"I'll name him Zippy...or Chompy."

 There is sometimes a problem with being both a reader and an Author. (A problem you should all be grateful for I suppose.) A problem I sometimes only get through by watching funny TV shows and eating pancakes. (Which is how I passed my Saturday.)

 Wherein Jack talks about dead characters.

 We all understand this subject, do we not? We all have likely encountered it. In books, movies, TV shows. Even funny TV shows, someone we like dies. (Example, Psych. Mary. Those who have seen it likely get this one. Those who haven't, ponder for a moment. I'm sure you've seen or read something funny which has you giggling one moment and shouting NOOOOOOOO Luke Skywalker style the next.)

 The simple truth is, Authors like to make us do the whole Luke thing from time to time. They like to make us grow to really like a certain character, then they like to make us watch said character die just so they can sit back and snicker at our misery. It is an Author thing.

 And, being an Author myself, it is something I am guilty of doing. Yet, at the same time, I am also a reader. I know how sad it is to become fond of someone only to have him die on you. I've had it happen to me often in fact. (I watch BBC. Aye, now you get it.)

 So, while the Author in me wants to turn you all in Lukes, the reader in me wants to shout NOOOOOOOO right along with you and throw something - sometimes at myself, which is weird.

 When I first started writing no one ever died. I didn't think I'd ever run into the problem of having my characters killed, because I couldn't kill any of them. Then I started writing a war book - and my characters informed me that in war books characters die. And I laughed at them.
 I refused to kill any of them. I was too fond of them. And I refused to kill the one who told me he was going to die. It wasn't going to happen. Ever. (Aye, you all know how well that one went.)

 In short, I kill characters. Characters I am very fond of. And someday I might explain the reason behind them dying.
 But I think it should be noted here, I do not kill characters to turn all of you into Luke. I kill them because they insist it works in the plot.

 And all of that was simply to say this. My Psych marathon, spree (I've heard it both ways), over the last week, in which I pretty much finished all six seasons came about because I had to kill someone I was VERY fond of. And it was either watch Shawn and Gus solve mysteries and quote movie lines, or sulk. Somehow I've managed to do both.

 Now I leave you, so you can all sit back and worry who died. May the force be with you, Luke Skywalker.

 Quote from Psych, when Shawn is trying to name the dinosaur skull he discovered.

 Allons-y!

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Published on February 18, 2013 22:00
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