This week we’re getting to the heart of the major conflict in any plot. James Scott Bell emphasizes that every story is about a character confronting death, but it’s not as straight forward as it sounds. There are three types of death: physical, professional, and psychological.
All stories need conflict, and it needs to be a bigger than life problem. Death is the ultimate problem, and every story needs to have the protagonist struggling against it to meet the readers’ expectations for a good story.
Physical
Death in the physical is exactly how it sounds. It’s the kind you find in thriller and suspense novels. The death you see at the beginning of a murder mystery. It’s the most complete and final death a protagonist can face.
An example of physical death is in And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Ten people are on an island, and one by one they start to die. The threat of physical death is very real in the confined place, and time is not on the people’s side. If the murderer is not identified, they will all die.
Professional
A professional death is when the character is facing a loss of his position in life. It can be a career, reputation, or relationship title (husband, father, etc.). This death effects the protagonist’s position in society; therefore, it challenges the protagonist’s sense of purpose. Professional death can be found in any genre. It’s the most relatable type of death for the readers as it’s one we all face on a daily basis.
Let’s look at The Verdict by Nick Stone as an example. Terry is offered a big case that could be his ticket to promotion in the legal field. This case could make or break his reputation, and he has to make some difficult decisions when confronting his possible professional death by the end of the book.
Psychological
Psychological death happens within the protagonist. He becomes jaded, morally corrupt, or mentally unstable. This kind of death can lead to physical death if the protagonist gives up completely. Psychological death can be found in genres such as Young Adult and Horror.
One example is New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. In this second book of the Twilight saga, Bella is left by the love of her life, triggering a severe depression. She isn’t able to function normally, and the reader sees her grow more unstable as the book progresses. Ultimately, Bella starts seeking death to relieve her psychological pain.
Highlighting The Death
Knowing what type of death you are using in your book will help you develop your book summary or pitch. People are going to want to know what the stakes are for your protagonist. Just add one sentence at the end of your summary to tell the reader what the risk—the death—is in the story.
Will someone figure out who is killing everyone on the island before they all die?
Will Terry make the right decisions and save his reputation?
Will Bella be reunited with Edward before she goes too far down the path of self-destruction?
Final Thoughts
You don’t want someone to read about your book and then say, “So what?” Give the readers an idea what the possible death is so you can perk their interests and get them to invest time in reading your book.
Thanks for reading!
Write a tale
Leave a trail