tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post5689102881961499203..comments2023-11-02T06:50:41.703-07:00Comments on Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal: Murder, She Writes—Kill Those Characters by Suzanne JohnsonLorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-47593452305592388242013-07-29T12:32:18.095-07:002013-07-29T12:32:18.095-07:00@Eli....I won't, or at least not without a rea...@Eli....I won't, or at least not without a really good reason!<br /><br />@Kirsten...Ah, Kisten. I do understand why Kim had to kill him off, but it totally freaked me out. I wasn't expecting it. I think I spent the next two books waiting for him to come back and we'd find it had all been some evil experiment of Trent Kalamack's. LOL. Suzanne Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14180604715572075576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-93434927696064582013-07-28T18:04:30.356-07:002013-07-28T18:04:30.356-07:00I'm with Roger and you, Suzanne, on the killin...I'm with Roger and you, Suzanne, on the killing off of Kisten. It broke my heart. But it did serve a greater purpose. I have read many books where a lovable charcter got killed off, and after reading your article I understand the many reasons why. Sometimes, I just wish it weren't THAT person, but someone else in the series that irritates me. lolHeritage Research Grouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01779833846965798072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-65794919326573718332013-07-27T18:56:07.900-07:002013-07-27T18:56:07.900-07:00Pls don't make any protagonist character die, ...Pls don't make any protagonist character die, I hate it, but it's okay for enemy lolEli Yantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06207823134263812836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-34082002356982477872013-07-27T05:31:46.745-07:002013-07-27T05:31:46.745-07:00@Katy...LOL. I've killed off quite a few in th...@Katy...LOL. I've killed off quite a few in that series, but so far have been content to just torture the main characters :-)<br /><br />@Jolene...Exactly. I think if the characters are in dangerous situations and nobody pays a price (unless it's a superhero story or a comedy), it's selling the story short.<br /><br />@Liz...I admit I almost gave up on the Hollows series after the "Kisten incident." (Hope I'm not giving a spoiler.) I heard Kim Harrison say she did it because she'd written herself into a corner with Rachel and Kist and she wasn't ready to give Rachel an HEA; she hadn't realized how good they were going to be together. So I guess it served the series in the long run but man, that one hurt!<br /><br />@Erin--thanks! I also love twisty plots (as people who read Elysian Fields will discover...talk about twisted!)<br /><br />@Janhvi...It has to serve the story, and I think that's the key. I did kill a character in one book that I went back and forth about because I knew the character was popular. But I needed to show how high and brutal the stakes in my story were getting, so I did it. Thanks for stopping by!Suzanne Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14180604715572075576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-90742270903257098622013-07-27T03:23:33.391-07:002013-07-27T03:23:33.391-07:00The demise of any character who was relevant in a ...The demise of any character who was relevant in a series can be a great turning point but it does sadden me. But if handled well, I could be convinced :)Janhvihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17396688134945032063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-27124209435449035792013-07-26T22:47:55.484-07:002013-07-26T22:47:55.484-07:00Thanks for the fun post! I love twisty, twisty plo...Thanks for the fun post! I love twisty, twisty plots especially when it's more a mental game than anything. I love Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series for just this reason! Congrats to Susanne on the series!erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10905574606129534214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-85125063203640365792013-07-26T17:46:37.248-07:002013-07-26T17:46:37.248-07:00This is a great post. As a reader I have been dist...This is a great post. As a reader I have been distraught over deaths of certain characters. How about Wellsie? But you're right about character development. But killing off a favorite character can be tricky. I actually stopped reading a series once, because I didn't think the death helped move the story forward. It felt like the author didn't know what to do with character any more and so terminated him.Liz S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17733924477634041120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-56644117738934929802013-07-26T17:08:33.379-07:002013-07-26T17:08:33.379-07:00I've read books where a fav. secondary charact...I've read books where a fav. secondary character has been killed off. While it shocks me and I shed tears, I love reading how it also changes the main character and changes some of their decisions and choices. I've dealt with death a few times early on in my life and I understand well how much a part of life it is. It is something I also sometimes expect my favorite characters to go through as wellJolene and Familyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430221887990969543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-18307689955855936722013-07-26T15:48:43.529-07:002013-07-26T15:48:43.529-07:00Like most readers, I live in fear, serious fear, o...Like most readers, I live in fear, serious fear, of my characters (I can't even say favorite characters because they're all my favorite) dying. It's so traumatic. Please, please, please don't get any ideas about your Sentinels. I'll make you yummy cookies...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-47824208433382473882013-07-26T12:27:49.107-07:002013-07-26T12:27:49.107-07:00Thanks for the comments!
@Rebe. Yes, I realize i...Thanks for the comments! <br /><br />@Rebe. Yes, I realize it seems...Machiavellian...to be so intentional in laying out red herrings. Of course, killing a heroine is not going to happen in any genre book unless (as is the case with Hitchcock) the genre is horror. Then, all bets are off!<br /><br />@Roger. OMG. I still haven't forgiven her for killing Kist. That was almost like having a hero and heroine and killing the hero. I was scarred!<br /><br />@Miki...Oh, Vishous Vishous. He was so cheated. I think it's important that characters die for a legitimate reason within the story and not just to kill them off for the heck of it. (Adam's loss was to trigger a backstory for Archer.) Killings can't be random or deliberately manipulative.Suzanne Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14180604715572075576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-64859933341957895082013-07-26T07:34:27.886-07:002013-07-26T07:34:27.886-07:00... still Adam... why... we even didn't know h...... still Adam... why... we even didn't know him well yet ç_ç ( too emotional right now)<br /> and yes vishnou was robbed and quite a lot-_- for me that not an happy end at all for him<br /><br /> i understand why some characters have to die ( arf if i look at teh october day series, there are several each time, even with kate daniels or mercy thompson series) but i really prefer when it's a secondary one it does have an impact but we can still survive if the book has an happy ending ( the book not some scrapped heroes version)because in a sense in life too we have loss, and suffering but at the end we hope for a HEAmikihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02841065155860721811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-17965493276614825832013-07-26T06:51:49.535-07:002013-07-26T06:51:49.535-07:00As I read your "Kill Those Characters" i...As I read your "Kill Those Characters" it reminded me of another favorite author, Kim Harrison. How can we ever forget her now famous killing off of a fan favorite character. WOW, that created lots of controversy among the troops, for a long time. Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08561489048819855665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7499019835203480699.post-70115204864354273682013-07-26T06:46:49.684-07:002013-07-26T06:46:49.684-07:00This reminds me of why I always disliked Hitchcock...This reminds me of why I always disliked Hitchcock's Psycho so much. I always felt that he was playing games with the viewer by having us sympathize with Janet Leigh's character, only to kill her off mid film. In fact, I've heard theories that the entire film is structured around the important shower scene - Hitchcock wanted to do that scene and created the rest of the story around it. Rebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521312146915448887noreply@blogger.com