How+to+successfully+kill+a+character

Weiland, K.M. "How to Successfully Kill Off a Character: The Checklist", helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com, February 12, 2014.

In this article, author K.M Weiland lists some fair reasons, along with some unwise ones, to decide to kill off a fictional character. She describes in great detail why the deaths of fictional characters can be so important; they can breathe life into dull and bland stories, and create a new tonal shift of epic proportions. Often the most memorable moments of our favorite series’ are the deaths of certain characters that we’ve grown attached to, and the impact that they have on us.

However, a writer of fiction cannot simply decide to kill off one of their characters purely out of a desire to shock or sadden their audience, or in an attempt to be rid of a character that you have a particular disdain for. A good character death has to have a tangible impact on the plot, or even the fictional world as a whole. Every character that one creates must serve a purpose in their story, so naturally, a character’s death must live up to that same purpose.