Do You Know Which Characters Live and Die From the Beginning?

[Jcomp]

Or, for those whose novels don't involve anyone dying, do you know character fates otherwise from the beginning? Is it set in stone? Do you have a guideline that's subject to change? Do you just wing it in regard to what happens to certain characters?

For myself, I usually have an idea of who's going to live, who's going to die and when, but sometimes as the story evolves I find myself reconsidering the manner of death or even if they are supposed to die.

What about all of you folks?

[ChaosTitan]

In one of my trunked novels, I knew from the beginning that several of the major characters would eventually die. It was in the setup and was somewhat inevitable. How each one died wasn't something I knew yet, just that it would happen.

More recently, no. It's a good chance when reading one of my books that someone (or several someones) are going to bite it. But lately I haven't known ahead of time who or when.*


*Except for some future planning I've done for my series. God willing I see more books in the series, I do have the fates of one or two supporting players planned out.

[RedScylla]

I never know anything when I start writing. Sometimes I don't get a clue until I'm almost done.

[IdiotsRUs]

I killed the love interest half way through a book once. I was 'in the zone' and when I woke up the next morning I'm like 'Ahhh crap!' Because the story had to happen that way, once I'd written it - it was obvious then. So I just made the best of it, and the story worked out waay better.

Other people have 'victim' tattooed invisibly on their foreheads. :D

[Straka]

Unless is a major plot point, i.e.: one that changes the direction of the book, then no. I write the characters as I see them acting out their roles. Then as I write I'll reach a point in the story and realize that their time has come.

[MDei]

Oh I know alright I know that my mc's best friend is going to betray her. I know in another that two of my characters have to die and I know how and by whose hand. I know a lot about my story before I write it because it's usually in my head long before I start to write it.

So far, in my next WIP (I think it is anyway. That's subject to change), Consequences Not to be Damned I know exactly what MC is going to go through and who's going to be with her on this journey... The only difference is I have a title and I haven't written it. Now that's something I usually don't have.

[Dicentra P]

I think I do but someone who was meant to die early on not only survived but became a major player and may even be a candidate for her own book. I build the story step by step. As events happen I fill in back story for the minor characters to make sure they are believable. Once I have a realistic motivation for their actions I tweak the story. This woman turned out to be stronger than I thought. Dag nabbit keep the red shirt on already!!!

[JamieFord]

I always know the beginning. I always know the ending. The middle is the fun part.

[Madison]

For the WIP that I'm querying right now, I knew from the beginning that this one character was going to die. And it was okay because I didn't like him at all -- he was a good guy but he just really annoyed me. Then I wrote the book and fell in love with him, so when he had to die at the end, I almost died. It was SO sad. But it had to happen...

[Bongo Fury]

Not only do I know who, but I can tell you within ten pages of a 300-plus page novel when the ax will fall. For me, the challenge is getting the words on the page to match the book in my head.

[Freelancer]

I used to know what the fate of the main characters will be, but in rare cases I used to add some twist to their life or even to their death. The fate of the other primary and secondary characters... well, that's used to be random. In my story you never know who stays alive and who is going to die (Even sometimes the main characters). Sometimes I use dice to decide who stays and who goes. The Reaper is used to struck without mercy and honestly I love to play the Reaper. Great dramatic effects can be achieved with this. The only difference is my present WIP as the sequel was written previously and I must adapt the life of the characters in this prequel.

[TrickyFiction]

I don't know from the start who will survive the story. I hate killing off characters, but sometimes, something needs to happen or someone needs a fire under his/her ass, and the only way to make that believable is to kill someone. Usually, at that point, who will die is obvious.

[maestrowork]

I know precisely which of my main characters are going to die or survive. The secondary or minor characters? Not so much... I like to be surprised.

[KTC]

I only know what's going to happen as I type it. Once one of my young characters started screaming...woke up the whole house. It was only then that I, and the rest of the 'house' discovered that the dad was dead.

[kangolNcurlz]

I usually plot my novels beforehand so I know who'll die before it's over. It's all subject to change, though, but I try to stick close to my plot while writing.

[scarletpeaches]

Some of my characters are already dead.

[AnonymousWriter]

Nope. Just go with the flow, and if someone dies along the way, then so be it.

