Characters…

Last week I discussed point of view (POV) vs. person. Both involved characters and how we treat them in our stories.

Readers often identify with characters. In my fiction, I kill a few off. Invariably, someone comments or writes, “Oh no, not X! He’s such a great character.” Readers can become attached to characters, but writers have to treat them a bit more objectively—what happens to them must fit the plot and move it forward, and fit the themes winding in and around the plot.

Some authors d...