As I continue "head-writing" the second and third novels in my generational trilogy, I'm wrangling with one unavoidable aspect -- the death of important characters. It can't be sidestepped in a storyline that covers nearly a century in the transformation of one planet, but that reality doesn't lessen the impact of these terrible losses.
I remember a popular generational series I read as a young adult (anyone remember The Bastard?) As a reader, I ate the series up....until the anti-climatic death of the title character. Then I had difficulty reading on or caring where the story led.
As an author, it's my responsibility to learn from that experience and ensure the deaths have meaning and/or dignity and the passing leaves the reader with a sense that this character has accomplished their purpose in their time before they "go to the stars," but the day has come when they must hand the reins off to those who will follow them.
Lately, one of these characters has been asserting her will in my subconscious by showing me scenes from her end days, and "suggestions" for how she'd like it all to unfold. At this point in the story, the focus has shifted to later generations, but she's still very present and still very much a guiding hand and a powerful influence, and her loss is going to be felt very deeply. It's up to me to ensure that her legacy lives on, and the role she played in shaping an empire and preparing it for a bold and uncertain new future casts an indelible mark that will echo down through the centuries.
If you've read any of the books in my Inherited Stars series, you may have a clue who she was. Her actions are still causing ripples fifteen hundred years later, and her legend is either adamantly affirmed or vehemently denied, depending on the particular character's beliefs.
Remember Cleopatra's death scene in the 1963 film? It's a very different death in a very different civilization (and this character most certainly did not commit suicide), but I think it provides some inspiration for how this scene might unfold.
