Writing advice?

[luzula]

So, I am generally not a fan of the thing where people kill off one half of a canon couple so they can get their ship together. I'm wondering if what I am contemplating doing is too close to that, even if the character is an original character, or if it is in general just too convenient for the plot. I already have a great beta reader for this story, but I just wanted more input on it...it's a general question which doesn't really depend on knowledge of the fandom.

Here's the set-up in my fic (it's the mid-18th century): Ewen and Alison are married, but they both also have another lover with the other's knowledge and permission. Ewen has Keith, and Alison has Catherine (an original character). Alison and Catherine met and became lovers when they were young together in Paris, but then both had to get married for social reasons. Alison was lucky enough to meet someone she actually fell in love with and ended up in a happy marriage, but Catherine's marriage is loveless. Her husband has a mistress on the side (without asking Catherine about it) and Alison and Catherine revive their relationship, which is conducted through many years of correspondence and occasional visits. Catherine's husband never finds out - he's away traveling a lot.

So, here is my question: can I have Catherine's husband die in the Seven Years' War, after they've been married fifteen years or so, and after 120K of fic? Obviously I would be doing this because I want Alison and Catherine to be together, although it's not like all the obstacles between them would magically disappear. One reason to do it is because I want a balance in the fic so that it's not dominated by one character or relationship, but contains a mix of development for all four main characters and their relationships. And this would definitely lead to character development for Catherine, because she would have to navigate becoming a widow etc. If I could think of another plot element that would contribute equally to developing both Catherine as a character and Alison and Catherine's relationship, I guess I might do that instead! But I haven't yet.

I suppose it isn't really parallel to the case where someone kills off one half of a canon couple, because Catherine's husband is a minor original character in the story and I don't believe the reader is going to be invested in him. But I'm worried that the reader would consider it just too convenient and wish-fulfilling a thing. What do you think?

Comments

[desireearmfeldt]

Well, at least you're not killing a canonical female character to pave the way for a M/M pairing (or worse, a M/M baby-raising pairing). :)

This does sound like the easy plot device, which isn't necessarily an argument against doing it, depending on what role all this is playing in the story as a whole. (Especially if the husband is a minor off-screen character we don't care about.)

But as for alternative devices that would develop Catherine as a character: what if instead she does talk to her husband about it and they negotiate an arrangement? or she finds a way to end their relationship (divorce is presumably not much of an option in that time period but they could separate by mutual consent or she could run away)? or she and Alison, maybe with Ewan's participation, negotiate an arrangement that would let the two of them spend more time together while still keeping the husband in the dark?

Anything along those lines might be a less obvious plot element, and would have the advantage of giving Catherine some agency, which is always handy for character development and a generally good thing to have in a story. :)

[luzula]

Well, at least you're not killing a canonical female character to pave the way for a M/M pairing (or worse, a M/M baby-raising pairing). :)

What, you mean like the woman dying in childbed leaving the baby? Ack.

what if instead she does talk to her husband about it and they negotiate an arrangement?

I have thought of this, of course. The reason I am reluctant to do it is that much of the fic has been about poly relationship negotiation already, so structurally I feel that more of it would make it kind of same-y. Option two, probably not possible, and also she has three children that she loves. I'll think more about your option three...there must be something creative that I can do. As for agency, I do feel it would be interesting to make her a widow because she would have to negotiate a precarious position where she has some rights under law, but also has to hold her own against male relatives.

The husband is not a monster or anything--I feel it's not unreasonable of him to want to have a mistress given that he happened to marry (in modern terms) a lesbian.

[desireearmfeldt]

Dying in childbed, giving up the child, dying in some other way later, going to jail, being otherwise unfit or unable to raise it.... I'm pretty sure I've read all of these in fic.

[luzula]

Ha, I suppose I haven't read all that much kidfic...