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How to write an emotional death scene in a book?
Okay, Y! Answers, you people have been so helpful with helping me with my book, so I'm here to ask another question. Here's the scenario.
My lead character just found out her best friend died of illness (main character was trying to get the medicine to save her, but ended up being too late.) my mc (main character) was still away when she got the news. Please help me with the reaction.
So far i have it where she collapses in shock, of course is crying, but this reaction doesn't seem to really hug the heart strings. i mean, you feel bad for her, but i don't want my readers to feel pity for her. I want them to feel genuine sadness for the death of the best friend.
This is the second book in the series, and the readers have had a chance to really get to know her in the first, and even get sort of attached to her, but this reaction from her dying seems a little weak too me. Can you all help?
Thank you all in advance!
ALSO, i don't know if I should end up making it a false alarm or actually leave the character dead. Like after the reaction a few days later, mc finds out that miraculously her friend healed (i know far-fetched), but i know it would make some readers happy.
OR, should i leave the best friend dead? (idk if this helps, but in the last book, the mc's witnesses her mother's murder, and this second book occurs four months after that.)
Once again, thank you in advance! :)
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Okay, One In a 7 Billion, I like what you said there, but at first I wasn't quite sure how to make the death seem unexpected if she was terribly ill, but then i thought, maybe i could make everyone think she was getting much better, but then BOOM, she dies. idk, yet, but thank you for your answer! :)
Uh, HollyBlue2... I don't know about that one. sounds a bit cliche, doesn't it? Plus I don't think that would really make people feel the emotions of the scene... But thanks for your comment anyway :)
Michael, I like what you said about the little reminders of the friend. I will definately do that. And as for the twist at the end, i leaning more towards just going on and letting her die. I think it would definately make the main character a little stronger for later on down the road. But of course, i may lean the other way once i get to that part.
As for the crying alone. that's also very good. the only person that was in the room with her now was her boyfriend (another very close friend of the deceased), so i guess it would be a little more personal to mourn alone. Thanks for your comment, and I will check out your books ;)
3 Answers
- 9 years agoFavorite Answer
I'm not really sure, I've never written one before but,
I think you should first make the readers attached to the characters and make the death scene very unexpected. Because when I read a book and the death is very sure, and it takes a long time for them to die or something, I can't really feel that much sad for the characters. One book I cried so much, because I had no idea that the character was going to die, I thought he would live because he was the main character but it took a really unexpected turn, and when I was still confused about whether or not if he's really going to die, he died so quickly, it was really sad.
I'm not really sure about how to write it but make sure the readers are attached to the characters, and make it look as if the character's going to make it alive, make the readers confused, and quickly kill (I can't find the right words) them to shock the readers. That will make them wonder if the character had really died and feel sad, and even want to go through the later page to see if he really died.
I hope this helped. :)
- 5 years ago
I consider her high-quality pal will have to see the accident. It will be tough to preserve a useless man or woman because the primary personality. The reader would not have a intent to cheer or care about any one that is already useless. Her friends will must become the fundamental characters. The sympathy then is for the associates, no longer her. What about a easy car accident? Her friend can be the passenger or even the motive force.
- 9 years ago
Perhaps the reaction of friends/family is slow... like it doen't phase them at first then it hits them after a day or two when they come to terms with the fact that she(?) is dead...
Add in a dose of pathetic fallacy (weather to match the mood) i.e. in this case rain, thunder, lightening...
