Writing to Kill, The Author as a Serial Killer.

Well I have been negligent in blogging. I'll just blame it on the winter storm we have had here in the Seattle area. Now on to the blog. 

One thing that I have had to get use to is killing people. Not actual people, fictional ones, my characters. I know that it is not the same. Or is it? Real people have feelings and have family that care for them. What about characters? They have feelings, friends and family. They have the feeling that is given to them by the writer, and through individual perception, the reader. They have friends and family, again the reader and the writer. Heck, the other characters are family, friends, and even enemies. A lot of people real and imaginary you have to think about when you off a character. How will the death of a character affect everyone? Well it depends on the character right? Yes and no.

Think about this. When you right a character good or bad you are creating an entity in being, with a life even if it is in words. When you do this you are putting some of yourself into your creation. Oh, yes the bad guys too. So what do you do when you come to a point someone has to die in your story? (Yes you may have to kill off a beloved character now and again. How else can you bring forth the tears?)  You become for a few moments to plot the death, you then write the scene. Next you turn your emotions back on and mourn through the characters closest to the deceased.

See, you have to become a serial killer if you are writing something that requires a high body count. Heck, if you write more than one story and kill off one character per, then you still rack up a serial killer like body count. What you don't do is make it easy on yourself. Use the stress and emotions from offing a character and put to work for you. Let it seep into your story and the other characters. I mean, if you stay cold then your work becomes cold. The only thing cold in your work should be the body of the deceased.

Speaking of cold, I cannot wait till spring!