It's all about the Dead Bodies

[j_cheney]

Someone over at the Codex forum posted a question "How many people have you killed in fiction?" (A paraphrase, actually)

I had to laugh about that, as I've used the motto "It's all about the Dead Bodies" before, and even considered using that to title my blog.

Of course, some people, like wistling, have killed off entire planets, so they're overacheivers. I, however, do seem to have a tendency to rack up a body count.


So I looked back at what I've sold and came up with a strange listing:
The Stains of the Past (TSR) Well, I did burn down a metropolitan city. And I do have that lovely climactic scene that takes place in the back of the church where the protag is trying to identify corpses.

Touching the Dead (JBU) Need I say more?

A Hand for Each (Shimmer) I did kill off the entire complement of a sailing ship here...

Masks of War (Fantasy) Took out a handful of soldiers...

The Dragon's Child (BCS) Ditto, plus one wizard.

Taking a Mile (WOTF) Yes, I killed one of the main characters.

The Bear Girl (Wolfsongs) Two of the characters die.

Forthcoming:
Afterimage (JBU) This starts with a detective standing over a dead body--starts that way--so it's not spoilery to admit it.

Early Winter, Near Jenli Village (Fantasy) I'm not going to say anything about this one.

Iron Shoes (Alembical) Ditto, but trust me.

In all honesty, I did have one flash published wherein no one dies. But my unpublished stories (save one) seem to have a similar body count. Unpublished novels---they've got it, too. The WIP? Yep, I can think of two off hand, and one nastily violent attack (scalpel to face stuff, sorry)

And I do have a story out with no deaths in it, but one scene takes place in a graveyard (modelled on the Necropolis in Glasgow, of course). Does that count?

Why does this happen? Because death is a part of the world we live in? ::shrugs::

Comments

[jtglover.livejournal.com]

I've had similar thoughts myself of late. There is a notable paucity of guns, murder, etc. in my day-to-day life, but those things (among others) have appeared with some regularity in my fiction. Why? Is it just that it's easier to write about dramatic things? Death catches people's attention? Dunno, but it's one to ponder.

[displacedtexan.livejournal.com]

And yet, none of them have died falling on the spikey fence.

There's a dark side to you I didn't know about before we got married!

[tchernabyelo.livejournal.com]

You remind of Margaret Atwwod.

When asked why poeple tended to die in her stories, her response was "Because the story isn't over until everybody's dead."

[alaneer.livejournal.com]

No, the Necropolis does not count.

I think the reason we need death in SF is that there is no bigger threat than that, except maybe in my Warrior Wisewoman 2 story. In that, the whole population of the asteroid dies. But compared to Neil Asher, for example, you and I are minor killers of characters. In his novels, entire planetful of people die.

I hadn't thought about this before your post, but once I've gotten comments from an editor on a mystery fantasy in which no one dies that the stakes are not high enough, and that I should try a literary market. That story, (not sold yet) and two others that I've sold, are the only one in which no one dies.

And the submissions we get are also riddled with bodies and ashes of worlds. Some are so dark that the entire Human species is dead.

[kmarkhoover.livejournal.com]

Many of my stories have a high body count.

[parishwhittaker.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's unique to SF. I remember a (half-joking) discussion on a literary fiction forum asking how many there had a character who didn't die at the end. Few did! And let's not forget the grand western themes of tragedy, from Sophocles to Shakespeare to P.G. Wodehouse.

Ok, not Wodehouse.

I think you're right, it's akin to the final wrap. Not much to say after the worms arrive. But if you don't kill them, there still has to be some sense that the story is over. Looking at literary examples again, Austen always married them off, but to a spinster like her, perhaps that felt as final a death. Then again, Emily Bronte had no trouble depicting a dysfunctional marriage--and she ends Wuthering Heights with death and marriage.

[ckastens.livejournal.com]

I've wiped out 90+% of the Earth's population twice, but mostly off-camera.
I don't tend to put much carnage into my stories in general.

[babarnett.livejournal.com]

I usually think I've killed off more characters than I actually have, to the point that when I actually do count 'em up, I find myself feeling strangely ashamed for not having killed off nearly enough. So on that note, must...kill...more...characters...

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Maybe I don't kill enough people...

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Better yet, get Between Worlds with it and have a Carpe Libris set! ;)

(And yes, it has a fair share of Killed Characters.)

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

I need to catch up and raise the stakes. It gives me the heebeejeebees to kill off characters.

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

Ouch,Jen;o) I live in the country. *hitting zombie attached to my arm*

Comparatively I don't have enough bodies. I seem to be squeamish in that regard.

I think those editors are right about more death and I was wondering what would make my detective novel more compelling. You'd think I'd have a higher body count with a murder mystery. Perhaps mine needs more.

Good subject. I'm glad you brought it up, J.. I'm learning so much on lj.

[countesslovlace.livejournal.com]

Well now, the main character of the story I just finished is dead, okay she's a ghost, actually two ghosts, for all but the first section. And only three of the characters are alive at the end. Most of the characters in it are Undead.

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

*giggle*

Countess got me thinking how do you kill the undead? But you do have to kill zombies or they'll eat you. So how do you kill a vampire if it's already dead?

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

With Mr. Pointy, of course!


As far as zombies go, allow me to quote myself, "Set a thief to catch a thief, set a necromancer to...."

[isleburroughs.livejournal.com]

Ewww...LOL! Yeah, how come zombies don't eat other zombies?