My creative writing mentor told me to kill my favorite character in chapter 3

She said it would raise stakes and make readers care more. I did it, and three beta readers messaged me crying about how they threw the manuscript across the room. Has anyone else followed brutal advice that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily8922d ago

But here's the thing - did it actually make the story better, or did it just make your readers emotional for a few pages and then the story moved on?

lunah8622d ago

Honestly, that's just life on hard mode - the things that hurt the most to do usually hit everyone else the same way. Tbh, it's like ripping off a bandaid fast instead of peeling it slow, you get the pain over with but the result is way cleaner. Ngl, taking advice that feels terrible in the moment often pays off because it forces you to stop playing it safe.