The death of a character is not something to take lightly. It is not something to be used as a mere ploy but as a path to bring emotions out in the reader or audience. Characters should not simply die to die. Though in reality that does happen, death is everywhere. But the point of a character death in a story should not be as easy as hammering a nail into a coffin.
If anything it should be a crooked nail that is rustic and makes you think twice about the work you are doing. Is it worth using that crooked nail? The one passed down to you, that once lay in your grandfather's toolbox. That was bent and shaped by time and the leaking rainwater from the hole in the roof that your grandfather never got around to fixing?
See what I did there? I made it personal. Why? Why would you not form a link between something personal. Ah, see. Personal is the key word.
A connection to a character needs to be personal, not translucent. The reader should not look straight through a character and merely keep reading. If the writer puts enough care into their craft then the audience should truly feel something.
It's like eating a good meal compared to the usual takeout. When you take the time to prepare dinner you put a lot of effort into it when it concerns family and friends, or that special somebody. The flavors have to be just right and the aftertaste needs to be marvelous. It needs to be something, a time to remember. Whereas with takeout the only effort you need to put into it is shoving the food down your gullet.
My point being characters are people. People that are brought to life and then laid to rest at the proper time. Never force a death, it needs to seem natural. If it's a murder scene then it must seem melancholy and it needs to be a perverse act that later gives rise to prejudice. Death is final. The curtain closes and that is the end of the story for that character.
The next time you write anything to do with a character death consider the following things amongst your own thoughts:
1. Should this character die?
2. Why are they dying here and why now?
3. What purpose does killing this character provide?
4. How does it affect the other characters?
5. Does it fit into the story?
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