Killing a Character

Death is just part of life. It's going to happen, you can't avoid it, so there is no use denying the inevitable. When I read books, it greatly peeves me off when my favourite character [who usually is never the MC] dies. In fact, it's happened more often than I would like. But then again, I am no better with the stories that I write. There has been many a times that I've killed off one of my favourite characters that I wrote.

No, there is nothing wrong with me. If that persons death suits the story, then it will happen. To better the story, I will not beat around the bush. If that death is necessary, that person will die. I feel for the other characters, the ones who love the now dead character, 'cause I, as their creator and writer, feel the loss of that character. Makes me feel awful. But it was inevitable.

There is death and pain in our world, so why should it be any different in made up worlds? In a way, I believe, every world any author creates, is based some way or how on Earth.

When I write the death scene of a beloved character, I try not to make it too sentimental, but how can you when so many people or maybe just one, loved that person deeply? There are going to be tears. I had three relatives [whom I really didn't know; they were grandparents and a great-grandparent] pass away in under two years. Of course, I did not cry. But my parents, aunts and uncles did. How can you cry for someone you did not know? Or perhaps how can you cry when you desperately try to hide feelings such as that?

So, not everyone cries in my death scenes. Not everyone cries when someone dies.

I have five novels I would like to finish. Four of those five are duo-logies and the last is a stand-alone. People die in every single one except for one. The first in one of those duos. My thoughts were: I have massacres and murders in the others, I want a slightly happy-go-lucky novel with a dark side in which no one dies. I mean, you know people die within its pages, but there is no outright death. It makes me feel slightly better that I did not tear apart any of the families. Even the villain of the novel does not perish.

I killed a character last night and that 909 word scene is...haunting me. I regret killing Humphrey; I never planned on killing him. But after a vivid dream, it made me realize that Humphrey was always meant to die. His death scene floated about in my mind for quite a few days before I finally typed it up. My mom told me to delete it, rewrite it. This is what I told her [this is all on Facebook mind you so copy & paste!]:

 I can't. It's written. It's beautiful. It's sentimental and I think Humphrey was always meant to die and to teach those around him something important. About life. About striving for your goals and dreams. About guilt.

 What do you think of death scenes? Should they be quick or long? Should that character die because it is the right thing to do [say in the instance of villains]? Does the death need to be necessary? What about the main characters of a novel? Should they die? I mean, not the main, MAIN characters, but their friends.

*Not my image*