So who killed DEATH?

[gordo12]

Characters die. My previous story got feedback that readers didn't like that.

My new story has someone dying soooo I was going to warn them upfront. When I added a tag for DEATH I got a banned word message.

No problem I'll just include it in the tags I put in the beginning of the story.

Laurel edited it out.

I respect that they can do things like that, I just don't understand the reason

 

[NotWise]

I respect that they can do things like that, I just don't understand the reason

It's probably because of the site's ban on snuff. They don't want it (though enforcement is inconsistent) and they don't want to give the impression that it's here.

 

[ttvttp]

Maybe use a different tag like passing or something milder than death. Is the character dying because of violence or because of illness?

 

[KeithD]

Yes, there has been a change over time in how characters can die in a Lit. story--or even if they can. And, yes, "death" is one of those unacceptable key words. A bit knee-jerk restrictive, as a perfectly acceptable Lit. story can emerge from a natural death, with the death being central to the plot, but there you go.

 

[thewinedarksea]

Just put a note like this in the story preamble: "This story features the passing of a character in a way that is not directly related to the story's erotic content."

 

[SimonDoom]

Characters die. My previous story got feedback that readers didn't like that.

My new story has someone dying soooo I was going to warn them upfront. When I added a tag for DEATH I got a banned word message.

No problem I'll just include it in the tags I put in the beginning of the story.

Laurel edited it out.

I respect that they can do things like that, I just don't understand the reason

This would work if the site allowed you to use tags in a negative sense -- in other words, allowing people to search for stories that do NOT contain certain key terms. But it doesn't do that. So the people looking for "death" as a tag are people who want death in the story. Those people probably are looking for snuff.

Winedarksea has the right idea. Skip tags and have a short disclaimer before the story that lets people know there is death but not in a snuff way.

 

[KeithD]

Just put a note like this in the story preamble: "This story features the passing of a character in a way that is not directly related to the story's erotic content."

And automatically kill any reader suspense in your story. I think notes like this flatten the story before the reader can even start reading it.

 

[KeithD]

This would work if the site allowed you to use tags in a negative sense -- in other words, allowing people to search for stories that do NOT contain certain key terms. But it doesn't do that. So the people looking for "death" as a tag are people who want death in the story. Those people probably are looking for snuff.

But no, that can't be assumed. Stories start with dilemma. The death of a lover is a great, standard story starter. It's not snuff at all.

So, because of sweeping generalizations, an author has to use "grief" as a key word for these stories. Doable, it just makes the process sophomoric.

 

[TxRad]

I may have done it. A gravitational blast into nuclear reactor. Killed everyone in a three hundred mile radius, including all my characters.

Some idiot still asked for a sequel.

 

[Emirus]

Give an explanation

In one of my stories the villain dies at the end in a very nasty way. Executed by the main character. I had no tags etc that referred to the demise.

When you skim through as many stories as Laurel does logically it has to be that she looks at the beginning, the end, and bits in between and it was originally rejected.

I resubmitted it and, in the notes, pointed out that his murder was not gratuitous but essential to the story, and without him dying the story was pointless. She accepted this explanation and the story was published.

 

[thewinedarksea]

And automatically kill any reader suspense in your story. I think notes like this flatten the story before the reader can even start reading it.

I don't think so Keith. The fact that you know ahead of time that a story may feature a death of an as-yet unidentified character describes about 50% of all fiction experiences. I can't remember the last time I went to a movie without expecting someone to die at some point. Tags don't flatten stories, and that's what this effectively is. In a scenario when an author feels, for whatever reason, that they want to head off negative reactions to their story, based on comments they have already received, this is an unobtrusive and effective way to give readers a heads-up and let them make a decision.

 

[gordo12]

Yes, there has been a change over time in how characters can die in a Lit. story--or even if they can. And, yes, "death" is one of those unacceptable key words. A bit knee-jerk restrictive, as a perfectly acceptable Lit. story can emerge from a natural death, with the death being central to the plot, but there you go.

It was a natural death due to illness but it was central to the story. I wondered about the snuff.

Yet going into the story search the word death brings out 56,000+ stories. It includes the word in the title, description, or the story. Seems to me like locking the barn after the horse is gone.

 

[gordo12]

Some idiot still asked for a sequel.

Damn near spewed water on my computer reading that

 

[ElectricBlue]

I may have done it. A gravitational blast into nuclear reactor. Killed everyone in a three hundred mile radius, including all my characters.

