kill

Are your characters safe?

It largely depends on your genre, of course. If you write comedy, that kind of drama may not fit your style. People die in romance novels, mysteries, westerns, science fiction, and “mainstream” fiction (whatever that is), but many of those deaths are secondary characters, people we don’t really care about. But when you have taken the time to build a character, create a personality, someone close to the protag who is, or appears to be, indispensable … are you willing to kill him or her? Or let them die?

Some readers apparently don’t like turbulence, so it can be a tough decision. You may lose a few readers. But allowing a character mortality can strengthen your book, give it realism, and perhaps appeal to a broader audience. I personally like books that guarantee nothing, where happy endings are not assured. I like them gritty, profane, and just a little raw.

But not everyone does, and each novelist must decide for herself. Are you willing to risk it? Can your series survive without that character? Do you have plans for that character that you will no longer be able to use?

Tough decision.

Give It a Try … Maybe

If you have a series that isn’t doing well, or has perhaps run its course (anything over ten novels can get tedious), you might be able to jog lackluster sales with a bombshell. Try killing off a recurring character and see what happens. If you still have a readership, I guarantee you will get some feedback. Some may love the fact that you were brave enough to pull the trigger, others may hate it, but people will notice, especially if they’ve read all the previous stories leading up to it.

On the other hand, if your series is doing well and killing a character would be out of character, leave things as they are. Don’t rock the boat. Not every series needs that kind of upheaval.

But keep it in mind. It never hurts to have an option, like a concealed weapon, up your sleeve. You may never need to use it, but if you ever do, you can always kill someone. The results may be unpredictable. You may gain readers, or you may lose some. Nothing is guaranteed. It’s your call.

The best part of killing a fictional character?

You aren’t likely to be arrested.

© John Bowers

—

John Bowers began writing at age 12 and was considered a prodigy by his English teachers. He wrote prolifically until his thirties, but life got busy and he took a decade off, returning to the keyboard in 1993. He is the author of the Nick Walker, United Federation Marshal series and the Starport series, all available on Amazon.

Now semi-retired, Bowers still works part-time as a computer programming consultant and spends his free time writing novels. He lives in Central California.

---