Killing off characters and stuff like that. The Hunger Games

For the summer vacation, my Literature teacher from last year is forcing me to write my own Hunger Games. It sounded like fun, and she really likes my writing, so I agreed. Well, now I've created all twenty-four tributes and I have NO idea how to kill them off. By the very nature of the game, 23 othem have to die. Since the story's in first person, the main character is going to win. Big surprise there. At any rate, the main character (His name is Beryl) is from District 2. He is one of the district's couriers, so he isn't a miner or a peacekeeper, and has no fighting skills. In fact, the only reason he's in the Games is because he was a jerk to the Careers, so they refused to volunteer to go in his place. Now, since I see these wonderful characters in my head, I don't want eight to twelve of them to die right when the Games start, but they HAVE to. What can I do to get over this mental block?

First of all, consider that about half of the tributes died on the first day. That means that the other half should be Redshirts. Read the book again and jolt downt the many ways each person could die. Remember the bees, the reactived mines, the forest fire, the berries...Detact yourself from some of the characters if you have to, or at least have them die a dramatic death.

I have NO qualms about killing characters. My problem with the Cornucopia bloodbath is that I want people to see the same characters that I see, without casting them aside merely because they have no battle prowess. I already have one tribute slated to die at the Cornucopia, for sure. Beryl partners with her during the training sessions, but she is absolutely SLAUGHTERED by another tribute, even though she never even looks twice at the Cornucopia. Beryl's plan is to ally with the Careers and betray them, meeting up with her later, but... that fails.

Ever read Battle Royale? The manga version can be found online for free.

edited 3rd Jul '11 6:54:29 PM by MrAHR

Read the novel Battle Royale. It has similar themes to The Hunger Games, but is certainly better, in my opinion. It has a lot of characters, and then they gradually get killed off (or not so gradually, in some scenes).

Every version is good. I personally like the movie - the deaths are so abrupt that they'd be considered bridge-dropping if they weren't so shocking.

I've seen MANY arguments about Battle Royale vs. The Hunger Games. I have yet to read/ watch any adaptation of the story, but I will when I get time. From what I've read, though, it isn't nearly as similar to THG as its proponents make it out to be. I can totally kill off some teenagers in creative ways, but that's not the problem here. It's deciding who to kill, how, and when in order to have the biggest effect on the reader. Also, I can't think of a good Arena.

Try an decrepit, converted city on a peninsula, a la Escape From New York.

I think all of the Arenas are somewhat natural. Every single Games that has been described has been that way. Deserts, all kinds of forests, jungles, beaches, taigas, mountains, and in one case, the Elysian Fields. The last one was a trap, though. All of the beautiful flowers, lakes, and...well... everything else in the Arena, were designed to kill the tributes. I was considering a couple of things: -Maybe a swamp? -A tiered Arena modeled after Dante's Hell? -A colony of small-ish islands that hover in the air, each one holding a hidden danger?

An Aperture Science arena where the only weapons are portal guns.

But in all seriousness, I think the ruins of a city would make a great arena.

edited 3rd Jul '11 9:18:14 PM by snowfoxofdeath

Those all sound like good ideas. Personally, I think the Inferno is the coolest, but go with what you want.

And if you want to characterize the other Tributes, the training and the days leading up to the actual Games would be a good time for that. Use the time wisely, as a way to get a feel for them. Because you won't really have time for all of them, characterize the ones who'll be killed off at the Cornucopia. Then the rest of the games can be use to give time to the other tributes.

As for the deaths themselves, keep in mind that Beryl probably won't see most of them. Also, consider the dangers of the Arena. For example, in the Inferno arena, you could have Centaur Muttations taking out Tributes, or people could fall off of the floating Islands. And swamps come with a plethora of dangers: gators, insects, snakes...

For who and when to kill, consider this: how attached is Beryl and/or the reader to the character? When are they most vulnerable? Do I want them to be sad over due to a Heroic Sacrifice? Or was it a meaningless death? Or worse, did Beryl have to kill him/her himself? Do your best to make it a Reader Punch.

edited 4th Jul '11 8:24:11 AM by MegaRock35