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June 06, 2004

characters go away

filed under Farscape

I have said here in various places (and no doubt you've heard this from other writers and teachers of writing) that a serious storyteller can't afford to mollycoddle characters. Sometimes, of course, a writer or a director will really push the envelop on this. Think (if you can make yourself) of Andy Sipowitz on the once wonderful NYPD Blue, who has had spouses, best friends and children die by violence, cancer, and mishap; he's had cancer; he's fallen off the wagon a multitude of times. Who can bear to watch? Think of John Crichton (much more rewarding) of Farscape, who really has had some rough times, enough that a worried group of his devoted watchers began a Society for Prevention of Cruelty to John Crichton. Apparently Ben Browder, who plays John Crichton, wears that t-shirt now and then.

In comparison, I don't think I've been all that bad to my characters. In the normal course of things they've had some rough times. They aren't immune to disease, warfare, broken hearts. I'm going somewhere with this, maybe you've guessed.

It occurs to me that readers might be surprised about (1) who has gone away for good in the interim between Lake in the Clouds and Fire Along the Sky and (2) who goes away, for good, by the end of Fire Along the Sky. By my quick count there are six major and quite a few minor characters who make their departure. I'm hoping readers won't be too upset. Just to forestall a flurry of worried emails: neither Nathaniel nor Elizabeth die or are injured in any serious way.

June 6, 2004 08:25 AM

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Comments

i'm so glad you clarified at the end that neither elizabeth or nathaniel die. i was a tiny bit terrified for a second there.

Posted by: Dani Warga at June 6, 2004 06:14 PM

Melanie Rawn comes to mind as an example of a ruthless author. Minor characters die by the truckload, major characters in steady, heartbreaking progression... even THE major characters are not immune. In one series, so many people are killed off that the last book opens with a list of who's dead. It's several pages long.

She's still one of my favorite authors. She started with a cast of thousands, and that particular series was about a war, so it would have been ridiculous if every loved one had lived. If the story demands death, I'm OK with it. I just don't want it to come cheaply.

Posted by: Stephanie at June 7, 2004 08:52 AM

DiTTO on the above comments... i LOVe ReALiTy... but there are LiMiTs! *WG*

NOW, i am DYiNG for AUGUST to get here! LOL! (keep in mind that i am a vera patient person at that...)

Posted by: joanna at June 17, 2004 02:23 PM

DiTTO on the above comments... i LOVe ReALiTy... but there are LiMiTs! *WG*

NOW, i am DYiNG for AUGUST to get here! LOL! (keep in mind that i am a vera patient person at that...)

Posted by: joanna at June 17, 2004 02:29 PM

DiTTO on the above comments... i LOVe ReALiTy... but there are LiMiTs! *WG*

NOW, i am DYiNG for AUGUST to get here! LOL! (keep in mind that i am a vera patient person at that...)

Posted by: joanna at June 17, 2004 02:29 PM