I had that happen to one of my characters as well. He was easily my favorite character in the story and yet at the end he had to die. I didn't want him to die, but he simply had to. I had another death scene that initially seemed cheezy, but actually ended up really good as I edited. I knew it was good when at least two of my early draft readers told me I had them in tears.

Death scenes are quite tricky to get right, but doable. It depends on what kind of result you are trying to get. Sometimes you have the death at the end of a story which has a bittersweet result. The dying character does what he/she is trying to do, often in a self-sacrifice style, and 'passes on the torch' to another character. Other death scenes trigger a sequence of event to get a process going. This can take place early in the character's arc or later. There are other types of death scenes, but I can't think of them right now.

I try to avoid death scenes so far. They're just something I don't really want to write unless I have something epic planned.

Just a question for anyone to answer: What kind of death scenes move you? Like the sudden unexpected ones or the ones where the character is slowly dying and saying last words?

Ugh, the ever dreadful, ever necessary Death Scene. Hate it. I'm a very practical person, and I'm afraid my death scenes aren't very pretty or artistic. I basically just knock off the characters as their friends/children watch, and then go on with my plot. There are no grand last words or deep, noble breaths in my stories...which I really hate. I just don't know any other ways to do it without making it cheesy or unrealistic. Any tips?

I hate those death scenes that go on for about three pages, when you know the character ought to have died after about one sentence, considering the injuries inflicted. *coughboromircough* Rant over.

Lady Haleth: Good luck with your poems! I tried my hand at poetry once or twice...it just won't work for me.

Ahh..death scenes. I have a lot of those in this book. I'm trying not to go for the cheesy, but its hard. My other problems with death scenes is cutting down on the gore. This is a prequel, so since all these people are dead by the first book, they have to die now.
And in one future story-to-be, my favorite character in the entire book (trilogy) dies. I didn't want him to, but he wanted to. It was weird.
Of course, the characters are always changing things. I just discovered yesterday that the falcon from the first book that I thought was male is actually female. That's what second editions are for!

I haven't posted in here for quite awhile - hello, everyone!
Well, as some of you might know, I attempted NaNo, and came through with flying colors (if I may say so myself). Finished my novel, and got more than 55,000 words, despite starting a day late. I'm pretty proud of myself!
The book itself stinks - bad writing, hilariously boring, unoriginal story. But hey, I've written a novel! What more can I ask for?
And I'm finding myself starting to write more short stories - true, I've only finished two, but I'm starting on another, which is so fun. Sometimes when you just feel like writing, randomly starting on whatever gets into your head and not making yourself attempt a whole book out of it, really works.
And poetry . . I haven't been writing as much lately, but when I do, it's wonderful!

I guess that's all I have to say.

The best death scene I ever read was in The Hunger Games when . I don't really cry when I read books, but that always makes my heart clench and I catch my breath.

Trying to analyze why I liked it: It's shown from the POV of the another character, the one who wasn't able to stop the death from occuring. It was also awful because you knew that the character was eventually going to die, it was just a matter of when and how.

So I guess what made it good was the suspense leading up to it, and the reaction of the main character.

FencerforJesus

Sometimes you have the death at the end of a story which has a bittersweet result. The dying character does what he/she is trying to do, often in a self-sacrifice style, and 'passes on the torch' to another character.

That's kind of like the death I'm planning for my new story's main character. Since I'm making it an allegory to the life of a Christian Disciple (I explained the plot in an earlier post) I'm planning on her dying like a martyr. It will end on a hopeful note, as she tells her fellow disciples that she will always be with them, helping them to continue fighting from Beyond.
sillygoose
I'll have to say it's the long, slow ones where the character is saying his last words. Generally, the kind of death scenes that move me most are the ones where someone lays down his/her life for someone else. Those are the ones that move me to tears. I am also greatly moved when someone dies for his/her convictions and principles, although I don't usually cry during them. They motivate me to stand true to my convictions, and I feel great respect and admiration for the character, but I don't usually feel sad for them.
ChristProclamer
Oh, yes, there's a problem finding a balance between those two extremes! I haven't really written any death scenes yet, but I think mine would be the ones that would go on and on for three pages!
However, because I'm planning on having a very significant character die, I have started looking into death scenes and studying other books where people die, and seeing how the writer described it. (I almost wrote how the writer killed them, but that seemed too cruel!) I have to admit, the best death scenes didn't go on for longer than three paragraphs! I don't think it's very good to get into all the gory details too much--better concentrate on what the character is saying, or how he/she is feeling. Don't make it any longer than necessary, but try to appeal to the emotions of your reader. For example, the reader may not necessarily feel sorry for a character if you give a three-page description of his/her bloody wound, but he will probably feel sorry for him/her if he knows that he/she is in pain, or is worried for someone. On the other hand, it's better not to just brush over a death (he had a wound, and he died). Death is a serious thing, and shouldn't be treated too lightly, even in a story.
My story is continuing to take shape! I've decided to have 5 teenagers set out from the village: three boys and two girls. Of course, there will be other characters in the story, but these are the ones I'm going to focus most on. The main one, the one the story begins with, is 15-year-old Anisa. Then there is 15-year-old Nartek, his fourteen-year-old sister Nara, fourteen-year-old Leo and seventeen-year-old Rinuil. (I thought up all the names myself, except Rinuil). Since my computer time is fairly limited, I am getting used to writing everything in a notebook and then typing it on the computer. I like typing more than writing for some reason, but I guess it's necessary to get both down.

