Character Assassination

Being a writer can be such a power trip.

I mean, I have created worlds. I have peopled said worlds, given them histories and, sometimes, futures. So very few can say to have done this. I often want to quote Henry Frankenstein: “Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!”

Want to. But seldom do.

But do you know what’s better than creation?

Let me let you in on a certain secret. Perhaps you know, perhaps you, too, have done something similar.

There is no great joy than deleting a troublesome character from a story.

Old Man Smithers not doing working the way you want him? Is he sort of sitting there, not pestering those meddlesome kids like you want? Is he not as important to the story as you once thought and you can’t seem to make him work?

Get rid of him. Delete him from your life.

The first time I committed this literary “murder”, I got such a warm glow. Never going to waste another moment mucking about with that guy. He won’t kill my story dead ever again.

I swear to you I giggled.

Never grows old.

But here is the best part, the part you need to keep in mind. Just because we dumped Mr. Smithers from Story X doesn’t mean he can’t pop up in Story Y. In fact, maybe he’ll be just the thing to nudge the hapless camp councilers towards the deserted camp grounds.

Geez. We just moved someone from one world to another, didn’t we? And all without breaking a sweat.

Being a writer is soooooooo cool.