I have to concede that it’s only fair if you begin to
refer to me as ADL&ADS – a day late and a dollar short. I admit to having
been overwhelmed lately, especially during the month of October. A quick trip
to La La Land, winter coming much too quickly to my part of the world, and then
Halloween was a bit much for me to keep up with. Yeah, I’m that kind of a
light-weight.
At any rate, I had promised myself to post each month for
the IWSG no matter what, so here I am even if a little less than timely. I know
I read what the ‘suggested’ question of the month was, but for the life of me, I
can’t remember. Since its November 1-2 I would like to talk about something
else.
Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos — also known as “Día de
Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead” in English — is a holiday with Mexican origins
that is celebrated on November 1 - 2. While some imagery might be close to that
of Halloween, there are significant differences between the two. Día de los Muertos is a day to
celebrate death — or, more specifically, the deceased — while
on Halloween, death is seen as something to be feared. Día de los Muertos has
both indigenous origins from the Aztec festival for Mictecacihuatl, The Lady of
The Dead, and Catholic origins from the
Spanish conquistadors’ All Saints and All Souls Day.
In my
life celebrating the dead was not unusual although my family has neither
Mexican nor Aztec origins. When I was a young adult I remember my father asked
me if I knew who’s birthday it was on a given day, and then he would proceed to
tell it was my great-grandmothers or some other distant long-dead relative. As
a young adult I thought that was weird, but then a lot of things about my
family and my upbringing in general were kind of weird. Today, as a much older
person I find myself remembering my parents, and other close friends and
relative who have long left this world on their birthdays, death dates, and
other significant times. It seems only natural. Is that weird, or am I merely a
product of my environment.
Something
even weirder is that it seems in almost everything I write someone and often
multiple characters die or are dead. As writers we are told to ‘kill our
darlings’, but I’m pretty sure this is not meant literally. So, my question to
you today is…Is this too weird? Is it a complete downer if the MC dies at the
end of the story, even if that’s they was it was ‘meant to be’? Can you see the
possibility for romance, even if it is a tragic love story? I’m just not sure.
I hope
that I handle it delicately and my deaths are not gratitutious, but I have to
admit I can’t seem to help myself. Not every one of my characters are destined
to die, but many do.
This is
my IWSG Post for the month of November. If you want to know more and read
other, quite possibly more interesting posts please go HERE.
Please
take the time to thank Mr Alex J. Cavanaugh and those who help him continue
this blog hope each month. For this overwhelmed writer it at least, helps me
keep my head and hand in the blogging world.
I recently read a post about killing the main character. If it fits the story, then it needs to happen. I kill a main character in one of my books. Hated it, but it fit.
ReplyDeleteNo worries about being late!
Thanks Alex, any and all encouragement is appreciated.
DeleteDeath gets ignored too often. He is a necessary and sometimes welcome visitor. If your stories call for it, welcome him in.
ReplyDeleteWow, I never think of death as a welcome visitor, either in literature or reality, but I suppose yu’re right.
DeleteYou and I are much alike in the way you've described how things have been for you lately. I've not only be days late and dollars short, but sometimes it's measured in years.
ReplyDeleteI've read lots of stories (or seen them in movies) where a MC dies at the end. If that's what the story is then that's the way it needs to be told.
Thinking on death, my parents maybe sheltered me from experiencing death. The first time I ever saw a dead body was when I was in college and my grandfather died. I seen plenty since and I'll likely be joining all of them sometime between now and maybe a few decades from now if I'm lucky. Then again, maybe that's not so lucky.
I'll just have to wait and see like everybody else does.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Both f my grandmothers died around my fifth birthday. My parents, of course took be to the Wales and funerals of both. Actually, my paternal grandmother died in our house. Death was something, I was taught early on, was a part of life. I did mention that my parents were not your normal run of the mill kind, didn’t I?
DeleteI've killed a few near main characters in my books, if the story calls for it, has to be done.
ReplyDeleteI hope you’re right.
DeleteI don't mind the MC dying if it's known up front. I a wussy baby who cries at the drop of a hat...or in the case the MC. But to flip the tortilla, as they say here in Mexico, I love a book that challenges my sensibilities, so I agree with Arlee so write story the way you need to.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least, I write em the was I see they need to be. If someone is willin to publish my work will be the ultimate test, right/
DeleteDeath. It's really the only certainty in life. Sadly.
ReplyDeleteToo true.
DeleteQuite a few people die in my stories, though I usually steer clear of killing the main character. Sometimes even that person must die, though.
ReplyDeleteAll for your sake of the story, right?
DeleteWhen it comes to the question of killing off characters -- even main characters -- in one's writing, my philosophy is:
ReplyDeleteKill 'em all
and let God sort 'em out.
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
In the end God will sort us all out no matter what, right?
DeleteI'm more than okay with main characters dying, as long as it furthers the plot. If it's just done for shock value, then I think that's kind of a lazy copout. See some of George R.R. Martin's murder scenes for an example.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. I think Martin has done both. I see the need for death is his murderous ntentions in many cases, but on the other hand some of them seem to be ‘cheap shots’ at sensationalism and shock and awe.
DeleteYou know, it all depends on how it's handled, but I'm not a huge fan of the MC dying at the end. A close secondary character? That's palpable, but the MC? Again, it's subjective. There are a few stories where it was okay in my opinion. There are a few where self-sacrifice is the ultimate expression of love, and therefore validated. Even so...
ReplyDeleteI get upset with an MC dies at the end, but often times, it makes sense. Eventually, I make peace with that. But if an author kills off an MC just to evoke an emotional jolt from a reader, I'm pissed.
ReplyDelete