Speaking of death scenes, maybe you guys can help me with something?

I'm contemplating killing off a very significant character at the end of my series. There's two possible ways the series could end - either she dies, or she is close to death but ends up not dying. And I'm not sure which ending would be best. Her death would give the ending a kind of bittersweet feel, but I really don't want to depress my readers. But then again, it would be a very emotional death, and I don't want it to seem too "convenient" if she ends up living/. I know I have a long ways to go before I get to that part, but I honestly can't choose which ending I want. And I really do love this character, so killing her off would make me really sad. But I want to do what's best for my story.

Would it seem too convenient if all the significant characters in a story end up living? Or do you think the unexpected death of a character can be more beneficial to the story?

Would it seem too convenient if all the significant characters in a story end up living?

I've asked myself the same question regarding my own stories. "Bad" things happen to my characters, but so far I haven't killed any of them off. I began writing in this fictional universe over 8 years ago and I've become attached to several characters. Yet I think a death scene, properly written, can really make a story memorable and have an impact on its readers that goes beyond the other.

So I can understand where you're coming from, but I can't offer much profound advice beyond "it depends on the story."

...either she dies, or she is close to death but ends up not dying. And I'm not sure which ending would be best.

This is precisely what happened in my 2009 NaNo. I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go. As it happens, I wrote both endings - with the one in which she died coming first. I thought it came out reasonably well but also tried my hand at the ending in which she lives, but just barely.

I ended up keeping her alive, though I think the death scene was a superior ending to that story, because she had a part to play in the story's sequel - this year's NaNo. But if your story is standalone, and not part of an ongoing series, this won't be a concern.

So my bit of advice here might be this: try writing both endings and see which one you like better, or which one works better. If nothing else, it's a great writing exercise and (in my case anyway) offered more insight into several characters.

I'm of the opinion that a story does not need a death to make it good. They can have them, and sometimes they make the story better because that's the best progression of the story; but, as a rule, every novel does not require one.

As others have said, it really depends on the story. You have to see if this would make sense; if the death causes a conflict or resolves one; if it is the best for the story. Just think about it, or better yet, write the ending both ways, as Gazer suggested. Reading both can really help!

Personally, I prefer short well written death scenes that really show the emotion of the person who is dying and those around them. Yeah, short and detailed....Basically I like everything. L.M. Montgomery usually always makes me cry in her death scenes.

I haven't gotten through the whole thread, but is there anyone here who likes writing scripts? While I love my stories and the characters I've written, I love writing scripts. It probably has something to do with being an actress.

Tiffany

FirstNarnianQueen
I love written scripts! I've tried my hand at them several times, but have never actually gotten around to finishing them. I'm not an actress or anything, although camera-work is a hobby of mine (both filming and photography). I just like to imagine it all in my head.

I LOVE writing scripts, FirstNarnianQueen! That's what I want to do as a career. It's so very exciting to actually write out a blueprint for a film-- to think that a director could look at my script and, if I've done it right, know how to create what I've imagined.

An interesting thing my sister taught me about script writing is that for every scene, each character has a goal. Usually, that goal relates somehow for their overall goal in the play or screenplay. To get their goal, the character tries to get the others characters in a scene to act a certain way. It can be subtle; it can be them just agreeing with them a lot to get them to stay on their side. It can be almost anything-- but weirdly enough, it's always there!

That has helped me a LOT in learning how my characters will act in each scene that I write. It's pretty neat.

So how do you keep yourself from quitting when the writing gets tough (I have a bad habit of quitting stories and making new ones later- which I quit too, of course. )

Narnian_Archer-Yay, another scriptwriter. I'm always reluctant to let directors take my scripts, 'cause I'm scared to death they'll change it. I guess I've got to learn to get over that, unless I want to try to be the writer, the actress, and the director.....which I don't.

Sweetlilgurlie--Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind. Usually I have a script that I work on all the time, but I'm saving the writing of my current one and just working on an outline, very detailed, so that I have plenty to work on when Script Frenzy comes around.

LucyofNarnia--I know what you mean. I have tons of stories that I've started and not finished. I have no idea how to keep going. I've just chalked them up as writing experience and gone on to the next story that caught my fancy.

Tiffany