I can't say goodbye to my characters

[Mastered_again]

I have a 16 chapter series up. Back in September, I thought it was nearly complete and that I'd write a short epilogue to wrap it up. Half way through, that just didn't seem right. I'd grown too attached to the MFC and MMC. They deserved better than a happily ever after trope.
Seven months later, I have four more chapters written with many more to go. Thing is, I won't publish anything until it's complete. I'm not so worried about the long delay between installments appearing on Lit. It is what it is.

Have any of you had a similar dilemma with your main characters?

 

[MelissaBaby]

Mary and Alvin

Started as a project that I figured might go about 20-25 chapters. It went 36 and came to a very definite conclusion.

Then I wrote another chapter.

Sometimes I think about bringing them back. I actually outlined a spinoff with one of the secondary characters, but haven't gone any further with it. It's been almost five years since I published the last chapter, and there's still a little part of me that hasn't let go, and probably never will.

 

[Mastered_again]

Mary and Alvin

Started as a project that I figured might go about 20-25 chapters. It went 36 and came to a very definite conclusion.

Then I wrote another chapter.

Sometimes I think about bringing them back. I actually outlined a spinoff with one of the secondary characters, but haven't gone any further with it. It's been almost five years since I published the last chapter, and there's still a little part of me that hasn't let go, and probably never will.

Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[GrantBricksly]

Absolutely! I love my characters. They are a part of me. Most of my MMCs and MFCs are based either entirely or tangentially on me and my wife...so it would be very difficult for me to kill them off or anything like that. But that DOES make it easier to "say goodbye" and start a new story with new characters... because the new characters, are still based on me and my wife...so that helps.

 

[Mastered_again]

Absolutely! I love my characters. They are a part of me. Most of my MMCs and MFCs are based either entirely or tangentially on me and my wife...so it would be very difficult for me to kill them off or anything like that. But that DOES make it easier to "say goodbye" and start a new story with new characters... because the new characters, are still based on me and my wife...so that helps.

I totally get that. My source of inspiration too.
In the story, they're not even 30. I'm pushing 70, so lots of ink left in the well.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Have any of you had a similar dilemma with your main characters?

Three parter with Aunt Nancy involving 4 people.

Three passed and went to claim the fourth as she passed. Well, their sprits did and escorted the sprit of the fourth to the cemetery.


In the back of my head is an after life version of them and what they do as dead folk. Sort of a 'BeetleJuice' meets 'Topper' kind of thing with a bit of 'Death Becomes Her'.

 

[NotWise]

Have any of you had a similar dilemma with your main characters?

I have, but mostly with stories I wrote before coming to Lit. I may never let go of Ellis and Elsie. I'd love to write another story--maybe a Pink Orchid story--with an Elsie-like character.

You might consider writing, or at least conceptualizing, the end of your story and writing to that end. You can still be in love with your characters when you get to the end, but the story will be done.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Oh, for sure. Some characters disappear as soon as I publish the story, others hang around in the back of my mind waiting for the opportunity to have some fun.

The trick is knowing when their story is over, and anything else is just the Lit equivalent of the two tv sitcom characters getting married and having kids.

 

[Mastered_again]

I have, but mostly with stories I wrote before coming to Lit. I may never let go of Ellis and Elsie. I'd love to write another story--maybe a Pink Orchid story--with an Elsie-like character.

You might consider writing, or at least conceptualizing, the end of your story and writing to that end. You can still be in love with your characters when you get to the end, but the story will be done.

I now know where it ends, and I am going to write it to the end before releasing any of it. That will be a long journey.
And you're right, I'll always be in love with them.

 

[Mastered_again]

Oh, for sure. Some characters disappear as soon as I publish the story, others hang around in the back of my mind waiting for the opportunity to have some fun.

The trick is knowing when their story is over, and anything else is just the Lit equivalent of the two tv MCs getting married and having kids.

For the moment, they're bombarding me with snippets of their journey.
Spoiler alert : they will be having kids.

 

[Mastered_again]

Three parter with Aunt Nancy involving 4 people.

Three passed and went to claim the fourth as she passed. Well, their sprits did and escorted the sprit of the fourth to the cemetery.


In the back of my head is an after life version of them and what they do as dead folk. Sort of a 'BeetleJuice' meets 'Topper' kind of thing with a bit of 'Death Becomes Her'.

Back from the dead to 'educate' the occupants of the house they're haunting?

 

[MrPixel]

A couple of years ago I had it in my mind to kill-off a FC, and had the setup in the story and everything. She was even lying in the hospital bed and it could have gone either way. She was a tough gal to begin with, but exposed her soul, fears, and feelings to the MMC before departing to the situation that put her life at risk.

He pulled out all the stops for her, and his intervention in her not realizing how close she was saved her life. I still get a little choked-up recalling the scenes.

 

[AchtungNight]

I specifically wrote “Passion: Sailing with the Hudsons” with plans to kill off Zeck at the end. Still hated to do it- he was a great character and had an interesting dynamic with two of the FMCs. But it was a tragedy- he had to die.

It also felt bad to kill off Tanya in “Debrief” even though when I lined up the characters in my mind and decided who should be killed, she made sense as the most prominent casualty. I later wrote more of her in an AO3 exclusive story called “Parting Gift.”

 

[Writer61]

Have any of you had a similar dilemma with your main characters?

Yes indeed.

Laura, the FMC in my first series ('The Fall of Laura') started as a secondary chanracter in a single standalone story that I have not published yet. Thinking about her backstory led me to 20k words and then an outline for a follow-on.

Similarly 'my series 'Adam in Public' is the backstory of the MMC in 'Adam in Asia'. Plus I have the outline of two further series featuring him as he gets older.

I also have quite a few secondary characters that reappear across series.

Plus the AiP story I am working on at the moment has an FMC that is too good to lose. I just have to work out how to keep her.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I'm just going to drop this link here:

https://theonion.com/author-too-much-of-a-pussy-to-kill-off-characters-1819568693/