Character Death Checklist

 

BECAUSE THE THIRD Plot Point is a symbolic representation of your protagonist’s spiritual death and rebirth, this plot point often features either literal or figurative death.

 

Exercise: If one of your characters dies here (or at any other moment in your story), ask yourself the following questions.

 

Question #1: Why is the death necessary?

 

Question #1.1: How does the death affect the other characters?

 

Question #1.2: How does the death advance the plot?

 

Question #1.3: What would happen to the story and the other characters if this character didn’t die?

 

Question #2: Will the death shock readers?

 

Question #2.2: Will the shock prevent the purpose of the death from resonating with readers?

 

Question #2.3: Can you mitigate the shock by foreshadowing the death?

 

Question #2.4: Can you foreshadow the death explicitly with a reference to the possibility of the character’s dying?

 

Question #2.5: Can you foreshadow the death implicitly through tone or a general sense of foreboding?

 

Question #3: Do you want your story to have a sad ending?

 

Question #4: If you answered the above question with a “no,” ask yourself:

 

Question #4.1: If the death occurs early in the story (Third Plot Point or earlier), how will the remaining characters’ actions in the Climax make the death matter?

 

Question #4.2: If the death occurs late in the story (Climax or after), what affirming or empowering note can you find to shine a light through the grief?

 

Reference: Structuring Your Novel, chapter 12, pages 153-157.