Character...you thought I'd say Salesman. It's been a while since I made a blog post after making the declaration to post more often. FAIL. But, alas, I get back up, jump on the proverbial wagon, and type on. Seriously, though, I thought I'd write a little something about character exits. I love killing characters. Not in some sadistic way where I think torture is cool. Though, yes, most of my characters' deaths involve something less than peaceful. I'm talking about loving the end of a character and killing them because it means they have served their full usefulness in that little world the author, in this case me, has created. (I think that last sentence was structured properly. Things like that are why we have editors) Alas, I know you are saying something along the lines of 'you don't have to kill them off. They can move, or just exit the story.' But the thing is, they can't. If there is any way for them to re-enter the story at any given point in the future, it means that their story may not be finished. Death is, or at least true and actual death, is final. It means they have completed their arc and served their usefulness. It also means that if they have done so in a way which resonated with the readers, their death will have a lasting impact on them. That's a good thing. I don't mean some traumatic experience for the reader, though that may be the case. I just mean lasting impact as in the reader will remember and think about that character long after the book and/or series is finished. I am also not saying that if a character exits a story without dying that they must return at some later point. No. But if they do exit without dying, then it means they may have something more to add to the story in the future. Which, of course, means that their arc has not been finalized. It may only be an break, or apparently final for the moment. But that's the thing about stories. We drag ourselves into these fun little worlds that are created for us as an escape from the real world problems that surround us. And they are fun to read, even when they are tense, scary, or emotional. Books are escapism and the characters that die in them are just fictional. They never actually existed. Since they are on paper, though, we can go back and re-live the memories we have created with them. In real life, though, people come and go. If someone leaves our lives and we never see them again, but know they are alive, we take a comfort in the fact that while paths crossed with said person, they are living a life elsewhere and serving a purpose in another part of the world. Thankfully, because of social media, we can always reach out for old time's sake and catch up, if desired. If someone in your life has died, you can't reach out. You can't go back and re-live the memories by turning back a page or two. All you are left with are the memories of what were and pictures to reminisce and help cope. So what do real life relationships have to do with killing characters? Everything. Situations are what we make them. I hear people on-line complaining about the death of their most beloved characters all the time. What I hear less of is how much they miss certain loved ones that have passed. We have created either a disconnect within ourselves, or a world in which it is more acceptable to openly mourn the loss of a fictional character than a real one. I think that should change. I think if we can openly mourn and reach out for legitimate help when we need it (not reaching out to those people in our lives that always agree with your every decision because 'that's what friends do') the mental health of the world would be a much better place. That all may have sounded like ramblings of a madman, but it is something that weighs on my mind. At the end of it all, if you are struggling and have been, seek professional help. Mental health is a real issue that not everyone can just 'suck it up' and 'buck up' from. And that's okay. But reach out to a friend, or family member and get help. Then maybe, the death of your beloved character could be seen as something more symbolic than literal. Then maybe those real world problems weighing you down might seem a little lighter.
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