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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Some of my characters are already dead.

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

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...

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...

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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. 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