when the protagonist dies... - Writers Forum

S1E9A8N5 · 05-13-2006, 10:11 PM

I'm trying to figure out how to end a story when the main character dies in the end. Romeo and Juliet. The movie Tristan and Isolde. Titanic etc. How does that work? After the main character dies, who do you focus on, how do you end the story. I mean I guess you could say just focus on the remaining characters, their grief and the outcome of the story good or bad. etc. Is it that simple?

Sean

suzakugaiden · 05-14-2006, 03:17 AM

Wellll, in my story, I follow the character into the afterlife. And, uh, subsequently, the universe collapses and reforms several times, with slight differences each time, and an infinite number of recursions of the main character, all slightly different, end up existing all at the same time in... the afterlife.

Alternatively, you could just abruptly end the story with their death. Leave all loose ends untied, resolve nothing.

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what fits.

bob rulz · 05-14-2006, 03:31 AM

Usually, the end of my stories usually come pretty close to the death of the protaganist when I kill him off. I usually tie up some of the necessary loose ends, write, maybe, one last chapter. Then I write a sequel. Of course, I haven't actually written any sequels to anything I've written yet...

mammamaia · 05-14-2006, 07:25 PM

some questions to ask yourself:

why must you kill off your protag?...

what is gained by his/her death?...

how is his/her death justified, plot-wise?...

...the trouble with killing off your protagonist is that we don't live in the age when such things were considered great 'theater'... shakespeare could get away with it, because virtually no one in his day and age had a 'happy ending' of their own, and thus wouldn't be as receptive to seeing such in their entertainment, since it would seem unrealistic... people accepted the futility of life they saw around them, so expected to see the same in art...

...today, however, most in the 'civilized' world prefer to live in a mental fantasy realm where the happy ending is seen as possible, even if only in books and movies... so, if you kill off your hero or heroine and have no good reason for doing so, and/or provide nothing uplifting to follow it, you risk alienating and even angering your readers...

...look at 'love story' for example... only one of the star-crossed lovers dies... oliver goes on to 'learn' from the experience and supposedly have a happy life, anyway... 'titanic' was based on a real tragedy, so no one could expect a happy ending... the movies 'tristan and isolde' and 'romeo and juliet' were both just film versions of shakespeare, so don't count, either...

...that said, if you're just writing a short story, pretty much anything goes... it's only in a novel where it's risky, if you make your readers invest a lot of time and emotion in your mc, only to see him/her killed off in the end...

...bottom line?... it's best not to do it in a novel... and if you want to do it in a short story, make sure you have a good reason for doing so and that it will make sense to the readers...

jta_8888 · 05-15-2006, 01:15 PM

I think that the death of the protagonist is fitting for any type of story, whether it be for a novel, and even a short story.

I think that, should you kill off the main character, it is important that you do it in a way that you feel comfortable with. By the end of your story, you must assume that your reader has grown attached to the protagonist (hopefully), and it's difficult to play off of this. If they've grown attached, a sudden death might anger some, while a slow build-up to their demise will probably cause some tears and anguish. So, in the end, it is up to how you want your readers to feel during the death process.

(For your examples: Romeo and Juliet was a rather abrupt death of both characters, which probably sparks some anger and upset among readers; Titanic, however, has built up a long attachment with the characters, so the death leads more towards tears and sorrow, rather than anger.)

...but that's just my opinion.

Markovich · 05-15-2006, 01:38 PM

Just don't decide to do it after you have already written the entire story in the first person.

Arin · 05-16-2006, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammamaia

...today, however, most in the 'civilized' world prefer to live in a mental fantasy realm where the happy ending is seen as possible, even if only in books and movies... so, if you kill off your hero or heroine and have no good reason for doing so, and/or provide nothing uplifting to follow it, you risk alienating and even angering your readers...

...the movies 'tristan and isolde' and 'romeo and juliet' were both just film versions of shakespeare, so don't count, either...

I think what people prefer to read in a story is rather unimportant at this point. Yes, if you want to sell your book you do have to take readers into consideration. But if the writer believes it is important to the story or their purpose to kill a character, by all means, do it (even if the reader doesn't see the purpose at first). Just because there is a risk of alienating the readers doesn't mean it shouldn't be thrown away. I think focusing too much on what people will thinkis a bad idea. The reason we write is either for our own pleasure or to propagate a message through storytelling---whether people like that message or not.

And, for the record, Tristan and Isolde is NOT Shakespeare's work.

patthager · 05-16-2006, 04:59 PM

If a story is written in tight 1st or really tight 3rd person you should wrap up quickly after the character dies. "The character is dead right? Shouldn't it be the end of the story?" The legacy is important, important enough to break out of your PoV, just don't draw it out.

FrankBlissett · 05-16-2006, 06:14 PM

If you're looking for a way to add more prose after the death, you could do so in an afterword - wrapping up loose ends or hinting at the next installment in the story.

-Frank

S1E9A8N5 · 05-16-2006, 06:46 PM

Thanks for the advice.

mammamaia · 05-16-2006, 06:58 PM

you're right of course, arin... i neglected to add 'and legend' to that sentence... but many scholars agree t & i was what willy based r & j on, in case you didn't know it... ill-fated lovers and all that, even though he did a heck of a rewrite on some of the details...

as to writing for yourself and not the market, that's ok, if you're not aiming at the ny times bestseller list... not that a brilliantly-written novel with a killed-off hero can't make it... it's just not as likely to...