NaNoWriMo is well under way and I’m knee-deep in keeping up with my word count, characters, and plot holes. Just for fun (like I have nothing else to do), I thought I’d talk about the victims in stories, specifically mysteries/thrillers.

I don’t remember exactly where I heard this (yes, my memory sucks), but someone said that you should get the reader to care about the victim. I never understood that. Why would I want them to care about someone that’s going to get slaughtered or isn’t important to the overall story?

Now don’t get me wrong. I understand it’s necessary in stories where the victim is important to the main characters and perhaps that’s what the person meant, but what about in general? Is it important to care about someone who isn’t important to the overall story, but is merely a cog to get things going?

My curiosity stems from two places:

  1. I’m curious to know what readers think
  2. I don’t give real mention of my the victims in my next book, Deadly Bloodlines and want to make sure I’m not missing anything crucial to my story

I love hearing from you.

DO YOU WANT TO CARE ABOUT THE VICTIMS?