Murdering Your Darlings

Photo by Cameron Nicole on Unsplash and edited by me

Currently reading: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The term “killing your darlings” usually refers to a process in editing involving culling sentences you like. It can also mean cutting characters, scenes, or even chapters that you worked hard on. And that’s hard, yeah, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. 

I use the term murder because that’s what it feels like. 

Killing characters. 

Not cutting them, but actively using the plot to end their life. 

“They took their last breath” type beat. 

Listen listen listen. I know. I know it’s all up to the writer. But LISTEN. Sometimes killing a character is just as bad as letting a character live who should die. 

I’m not a prude when it comes to death. Characters should die. If there’s a war, people will die. It’s unrealistic to have your character meet ten people and they all survive the battle that kills thousands of others. That’s plot armor and it’s annoying when it’s applied wrong. 

However, killing characters with reckless abandon is just as mean to your readers as it is to the characters themselves. If a named character dies, it needs to impact other characters. If you go through the effort of finding a name for a character, their death needs to serve a purpose.

And here’s a piece of advice you can take or leave:

Don’t kill your main character. 

I know. That’s prescriptive. And we’re not supposed to do that. But I can’t remember a time when I read a whole book and the main character died and it moved me to tears. Nine times out of ten, it just pisses your readers the hell off. Can’t just be me. 

There’s nothing less satisfying than cheering someone on for a whole novel only for all of that emotional growth to be thrown in our faces. 

This is an opinion, I guess. But whatever!

I think this can work in short pieces, however. Short stories, poems, short films. But if you make me read four hundred pages only for it to end with a single tragedy and a ton of loose ends, I’m going to throw your book at the wall.

Torture them, injure them, put them through hell, just let them live. 

I’m talking about main characters here. When it comes to side characters, fair play. Make sure you impact your main character. But there is so little reason to end the life of the character YOU decided to make us follow for a novel. If a character seems destined to die, maybe consider if they should be a side character instead.

For side characters: be kind. Not to them. Not to us. But to yourself. If you love a character, you don’t have to kill them. If you hate one, go for it. You’re allowed to kill who you want IN YOUR STORY. 

Two important things to consider: avoid stereotype murder and shock value. 

Stereotype murder is a concept I named but did not invent, for sure. You know how every horror movie kills the Black or gay characters first and the last one alive is always a white brunette? Those characters were invented for the purpose of dying. Don’t dooooooo that. Don’t depend on stereotypes for anything, but definitely don’t use marginalized groups as murder fodder. Old hat. 

Shock value is my enemy, I won’t lie. I have a bone to pick with anyone who kills for the sake of upsetting readers. Death should be upsetting (or satisfying), but it should not serve ONLY to make the readers distressed, disgusted, or angry. 

Disregard the above in cheesy horror fiction.

Anyway, a lot of this is ranting, but death is rampant already in life, so when you write it, do it RIGHT. 

Murder with discretion. Murder gently.

-Rachel, NOT an actual murderer