"Character Death" warnings and why I don't like them

[emmagrant01]

maeglinyedi recently posted one of her pet peeves about what people warn for in fic, and it got me thinking about what mine are.

And hands down, no questions, the biggest one is people warning for character death.  There are several reasons I don't like this warning, listed in order of importance.

1. It is a SPOILER for the story!  If you tell me someone is going to die, then you've already given away the ending.  It descreases my enjoyment of the story significantly, because I spend the whole time reading wondering who it's going to be.  (This was true for me when I read OOTP too.)  In other cases, it ruins the story to the extent that there's no point in reading it.

To highlight the spoiler issue, let me use a film as an analogy: at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, we see an old man visiting a cemetary, which fades into a shot of Tom Hanks about to storm the beaches of Normandy.  So we're set up to believe that the old man we saw before was Tom Hanks, and we spend the movie wondering if he's going to find Private Ryan or not.  So when the Hanks character dies, it's a surprise, and it's one of the most powerful moments in the film.  It makes the ending, where Ryan is kneeling at a grave and praying that this sacrifice was worth it, work.  If you went into that film knowing that the Hanks character was going to die, it would be a different, less emotionally powerful experience.  Or worse, if you just knew that someone was going to die, it would be distracting; you wouldn't get the same enjoyment out of the film.

Authors put death in fics, films, and books because it's part of life.  Moreover, it generally sneaks up on people: they're happily going along, and then someone dies and their world is shaken.  There is often not a warning.  I don't want a warning.  I want to be just as surprised as the characters were.

2. I think that authors warn for such things because they have been or are afraid of being flamed if they don't.  Now think for a moment about what that means -- a small group of readers are demanding that a writer tell them in advance what they might not potentially like about her fic.  Does that make any sense at all?  First of all, why would anyone want to tell people they might not like their fic, in advance?  But second, doesn't that sound a bit too much like conservative groups demanding that networks and film studios more carefully censor material that may be considered offensive?

Readers need to take some personal responsibility.  If you read a well-written fic that contained some content that disturbed you, that's your problem, not the author's!  It's not the author's job to hold your hand and reassure you that the fic will turn out exactly the way you want it to.  If you want a different ending, write your own fic.

3.  There is no other form of media that is required to warn for character death in advance.  If I go to Book People and pick up a few novels, I'm not going to see a warning on the jacket for character death.  In fact, there would probably be a public uproar if there were such warnings, from authors and readers alike.  Film trailers don't contain warnings for character death, either, for exactly the same reason.  Why should they spoil the story for their viewers? 

I understand that some people don't like to read stories with unhappy endings, but it isn't my responsibility as a writer to list off every possible thing you might not like about my story.  I write the story I want to write, and I post it.  People  will read it or not, for a variety of reasons, and I have no control over that.  But in particular, I can't predict how a reader will react to my story.

So what do you think? 

ETA: Oh, and if you haven't seen Saving Private Ryan in the six years since it came out, I have indeed spoiled it for you. Just for future reference, how many years have to pass before it's okay to talk about how a movie ended?

PS: Oh, and Darth Vader is Luke's father! Damn, I did it again. Silly me. :-P

Comments

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

I'm conflicted about this whole issue. I definitely agree that a character death warning can spoil a story for people. However, I don't always want to read character death stories. I have to be in a certain mood to be able to handle them. So personally, I'm quite fond of that warning, because I'd rather be spoiled than have to invest myself emotionally into a story and then have it crush me in the end with an unexpected death. If that makes sense.

I've seen authors who've found a pretty good solution to this whole issue. They put their warnings at the end of the fic as an A/N, and then say in the header: if you want to see any warnings, scroll down to the end. That way the people who like warnings can see them, and those who prefer not to get spoiled can read the fic happily as well. I think that's a nice middle-road solution for this whole issue. Though not a lot of authors seem to use it at this point, alas.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I think there are definitely ways that authors can provide enough information for readers to make choices about what they want to read without having to give away the plot of their fic.

I don't like to be spoiled for a major plot twist by the author of the fic. I don't want to know "who done it", let alone that someone is going to die. I trust that a good author will do it in a way that brings meaning to her fic, and that it's an important part of her story. I'd rather have the experience of reading the fic and figuring that out for myself. People who insist writers warn up front are ruining the story for me, you know? :-P Why should their needs supercede mine? I can't un-read a spoiler in the headings, after all.

[maeglinyedi.livejournal.com]

Why should their needs supercede mine? I can't un-read a spoiler in the headings, after all.

Perhaps because they rant their little heads off whenever they read something that's not their cup of tea? And flame the author to boot?

Seriously, it's rants and wanks about story content that has most authors (me included) warn for every possibly upsetting thing in their story. Just look at the recent chan wank. (And that drabble did have a warning...the person ranting just didn't know what chan meant)

*sighs*

I do understand your point of view. I think it's complicated...to choose between spoiling, and between not spoiling your readers and possibly creating rants and wanks in the process.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right that this is about squeaky wheels, and that's too bad. Fandom cultures vary, but there seems to be a huge sense of entitlement on the part of readers in this one. Sometimes I want to stand up and shoult, "I work full time and I spent every moment of my free time working on this fic for no reward, you ungrateful ass! Go write your own damn fic if you don't like it." *snerk* I wonder what the response would be. Probably not good.

So yes, it's complicated. Everyone is very invested in these characters and we all have strong feelings about how things should and shouldn't happen. And none of us own it, so all we can do is argue about it. :-P

I got flamed for a 7th year fic once, and the person essentially called me a child molester and suggested I get help. Despite the fact that the characters were of legal age and engaging in typical teenage sexual experimentation. And despite labels like "slash" and "rimming". *sigh*