There are some things that irritate me a little when I read. And there are some things that bug me a bit. And there are other things that drive me crazy and might mean I rant to someone about them even if I liked the rest of the book. So this year I’m going to rant a bit, perhaps even sarcastically, to you on the 5th Tuesdays. If you don’t want to read ranting or sarcasm, skip this post. You have been warned.

There are few things that irritate me and drive me crazy and make me mad at the book like killing off a main character! Ugh! It’s one thing if it’s a series and the MC is older or has been sick and it’s the last book. Then I could possibly let it go. But if you kill off an MC in the middle or even near the end of a book . . . Ugh! Ugh! UGH!!!! Don’t expect a good review. Don’t expect me to recommend the book, and don’t expect me to ever read the book again! Just no. I don’t care how good the rest of the book is. I don’t care if the other characters learn some important lesson because the MC died. And I don’t care if it’s “real life”! I read books to have happy endings. I read books to enjoy the story not to get mad because an author killed someone I liked.

But what if someone gets killed and they aren’t the MC but a side character?

That will depend on how important the side character is. If he/she is rather like an MC than don’t you dare kill him/her off! If they are just a side character that you haven’t really grown to love and care for, okay, I might let you do that. If it’s someone who is sick and you are expecting them to die anyway and they aren’t almost main characters, I can do that. If it’s bad guys, I can do that.

I can think of 5 books right off the top of my head where a main character, or an almost main character died, and I won’t read that book again. They aren’t even on my bookshelf anymore. And most of those books I analyzed the story, the plot and very quickly figured out how to keep the character from dying and it still be realistic. I don’t do it on purpose, but my brain is fired up from being upset about the unnecessary death, that it just can’t seem to help it. (So if you think you have to keep an MC off or an important side character and would like some other option, you can try talking to me. I have saved the life of one writer’s character and provided some other ideas to make the story better without a death.)

So, if you want me to read your story and like it, don’t kill main characters or important side characters. And if you are recommending a book to me, don’t recommend a book where the MC or an important side character dies. Okay? Just don’t.

What about you? Do you get irritated and upset if an MC dies? Or do you enjoy those kinds of stories? (Ugh, please don’t tell me you love them!) Are you okay with side characters dying?