Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop!
Today’s topic is: Have you ever regretted killing off a character? Or not killing one off?
And remember to visit my fellow writers to see what they have come up with. You can find their works here!
I have killed some characters or had the opportunity to do so in my books. Getting rid of Atticus Rigby was never a question. In a way, he had to be despatched with. He had answers to Crow’s questions, so getting rid of him was a must for the storyline, especially given how and where I wanted and needed it to go so that I could answer them at the correct time and place.
Maxwell Gladstone was another. He very nearly didn’t make it out of book one. He felt relatively dispensable at that time. A side character that served his purpose and wouldn’t be missed going forwards. In the end, he survived. And just as well he did, as he became pretty integral to the events of book two.
I would certainly say that characters are a part of us, they come from us after all. But I’m not wildly attached to them in a way that means I’d struggle to kill them off. If it’s the right direction for the story, they’re gone.
Steven Smith 
My characters seem to know when their job is done and it’s time to leave. It always saddens me to lose one, but I’m comforted by the fact that they had an important part to play in the story and somehow accepted their end.
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I agree with this feeling – when it’s their time, it is their time.
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I always try not to kill them off, but I fear I might have to have a re-think with the new WIP.
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In my last book, there were a few characters who deserved to die, but they lived because it fit reality.
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My critique partners have accused me of being a softie when it comes to my imaginary friends, and that’s true, in my superhero stories. Not so much in my horror. @samanthabwriter from http://samanthabryant.com“>Balancing Act
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Following my gut on character deaths has guided me well so far, too. Story rules, and we just know. Sometimes, it can suck! Writing the death of a child was really tough for me, even tho it was more a transformation. Putting that out to the universe made me feel a way.
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