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Ok so about the whole 'falls is love immediately' thing… my MC falls in love with an aromantic character and doesn't know they're aromantic for a while, and neither does the reader. A little while after the MC finds out, the aromantic guy dies. Then, the guy who has been dropping obvious hints he likes the MC eventually gets with the MC (after they recover from the trauma of aromantic guy dying). Is this okay?
This reminds me of something I did. I think it's alright.
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This reminds me of something I did. I think it's alright.
Okay, just checking. I want to make sure to avoid the things people don't like, especially since I'm writing a novel that probably qualifies as Y/A.
Ok so about the whole 'falls is love immediately' thing… my MC falls in love with an aromantic character and doesn't know they're aromantic for a while, and neither does the reader. A little while after the MC finds out, the aromantic guy dies. Then, the guy who has been dropping obvious hints he likes the MC eventually gets with the MC (after they recover from the trauma of aromantic guy dying). Is this okay?
I've never seen that before, I don't think. Sounds interesting
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Maybe don't kill the aro character though??
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Find a different way for them to be seperated if possible. Aro people get very little rep, especially good rep, and so it's kind of a bad move to kill them off.
maybe they have to go away for a job offer or something, move to a different country to escape the government
Also, they don't necessarily have to be separated for the MC to move on.
If the death/separation is important to your plot for other reasons then do what you want; as long as your aro character isn't your only lgbt or aspec character then it should be fine.
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@MontJyn @hollow-boned @Wry_Wyvern The MC and the blatantly flirting guy are both male. I want to kill off the aro guy to help further the plot and add to the MC's character arc
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Also the aro guy isn't a guy, they're non-binary, I just keep saying guy as a gender-neutral term
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If they're nonbinary then killing them off is even worse.
in general killing of characters for no reason needds to be taken out of all books. Shock factor is not a literary device.
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in general killing of characters for no reason needds to be taken out of all books. Shock factor is not a literary device.
Shock also isn't a good reason to use to get a reaction. I recommend Jenna Moreci's video on writing character deaths.
I personally (as a non-straight person) wouldn't mind a lgbt character dying as long as it actually contributed to the plot. The point where most people get annoyed is when the death is just for emotional response or to further the character arcs of cis and/or straight characters (basically when minority characters are treated as more expendable than others).
If it's absolutely necessary to further the plot then it's understandable, but be v e r y careful about killing off a character for the main purpose of helping another's character arc, especially with minorities and especially if it's the only aspec or nb rep you have. If it's possible to rework the story so the death doesn't happen, I would advise you to do so (and if not, try not to let them be the only aspec or nb character you have).
in general killing of characters for no reason needds to be taken out of all books. Shock factor is not a literary device.
Agreed.
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I personally (as a non-straight person) wouldn't mind a lgbt character dying as long as it actually contributed to the plot. The point where most people get annoyed is when the death is just for emotional response or to further the character arcs of cis and/or straight characters (basically when minority characters are treated as more expendable than others).
If it's absolutely necessary to further the plot then it's understandable, but be v e r y careful about killing off a character for the main purpose of helping another's character arc, especially with minorities and especially if it's the only aspec or nb rep you have. If it's possible to rework the story so the death doesn't happen, I would advise you to do so (and if not, try not to let them be the only aspec or nb character you have).
They're being killed off because my MC (Zenith) needs to understand what it feels like to lose someone close to you, and so he'll stop brutally murdering people without a second thought (that part may take awhile, but the death will get it started). Jayden may be my only nb person I have, but I do have a lesbian couple, a gay love interest, and a pan-romantic asexual main character.
I don't think it'd be possible to re-work the plot to that extent, its a pretty key point for Zenith.
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It's still a really bad writing choice.
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in general killing of characters for no reason needds to be taken out of all books. Shock factor is not a literary device.
Shock also isn't a good reason to use to get a reaction. I recommend Jenna Moreci's video on writing character deaths.
It's not for shock, its because it moves it helps Zenith develop as a person, and moves the plot.
If having Jayden get kidnapped by the bad guy would fill the same purpose, I would probs do that, cause it would take the character out of the story but keep the possibility of bringing them back (and I’m always in the mood for some kidnapping lol). In the end though, it’s your story, and you get final say on what happens to the characters. If it works for the story, go for it my dude.
Death is important to progress stories. If done properly, it can show effects it has on the other characters and can develop character or even bring them to a new low.
Of course there's always going to be those who do death in writing wrong. A perfect example of this would be Pietro Maximoff's death in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It had no lasting effect on the characters and it was a waste of a potential character. Anywayyy that's just my take on it
Death takes so long to actually do. People use it like a cheap plot piece.
Death takes so long to actually do. People use it like a cheap plot piece.
true, but it can be a mind blown plot
Deaths need to have impact other than making the MC feel bad though. If you use it to move the plot along then it needs to be a point where EVERYTHING changes in the story.
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Well, it reveals that the MC has a mind control chip planted on him. It gives the MC a chance at a redemption arc (bc he's somewhat evil??). And it shows exactly how evil the villain is. It impacts the plot by making it so that the MC can't trust anyone, especially himself. His entire world is turned on its head, and nothing makes sense anymore. It also gives the MC a more human side to him, so to speak. He's not a remorseless killer, he's a man grieving for his love.
Deaths need to have impact other than making the MC feel bad though. If you use it to move the plot along then it needs to be a point where EVERYTHING changes in the story.
And pretty much always as a last resort (weeeell in the ring of last resort) option.
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If you can find a way to seperate Jayden and the MC without killing them, go with that. Maybe put them into a coma, or have them get captured?
unrelated but one of my mcs is a shallow bitch and I hate her
I had one who was supposed to be that but is now a poor child hopelessly in love with a guy she can't have. She was supposed to be a (fiance??) stealer and is now that.
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it seems the issue is death in stories is often treated like The Sims, where the character gets a bad moodlet for like 2 days and it doesn't matter. I thought actual grieving processes take 6 months average (at the shortest)? So if it has a very high impact and greatly affects the rest of the story rather than just to further one character's development then it could work. But in many cases the lgbt characters are killed off for no reason (cough voltron). It used to be an issue with women in media too, being killed off to further the male lead's story.
