I just made this thread to see if anyone else has done this in their own stories as oppose to seeing it in someone else’s
I am doing this, because I didn’t want to but I actually feel I have to on a personal level.
I have a sympathy character whose only role is meant create sympathy from the readers when the character dies or something else tragic.
It is fairly common seeing that in various fictions of other people.
I just wanted to know if you on WW has ever done that.
Personally, I have not done this, like ever, so it is interesting experimenting with such a character like that.
I don’t think I’ve ever created such a character, but I can see the use of it. I’d give that character some other purpose as well if it were me writing it – maybe make them responsible for the inciting incident or otherwise indispensable to the plot so the reader doesn’t catch on that this character was only created to be thrown under a bus. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯
Oh don’t create a character for readers to feel sorry about for one second and kill them off the next to try to make them feel even more sorry Idk if that’s what you’re doing, but that won’t make the readers feel sorry for the character. Readers don’t know the character enough to feel sorry for them. You have to build up to it. They should have a proper role in the plot of the story and they should probably have a relationship with the MC for readers to care at all.
However, you could do this: kill them off early on, but have the MC be triggered by certain things or events that makes them remember the one that was killed. Readers start to feel something about the dead character because they were that important to the MC.
In A Man Called Ove, it’s not a spoiler to say his wife is dead and although you might feel sorry for Ove, you don’t know what to feel about the wife (I know, I know it’s common sense to feel sad for someone for their loss, but you don’t feel sad for the wife because they’re not a sympathy character yet). It’s the flashbacks that make you realize how important this person was for the MC and this remembering could also be a part of the plot and the healing process for MC.
Well, yeah. But not that highly praised of a practice if it’s obvious the author was trying to make you feel sorry for a character that you don’t care about. Reminds me of a scene in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (idk if you’ve seen them), but there’s a scene in the beginning where a little boy is executed as a pirate. There’s nothing about him mentioned ever again. He was just there to make people go “Oh my gosh, they are so evil they will kill a child. Poor child!”
I think you get into a bit of a sticky situation once you start creating characters and giving them roles only to affect readers. That makes them sound like props and not characters important to the story. The things you put in the story should matter to the story.
Okay, I’m not an expert, but those are my thoughts based on experiences.
My experiences
In my blue feline story, it’s not spoiler to say that MC Pinti’s sweet little sister Tendri dies in the beginning. I admit, I created her at first to be a sympathy character. She’s so kind and sweet, when she dies it’s super impactful, I thought. But my editor called me out on it.
Since, I have changed it so that Tendri also has a role in the plot. The role is not to be sweet and cute to pull on heartstrings anymore.
It’s a default thing. If the story requires death within the first 3rd the book, it generally defaults to this trope.
If it’s something that you want to avoid or at least twist new directions, you go with the dying person trying to force the MC to take on a task they don’t want and you STICK to the MC refusing to do that task for the entire book.
It can be something noble: “train my brother to be at your side in this fight, let him replace me.” Just generally refuse to have any more of this family’s deaths on your head.
Or it could be something evil: “Take care of the orphanage I started.” Disperses the kids into other orphanages (which are rumored to be worse) and close it’s doors for the last time. Yay now the character is morally gray!
They’re pretty useful, but not just for killing them off (imo). Perhaps you want a more nuanced view of something, so you create a sympathetic character to provide that. Perhaps there’s a sympathetic character around to make the hero look better, or to introduce them in a heroic way.
Best advice I’ve heard in this regard is to simply use this well. If you wish to use a sympathy character, check your intentions and assess if they’re needed in the story. Are you attempting to send a message with their death–beyond soley emotionally impacting the audience? Because emotional impact is good, but unless it provides something essential to the story (driving a character/plot arc), then it’s a bit needless.
Just because you won’t show it to anyone, doesn’t mean you don’t try to do the best you can for your characters
That being said, keep in mind, anything I say at least, is a suggestion and I’m not some person of authority telling you what to do (or else something bad would happen or anything like that). You can choose not to take any of the advice in the end and decide to do what you wanna do, or write what you wanna write because, as you said, you’re not showing it to anyone.
For the sake of the thread through, maybe entertain the suggestions/opinions/advice and have a little discussion since you did ask out of curiosity?
And I’m pretty sure everyone else understands your intentions
Idk if that’s what you’re doing, but that won’t make the readers feel sorry for the character. Readers don’t know the character enough to feel sorry for them. You have to build up to it. They should have a proper role in the plot of the story and they should probably have a relationship with the MC for readers to care at all.
