 Hello, hello, writers! I'm Kristen Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking. Writers, I hope you're ready to get your hands dirty, because today we are talking about how to craft impactful character deaths. Sound like a plan? Today is Thursday, May 6th, 2021, and as always, today's episode of the podcast breaks down the latest article from the Well Story blog. If you'd like to read along as you listen in, visit well-sturried.com slash death. Now let's dive in. Death is nearly as common an occurrence in fiction as it is in real life. Soldiers march onto the battlefield, loved ones grow old or ill, accidents have tragic consequences, and killers lurk in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Our stories have seen it all, and for good reason. Death can serve as a powerful storytelling tool in many ways, but with great power comes great responsibility. While a well-written character death can deepen reader's emotional connection and immersion in a story, killing a character in an unrealistic or arbitrary way can pull them out of the narrative. So what's the secret sauce to killing off characters in a way that readers can respect? If you've been hanging around well-sturried for a while, then the answer should come as no surprise. Every aspect of your story must serve a clear and notable narrative purpose, and your character's deaths are no exception. The urge to shock readers with your edgy narrative choices isn't reason enough to break out the big guns. While there's nothing inherently wrong with killing off your character in a shocking way, the desire to provoke a strong emotional response in readers should never be the driving force behind sending your character to the guillotine. Focus on crafting a strong story first, and death will always leave its mark. With that in mind, what narrative purposes can a character's death serve? Let's take a look at the five most common reasons that authors kill their characters. First up, death can establish exposition. Exposition is the background information that helps readers better understand a character or conflict. For example, exposition can consist of backstory, historical context, or details about characterization. To avoid the dreaded info dump and otherwise keep readers immersed in the story, writers often use the show don't tell technique to convey exposition. Having a character die on page can be one way to achieve this aim. Say, for example, that a plague is ravaging a small village in your novel. Rather than telling readers that the plague is deadly, you might choose to show an infected character die on their sick bed. Similarly, if you want to show readers that your story's big bad has no scruples with killing, then you might have them murder someone execution style. Ouch. Because you're sacrificing someone to make a quick point, it's often best to use minor characters to relay exposition through death. The more expendable the character, the less likely that readers will feel cheated by a death scene that otherwise lacks narrative purpose. Purpose number two, death can raise a story's stakes. When faced with danger, the death of a minor or secondary character can raise your story's stakes, ramping up the tension that keeps readers turning pages. For example, knowing that a deadly plague is ravaging the village, readers are going to be concerned when a bright red rash breaks out on your protagonist's skin. It's the same tension they'll feel when the unwitting hero meets up with the unscrupulous big bad to make a dangerous deal. For characters who are aware of what's at stake, death can serve as a catalyst for action, which brings us to our next narrative purpose. Number three, death can serve as a plot device. A plot device is any catalyst that pushes your story forward. Given that death often raises a story's stakes and provokes a strong emotional response, authors often use character deaths as plot devices to spur their protagonists into action. Consider the Fellowship of the Ring, in which Gandalf's sacrificial death is the event that convinces Frodo to break from the Fellowship to keep his friends safe. While there's nothing inherently wrong with using death as a plot device, do consider how killing one character to motivate another can prove problematic. Fridging is a term used to describe when an author kills the only notable female character in their story to motivate the male hero. Similar terms have been used to describe when the deaths of marginalized characters are used as catalysts in stories featuring non-marginalized protagonists. These types of deaths are seen as problematic because they frame women and marginalized people as expendable plot devices rather than fully developed characters worthy of their own stories. Purpose number four, death can illustrate a story's themes. A theme is a topic that a story discusses, while a thematic statement is a message about a theme that readers can derive from the story's events. The nature of a character's death can make a powerful statement about one of your story's themes, perhaps even the theme of death itself. In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins uses Kato's death to illustrate that killing someone can be an act of mercy. In The Fall and Our Stars, Augustus's sudden passing explores the inevitable and often arbitrary nature of death. And finally, purpose number five, death can fulfill a character arc. Using death as the resolution to a character's internal journey can be one of the most impactful ways to kill a character. Authors most often use death as a form of fulfilling their character's arcs in one of three ways. In positive character arcs, death is often framed as a redeeming or sacrificial act. Having changed for the better, the protagonist chooses to embrace death to atone for their mistakes or prove their selflessness. In A Tale of Two Cities, Sydney Carton's choice to trade places with Charles Darnay, who is set to be executed, is a prime example of this type of death. In static character arcs, death serves as the ultimate fulfillment of the truth the character has fought to maintain. In Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Maximus's death during his deal with Commodus serves as the culmination of his commitment to protecting Rome against barbarism and corruption. And finally, in negative character arcs, death is frequently the result of the character's fatal flaw. A popular recent example can be found in George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, wherein Ned Stark's tragic sense of nobility leads to his execution. These five narrative purposes don't need to be mutually exclusive. Generally speaking, the greater your reasons for killing off a character, the more impactful and emotional their death will be. This is especially important to bear in mind when putting major characters on the chopping block. To further ensure your character's deaths hit home with readers, remember that actions and events have consequences. The grief, trauma, and shifting circumstances that accompany death hold the power to reshape your character's narratives. And this power shouldn't be ignored. Use death as an impactful narrative tool rather than a momentary source of drama and you can't go wrong. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode, and to give the podcast a quick rating or review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Instagram at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's w-e-l-l-s-t-o-r-i-e-d.com. Thank you again for tuning into today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!