Bell, Books & Thoughts
The Fate of a Character: Stay or go?
"The latter. Let's be clear. Sometimes there are circumstances which determine the fate of characters. In the first book, HAWKE, Alex falls in love. But when I was writing book #2 (ASSASSIN), I knew I needed to introduce a new romantic interest as Fleming always did. I couldn't have Alex dump his love interest or she him as it would make each of them look bad. I pondered. I then called my lovely editor Emily at Simon & Schuster.
Me: "Here's an idea. What if he marries her?"
She: "Don't be ridiculous. He can NEVER get married."
Me: "Right. But what if she doesn't survive the wedding? She dies. She takes a sniper bullet as they emerge from the chapel."
She: "Ted, that's horrible!"
Me: "I know, Emily, but is it good horrible or bad horrible?"
She: "It's GREAT horrible. DO IT!"
And that's how it works.
