Kill Your Darlings (literally)

Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by TheScorpion, Mar 1, 2018.

  1. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    Maybe you need to ask why he thinks they shouldn't die? If it's just because he was caught off guard based on your previous style, then that's not a good reason for you to change your story, for sure. If it's because you hadn't prepared the reader sufficiently throughout the book and it comes off as entirely random, then you may need to look at your book as a whole and uncover whether there are things that need expanding on, foreshadowed, etc etc. Or if perhaps catching your reader off guard is one of your intentions, in which case assuming the rest of the book is of solid quality, you're fine, I think. With deaths, you're almost always gonna get the love and hate camps. If your editor didn't like the deaths just because he doesn't like to see characters he loved die, then you should celebrate - you've done your job well and got a reader invested in your characters and thus, their deaths!

    While there might be good reasons for your characters' deaths, I think making it logical would be key here. It seems you've got making them meaningful/purposeful down. But does the way you've written the book overall support the deaths as the story's logical conclusion? If yes, ignore your editor. If no, go back and edit so the ending fits.
     
    animagus_kitty likes this.

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