[Lady Ice]

The beginning and end of my WIP (I can only really do this with plays- novels, I wing it) I know, but the middle keeps twisting and turning...

[lucidzfl]

I usually have an idea for the general plot who, as a main character is going to die.

In fact, in one of my recent wips I was surprised when two of the characters DIDN'T die. Which is good coz they made an appearance in my new WIP heh.

In my current work, I know one more main character who has to die, I just dont know how, or even why yet...

[AlishaS]

I am a write on the fly person and don't do outlines but I usually have a begining, a middle and an end in mind how I get there is up to the writing at the time and the mood I am in. In the WIP I am writing I knew that a few people where going to die but how and when was up for debate.

[Jess Haines]

I do for major plot points. Sometimes a stroke of genius occurs to me and I add something like that while "in the zone" -- but not very often.

[ccarver30]

Not at all. I don't outline. I have a general idea of what happens but until I sit down and write, I have no clue.

[BigWords]

I know all my main characters are gonna die. The secondary characters... Not so much.

[WKolodzieski]

I actually have the pleasure to kill one of my characters very soon. Probably this week. It has been planned throughout, however, but some of the other deaths that have occured have been extremely random and out of nowhere. Lots of death, lots and lots. I am pretty sure I know the ending (or at least think I do, I've been imagining it for awhile now) and the fate of my MC. He will not die...I don't think so...

[Cliff Face]

In my comedies, nobody stays dead. It's fantasy, so there's plenty of reincarnation. To that end, unless it's central to the story (like one of the MCs dying at the end of book 3 to be reborn as such and such) I can kill off pretty much anybody I want whenever I want.

In book 2, one of the MCs became a ghost due to wayward magic, and it turned out to be a funny scene. He was brought back to life in the next chapter. I hadn't planned that at all - it was like good filler.

As for knowing their fates... well, I'm only on book 2, and I've planned 10 books, so yeah, I know a fair bit about their overall fates, but as far as what happens to them per book or per chapter, then no, I don't really know until I write it, or at least until I formally plan the outline of the book. One of my characters will never die, and she'll be important, but I don't know how yet. 2 of my characters will get married, but I don't know when yet (I do know who, but only after writing half of book 2, even though both MCs were in book 1 aswell).

In my NaNo, I've planned a supernatural murder mystery, and I've spent a couple hours per day for the last 2 days planning the book, so I have a pretty good idea of who gets it. Often, I know how they get it, too. There's 1 I'm undecided on, 1 I don't know how she gets it, and 1 I really don't know how to kill in the slightest just yet... like I said - supernatural. Actually, change that undecided one - he gets it. :D Boy, I'm bloodthirsty this morning!

So yeah, I tend to plan things out, either on paper or in my head, so I know most of what is going to happen long before writing it, but there's still plenty of room to surprise myself. It's usually only the things which are majorly important to the storyline that I know beforehand.

Cliff

[Sage]

Most of the time I'll know if the MCs are destined to die. For one novel, I had planned one MC dying from the beginning, then fought the entire book to keep him alive.

He died in the last paragraph.

[Renee Collins]

For my WiP, I knew from the first day of planning that one central character would die. By the time I got to the moment, however, months later, I seriously didn't want to do it. I tried to find a way around it, but it had to be done. So, crying my eyes out, I finished him off.

[Ken]

... had no clue. Thought nobody was going to die, until I got to the last chpt and everybody wound up dying. Not overly surprising, as the work is somber. Even so, the deaths took me by surprise, especially as it seemed like the story was going to end on a comparatively happy note.

[Tara Stone]

I always know who's going to die. I tend to have my stories thoroughly plotted out by the time I start writing; minor details change as I'm writing, but not the major events.

[Ruth2]

Nope. 'Course one of my characters is already dead-- heh.

I was writing along and killed a MC off but a friend pointed out that with him gone the triadic sexual tension was gone so I made him almost dead and then had him turned into a vampire. But another big secondary character did get killed and I didn't know until it happened that he would die.

[mamaesme]

I knew the major deaths, but it's an Apocalyptic novel. More than a few side characters died as well (that I didn't think about).

Oh, and I know who is undead as well. Nope, not a vampire.

