Four Characters In Fiction Who Were Saved By Fans
It is incredibly gratifying for authors when they create characters with whom their fans really connect. In some cases, this can become a burden too, when the author wants to move on to new stories or characters while fans keep demanding more of their favorites. We know about a couple characters who might not have had a happy ever after if it wasn't for the fans. Some authors went as far as killing off their characters only to bring them back due to popular demand while others flirted with the idea, but had to back down in order to keep fans happy.
Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes definitely aided in making Sir Arthur Conan Doyle one of the most celebrated authors of his time, but he eventually grew tired of the fictional detective. It got to a point where he resolved to get rid of Holmes even if he “buried” his bank account with him. According to Doyle, killing off Holmes was not murder, but self-defense -- he felt the workload of continually writing new stories was having a detrimental effect on him. Fans reacted with so much shock and horror that Doyle, after a bit of a hiatus, eventually gave in and brought Holmes back from the dead for more stories.
Ron Weasley - Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Author J.K Rowling certainly didn’t pull any punches when it came to killing off popular characters in her best-selling Harry Potter books, but a few characters can be lucky they were so popular with fans. The author revealed that when she was midway through writing the books she seriously considered killing off one of the three main characters simply out of spite. According to her, she wasn’t in a very happy place while writing the books, but had a change of heart -- much to the relief of fans.
James Bond - James Bond Series by Ian Flemming
His famous super spy, James Bond, might have been partially based on himself and his fantasies, but author Ian Flemming quickly grew tired the character. It got to a point where he wrote in a letter that the zest have gone and that the keys creak as he types. He went as far as ending the book, From Russia With Love, with a near-death scene, just in case he commits to killing off Bond, but relented and brought James back in the next novel.
Just William - The Williams Series by Richmal Crompton
William, an 11-year old schoolboy who gets up to a lot of mischief was popular enough amongst readers to feature in 39 books written by author Richmal Crompton. However, since the author considered her real work to be a writer of adult fiction, she was a bit upset about William overshadowing her adult novels. She even went as far as describing the William stories as her “Frankenstein’s Monster”, but fortunately for fans could bring herself to get rid of the character.