Some idiot still asked for a sequel.

Atomic zombies. What's the problem?

I agree with KeithD though; namby pamby reader protection? Who needs that, they're meant to be grown ups. Maybe there's an opportunity for insurance .

 

[gordo12]

I don't think so Keith. The fact that you know ahead of time that a story may feature a death of an as-yet unidentified character describes about 50% of all fiction experiences. I can't remember the last time I went to a movie without expecting someone to die at some point. Tags don't flatten stories, and that's what this effectively is. In a scenario when an author feels, for whatever reason, that they want to head off negative reactions to their story, based on comments they have already received, this is an unobtrusive and effective way to give readers a heads-up and let them make a decision.

There is a lot of argument about putting the tags in front or leaving them at the end. Both sides have good points. The story is in LW which has a rather volatile audience so in that case I wanted to go up front. Other stories maybe not so much.

 

[Handley_Page]

I may have done it. A gravitational blast into nuclear reactor. Killed everyone in a three hundred mile radius, including all my characters.

Some idiot still asked for a sequel.

Wonderful. A 'Gods Eye' view perhaps ?

But I wonder about a case like the Discworld of Terry Pratchett.
'Death' is a very real character (he has a servant called Albert and a grand-daughter, Susan, and a huge white horse called 'Binky'.)

 

[KeithD]

I don't think so Keith. The fact that you know ahead of time that a story may feature a death of an as-yet unidentified character describes about 50% of all fiction experiences. I can't remember the last time I went to a movie without expecting someone to die at some point. Tags don't flatten stories, and that's what this effectively is. In a scenario when an author feels, for whatever reason, that they want to head off negative reactions to their story, based on comments they have already received, this is an unobtrusive and effective way to give readers a heads-up and let them make a decision.

I guess I just don't agree, and I don't write for readers who need to be babysat.

 

[jaF0]

Like kids and gratuitous violence, there's no place for it here. This is supposed to be fun, almost lighthearted. Unless you were doing something like Beetlejuice, High Spirits, Death Becomes Her or maybe one of the dramatic versions like Ghost or Always .....

 

[AfterDusk]

And automatically kill any reader suspense in your story. I think notes like this flatten the story before the reader can even start reading it.

I agree with KeithD here but I write more for plot than a quick wank. And perhaps why my Valentine’s Day contest entry took a hit.

On a side note, I also attempted to tag Death but that is because in one of my stories, Death is an actual entity. No big deal I suppose, I generally don’t include many tags to begin with.

However, now I have a curious idea to write a story about the grim reaper going to collect souls but allowing them to fuck their way out of death as a payment. Hmm.

 

[RetroFan]

Like most things death is fine as long as it is non sexual. For example, if an author wrote an adventure/survival story in the Australian Northern Territory and one of the characters was killed and eaten by a crocodile, it would probably be fine as this death is non-sexual. If he was abducted, killed and eaten by a gay cannibal serial killer roaming the Australian outback, this wouldn't be fine as there is a sexual reason for the death.

 

[Hypoxia]

I kill them off as needed, non-sexually. None have resurrected yet. Whew.

 

[yukonnights]

I've got at least two that have deaths in them...it's hard to write an action scene in a western without them...one must also adhere to the cliche' rules. So many rules to telling a little story, who would have thought it? However, none of those hombres were doing the nasty dance when they met their demise

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I may have done it. A gravitational blast into nuclear reactor. Killed everyone in a three hundred mile radius, including all my characters.

Some idiot still asked for a sequel.

That must be the same guy that after I killed off all the characters asked when the second chapter would be posted. Dumbass.

I have a story up where the husband kills his wife and her two lovers. It's called Reality. One read asked how I could just kill three people like that. I almost replied to them... "I didn't, the husband did." All the BTB group loved it. The others not so much.

 

[gordo12]

I just read a Shack story where about 20 bad guys got killed off.

I think overall it's a matter of the natural course of the story vs sexual gratification.

Like kids and gratuitous violence, there's no place for it here. This is supposed to be fun, almost lighthearted

@jaFO I have to disagree with you. Stories go where the plot takes you. Writers can either follow those trails or serve up Pablum.

Pablum is available at the grocery store. Nothing on this site says it has to be light and fun.

 

[Blind_Justice]

However, now I have a curious idea to write a story about the grim reaper going to collect souls but allowing them to fuck their way out of death as a payment. Hmm.

I'd totally read that.