On the advice of Stephen King, I'm contemplating committing a murder. To be honest, I've already done it once but it was a complete stranger, a woman unknown to me or my characters. But now, it's time to take someone out.
I've got several good candidates. There's a character no one likes--a "piece of work, he is," one of my listeners said in circle recently. There's a wimpy wife who's not too good for much. But those seem such obvious choices.
I've got several heros in this novel. Several good guys. Maybe it should be one of them. Maybe the best-loved, the most sympathetic. But is that the way I want the story to go?
For it's the story that needs to dictate this. What will best serve the story?
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Being a "pantser" myself, I keep my options open. I've only ever killed off one character, and I knew their death was possible. What surprised me was whodunnit.
ReplyDeleteI like to let things flow, though some planning and consideration can be beneficial to the story. I feel if I'm asking myself too many questions and getting stuck, it's a sign something isn't quite working. Or I'm trying too hard. The death should go with the flow - or even change it - but it should seem like a "natural" turn in the story.