[benbradley]

I have no clue, as I have yet to come anywhere near completing a novel, though I hope to will find out next month ... ahem.

[AdamH]

SPOILER ALERT! :tongue

Strangely...none of my characters have died in the course of any of my stories. But death was never an important factor in any of them.

Except for this new novel I'm writing where the deaths just keep on coming...it's like I'm making up for it all at once.

But I usually know exactly if they're going to live or die when I start out.

[Saba]

I always know which character dies. I have a habit of killing a major character no matter what I write. In the novel I'm now working on a lot of the characters spend time in the afterlife, so they're already dead.

[rosiroo]

I tend to want to kill off at least one of my main characters in the course of the story. Not because I don't like them, but because it makes sense for their story arc, and has some impact.

I don't always know which one, though. *cackles evilly*

[seun]

Some of my characters are already dead.

ditto.

[motormind]

My characters would wish I'd finally let them die. They get maimed, tortured, shot at, electrocuted, fried, hurled out windows, smashed under train cars and I sometimes even let them run outside without wearing a coat!

[Bellevance]

I seldom know for sure who will die, or when, or how, until I have fully established a situation that, in the telling, will influence my main characters' motivation.

In THE FIFTH SEASON, the second novel in my Hector Bellevance series, I was 150 pages into the first draft before I realized that the villainous character I had at first intended to be responsible for the two murders at the start of the novel was himself a victim. Had he not also been aced, the whole story would have devolved into a rather straightforward manhunt, which I did not want. But at that point, and for another 50 pages or so, I wasn't entirely sure who had done all the killing or why.

For me, not knowing very much at the start is better. It's more inspiring. I write the story to discover answers almost with the same compulsion and curiosity that my readers read it. My deliberate resolution of the big questions is more satisfying that way and often surprising, too. And my surprise, I think, enhances my readers' satisfaction.

[Glorium]

Typically in the beginning when the ideas for the novel are brewing in my head, images just pop in there, kind of like you would see in a movie. Very cinematic. I just imagine some people having these really heroic deaths and whatnot, and in my head it looks cool, so I figure I will be able to make it read like that.

Eventually though, I realize, like halfway through, "No. I can't do that. Because that means that she would have to go here and then his little brother would just..."

Yeah, I'm bad at planning, too many things don't work out when I base my story off of what will look cool cinematically.

[MGraybosch]

I know who's going to survive and who won't when I start writing, and I keep a barrel of Harkness brand RET-CON handy for when I change my mind. :)

[Vomaxx]

Or, for those whose novels don't involve anyone dying, do you know character fates otherwise from the beginning?

I don't know who most of the characters are when I start. They appear as I go along. It's very interesting to meet them.

[Jewey Witch Goddess]

I was shocked to find myself killing someone off early in my latest WIP. I had no earthly idea that it was going to happen.

Recently, I've been learning about plotters vs. pantsers. I'm clearly the latter, and like the book to take me for a ride, so concerning this topic I fit into the 'who knows who is going to die and when' category.

Recently re-read King's "On Writing" and he encourages the pantser way. He tells a story about THE STAND, where one morning he felt strangled by too many threads and didn't know which way to go. It struck him that he could kill half his characters off. Love that story.

[errantruth]

I'm with Vomaxx on this one. Writing is a process of discovery for me and I learn my characters as I write them (and then have to rewrite them (and rewrite them (and rewrite them))). :)

As for deaths, not for sure but I do have inklings. There are certain fates I see, but then sometimes characters surprise me by reassessing their options or reevaluating their priorities, and then things change. :)

[Lauretta]

I am writing the first book of a saga and I already know who's going to stay and who's going to die. I might change my mind at some stage tho.

[Namatu]

I have a very general arc in mind when I start writing. Killing off specific characters is not planned; it just happens. My most memorable kill caught me completely by surprise and ultimately led to a character coup.

[shethinkstoomuch]

Sometimes. I realized pretty early on that one of my MCs had to die in my WIP, which is unfortunate because I really like him!

[Rhys Cordelle]

One of my mains absolutely must die in the last half of the novel. I like her and I'm going to miss her, but I'm resigned to her fate, so I intend to have fun with her before it comes to that. She has rubbed so many people up the wrong way that I still don't know who will take her out