Death, danger, imminent peril. Are your favorite characters safe?

We all know that the main characters rarely ever die, and even when they do it isn't necessarily permanent (either it was all a ruse--somehow faked--or they get brought back). I remember reading about early Hollywood movies where one of the principles was that nobody ever died on screen. But, when a movie inevitably made it happen, there was such shock in theatres that women feinted, men rushed out, and it rocked the entire industry. Still, the main characters are the only ones who regularly make it through the whole thing.

That isn't to say there is anything wrong with it. After all, as an audience, if I've spent hours, days, even months, connecting with the characters I sure want to see them stick around. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a story if there weren't protagonists that the story is about. It's natural to let them live. However... that doesn't mean they can't be in imminent peril of death and destruction. I think audiences like the feeling of the characters brushing up against disaster and making it through, while others around them fall to their doom. It's like a roller coaster--you don't expect to die, but it sure feels like it and gets your heart racing.

For a while, no characters were safe. There was a trend where main characters fell even in the early stages of a story, and more still afterwards. But, the shock of it happening quickly dulls and it's not as horrifying as it could be. I think such things should be used sparingly, surgically, to throw a wrench in the audience's mind so they stop guessing ahead and focus on what's actually happening. A good surprise will do that, and let's the author be sneaky in the background.

- M