Do authors feel anything when they kill off a character?

Answer 1

I've read some of the posts already made.

I'm an author and I've felt remose at a "friends" death in a story/novel, and delight in an "enemies". A TRUE writer knows and loves or hates his characters as much as s/he hopes the readers will.

As for wiping tear with dollar bills-- get real. Writers don't write to make money, they write because they Want to write, and the find that if they try to retire, they Have to write no matter what. It takes loads of time, work, and patience to get in print, and lots of time, and work to sell enought books to earn any money.

Answer 2

I think it depends on the character and an author. Sometimes, it`s possible for an author to make such an "invisible" character, to be able not to feel anything about it. For example, a body in a modern crime-solving-forensic story. You don`t have to know it, or get attached to it, so it is possible even for readers to stay partly unaware of the person that body is, and be more familiar with criminal, detectives, the relatives....
On the other hand, if an author has put up an effort to develop a character, than, killing it-has to make emotional impact.

Answer 3

Rowling has said that she cried after killing Sirius off in book five and no one really understood why. Unless an author actually comes forward and says something like this, we can't know how they feel about killing someone off. But it's likely that they have to feel something when they kill someone off, whether it's jubilation at eliminating a villian they really hate or sorrow at eliminating a character they have come to love. Especially when they've invested a good deal of time into the character they kill off.

Answer 4

yes! and the readers too exspecially! you just get so emotionally attached that you feel like you are almost connected in some way, as if the characters were real! but i guess it aslo depends on how much spot light the author gives the character. like if they mantion the character once and then mention that that character died of something, well sure you feel bad but you really don't care as much as if it would have been if it was the main characters best friend or parent or something.

it is possibly for authors to feel upset over characters dying (on the contrary to other answers) sometimes it just has to be that way though so the story can be better and flow in the right direction

Answer 5

It depends on how important the character is. A walk-on character is just scenery and doesn't require any effort to kill. A major character you sweat over it, cry over it, and finally celebrate having done it.

You can see the difference in the Harry Potter books. Cedric was fleshed out enough that you felt it when he died, but he was not a major character. His death was a shock, but readers got past it. Sirius affected them more, but it was Dumbledore's death in book six that floored people. And you could tell the author had also cried over it.

It's one of the greatest challenges for a writer--to kill off a main character--and yes, it does affect us.

Answer 6

of course authors feel things when they kill off characters. Several have killed off characters that they loved. Others killed off characters that they disliked i wouldn't use the word hate because it is such a strong word but then again maybe some authors actually hated the characters who really knows. it is kind of hard not to feel anything when killing off characters.

Answer 7

I don't know about other authors, but when I write and kill off a character, it can be difficult because now I don't know what to do to fill that empty place in the story. I also come to love these characters as friends, and it's hard when they die.

Answer 8

Yes, ABSOLUTELY!

And sometimes you do HAVE to kill the character off so that the things that need to happen in the story can happen...

That doesn't make it any easier...

If the character is well developed, and you know them as well as you SHOULD before writing them, then it feels terrible!

But as i said, it does have to happen sometimes... And how believable would a fantasy adventure novel be if no-one died in it at all???

I mean, in Harry Potter, you have all kinds of spells flying around, and there is a war going on... I know i would find it... Just plain weird if none of the good guys died...

Answer 9

Yes they do and trust me i know from experience that when you are writing you sometimes get what i like to call emotionally attached to the characters. But thats jsut some authors others dont it just depends on the person's personality and if you are refurring to the recent harry potter book i dont know if J.K. Rowling cried when she was killing them off or when she proof read it, but i sure did that was an emotional rollar coaster.

Answer 10

Yes, I believe so - at least if it's been a main or loveable character.

I know J.K. Rowling was crying after the 5th book & she killed off 1 main character. I can't imagine how she must've cried during writing the 6th & 7th books! I did read on her website that she had to sequester herself in a hotel room to finish the last book though - probably didn't want anyone to know or guess who all was dying off.