Hi, I'm writing a YA novel, and I've already developed my main character, and I'm currently developing her guardian, Vitaliy Ignatenko, a former Chernobyl liquidator. He will die early on in the story, but I want my readers to be very fond of Vitaliy and grow attached, so killing him off will have a greater impact. How should I go about making him likable? -RR
Have him save a drowning puppy? In seriousness, if he's a guardian and he shows even small acts of kindness or warmth towards his charge then I think the reader will like him. If you want the reader to care about him them make your MC care about him, develop their bond. When we see how it affects her, it will likely affect us too.
In addition to what Maverick_nc said, I would make sure he is plenty interesting and has depth. Make it look like he's got a lot to be explored so when he dies it's somewhat unexpected. If he's simple and shallow, people are more likely to call him dying and generally be less invested.
Do you have to kill him off? I feel like death can me an easy way out, and there are better ways to get rid of a character that often come to writers when we give it a little more thought. When I was in school for writing, it was often said "give him a puppy" when characters needed to be softened up a bit. It's not that you actually need to bring a puppy into your story, but such things can work as a way to introduce another side of a character. Still, I'm not a fan of getting readers to care about character only to have them killed off. There are worse things than death and other ways to exit s story. Sometimes that approach can have more of an impact than death. A few years back I read an interview with an editor at one of the top magazines that publish fiction. He said they see way too much death and were kind of sick of it. They actually counted all the character fatalities they had published in a year. The number was pretty high. So, it's not that these stories don't sell, but editors are interested in seeing other options. I think there are creative solutions around this sort of trope, and that seems to be something editors are actively seeking.
Give him some virtues. Make him humble, patient, thankful. Mainly show the mc's love for the character and that's how you'll get the most impact. It'll be through her and how she feels about him that's going to really draw the death home. I read a middle grade book call Mrs. Fish, the Ape and me, the Dump Queen by Norma Fox Mazer and in the story this lonely girl befriends an equally lonely female janitor. The woman brought joy to the girl - she gave the girl a little birthday celebration with balloons and treats when no one else bothered so for me if that woman was no longer a part of the girls life - the hole of loneliness would be all the greater. Examine the impact and influence the character has with the mc what he brings to their relationship.
The reason I am choosing to kill off Vitaliy is that his death will force the character to go seek out another guardian, which is an integral part of the plot of my story. If there is another way to get rid of him, I'm open to suggestions.
People pull this kind of thing off in different ways and lots try to make the character likable for the readers. But if they care about your main character, then they will care about what happens to him/her. If you show how much this guardian means to your MC and that other characters also like this person that helps. Your guardian is an impact character in a sense. His death is simply happening to force your MC to seek out another. This isn't always the best reason to kill a character off because it's then very obviously a plot device that is becoming very cliche in YA books. Getting rid of the protecting, danger alarm that are parent figures. Not saying you have to change anything, but make his death more impactful than a trigger to make your MC do something.
Hello, friend. I like the idea to put on that guardian virtues, but I will add this detail: make him/her having something that can make your MC complete. Let's imagine that your MC is a shy person, maybe his/her guardian is an extrovert that can bring her shell out. This part of the guardian personality later in the story can influence because she/he will have to find another guardian, which of course must be different from the current one. I hope this helps. Keep on good work and have fun!
To add further (random and not fully realised) ideas about not killing him off, perhaps just send him off instead. Maybe he has to make an incredibly tough decision: To stay with his young charge or leave to care for his dying mother (whom he dislikes, but feels duty bound to care for). Also leaves it open for them to meet again some day, who knows?!
