I have this novel where tragedy has struck. Death. Someone has to die. Not always. Not every kind of book. But it is my rule for fantasy. Someone has to die. When chaos erupts… people die.
So death has happened.
Should I end it at death, that is the question? The novel has built up to this point. I have written from both their POVs. Gotten into their heads. We know them well. Then one of them is struck down in a horrible fashion that devastates the other. We are talking an epic tragedy of circumstances for these two. It couldn’t end well. Well, it could have. But it didn’t. I could end at this point, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about other parties who are rather adrift at this point.
Those other parties are in imminent danger. I could leave it for the second novel, but I rather think I should tie it up in this one. Enter in some more conflict and some resolution for all the characters. But there is the profound grief of the main character now to content with. His soul mate just perished horribly in front of him.
I might have to fuel him with some rage. The target of that rage out of reach but at least he can resolve the problem right at hand.
That death scene was a hard one. I’ll admit to that. I almost had her live. But had she lived, it would have been a long drawn out torment. I make the rules and I have to follow them as I designed them. Can’t break my own rules. Yes, she could have lived, but there would have been consequences. Yes, her death was painful to write let alone the impact on my character but it, in the end, he’ll forgive me. Any fan who reads it when I am done, may not.
The Wyrd 