---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a point where, as a writer, you…"
description: "\"“There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your characters, their stupid motivations, and their whiny inner dialogues. The only solution I ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg"
---

#  There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your…

![“There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your characters, their stupid motivations, and their whiny inner dialogues. The only solution I have found to deal with that is to kill the character, resurrect him, then kill him again.” quote by Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg)

> ““There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your characters, their stupid motivations, and their whiny inner dialogues. The only solution I have found to deal with that is to kill the character, resurrect him, then kill him again.””

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writers may become frustrated with characters they feel are poorly motivated or overly whiny, and a drastic method to reset creative tension is to repeatedly kill and resurrect the character.

**In simple terms:** Writers sometimes hate their characters and reset them by killing and reviving them.

Key Takeaway

Use character death and rebirth to refresh narrative direction.

Themes

creative writing character development conflict resolution

Mood

frustrated determined reflective

Type

advice process creative.

When to use this quote

- novel drafting
- screenplay revisions
- character workshops
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

Narrative control psychology of author story arcs

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you improve character motivation without drastic resets?
- When is character death narratively justified?

A Different Perspective

Killing characters can alienate readers if overused.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Develop your characters well enough that they do stupid things on their own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mckinsey/develop-your-characters-well-enough-that-they-do-stupid-things-on/)

[Rebecca McKinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mckinsey/)

> [You are going to love some of your characters because they are you or some facet of you, and you are going to hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-are-going-to-love-some-of-your-characters-because-they-are-you-or/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“If you can't love or hate your characters then walk away from the keyboard. If they aren't real enough to elicit emotion in you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-harvey-delcourt/if-you-can-t-love-or-hate-your-characters-then-walk-away-from-the/)

Julie Harvey Delcourt

> [In genre movies, you usually not only hate the characters, you sometimes hate them so much that you hate the actors playing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/in-genre-movies-you-usually-not-only-hate-the-characters-you/)

[Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/)

> [I didn't know how to kill off a character unless I was able, as a narrator, to get really complicated. Because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/i-didn-t-know-how-to-kill-off-a-character-unless-i-was-able-as-a/)

[Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/)

> [Classic author moment, "Oh dear, did I kill that character or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/classic-author-moment-oh-dear-did-i-kill-that-character-or-not/)

[Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/)

> [I always run the stories by Capcom. They read the scripts and give their comments. I would never want to kill a character that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/i-always-run-the-stories-by-capcom-they-read-the-scripts-and-give/)

[Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/)

> [If you become very self-conscious about what you are doing, you kill. You kill the character. Then it doesn't work. You have to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-banderas/if-you-become-very-self-conscious-about-what-you-are-doing-you-kill/)

[Antonio Banderas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-banderas/)

> [If you kill a character people feel sad. That's too easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/if-you-kill-a-character-people-feel-sad-that-s-too-easy/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [“I’m fond of joking that when I get stuck in writing, I’ll kill a character or blow something up (in the novel…usually).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/i-m-fond-of-joking-that-when-i-get-stuck-in-writing-i-ll-kill-a/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you're going for an interview, you will dress smartly and look the part, that is absolutely fine, but it's just the level to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-swinson/if-you-re-going-for-an-interview-you-will-dress-smartly-and-look-the/)

[Jo Swinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-swinson/)

> [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/)

[Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/)

> [I'm not really a big fan of doing interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-m-not-really-a-big-fan-of-doing-interviews/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-darnold/on-my-podcast-i-got-to-interview-will-ferrell-sam-hunt-colin-cowherd/)

[Sam Darnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-darnold/)

## More by Caris O'Malley

> [“Who the shit is Otis?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/who-the-shit-is-otis/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“I don't ever want to read a book with the word globe in it again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/i-don-t-ever-want-to-read-a-book-with-the-word-globe-in-it-again/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“Fuck you, Mr. Beatty!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/fuck-you-mr-beatty/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“Can we really put Ben (hereby representing all men) on such a pedestal? Having tamed those beasts set aside for him, is it not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/can-we-really-put-ben-hereby-representing-all-men-on-such-a-pedestal/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“I am the O'Malley and I will not take your shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/i-am-the-o-malley-and-i-will-not-take-your-shit/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“So what do you do?' she asked. 'I sneak around at night, well, usually at night, and gather coins out of fountains', I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/so-what-do-you-do-she-asked-i-sneak-around-at-night-well-usually-at/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“You are s urprisingly immature. I c an't eve r understand h o w you resor t to giggling at the slightest provocation. Yo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/you-are-s-urprisingly-immature-i-c-an-t-eve-r-understand-h-o-w-you/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“What the fuck did you do to my hamster?!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/what-the-fuck-did-you-do-to-my-hamster/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

> [“For the first time, I smelled her. I can't describe the smell. Flowery, yet somehow musty, like a beautiful woman with the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/for-the-first-time-i-smelled-her-i-can-t-describe-the-smell-flowery/)

[Caris O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

[Explore all 10 Caris O'Malley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your characters, their stupid motivations, and their whiny inner dialogues. The only solution I have found to deal with that is to kill the character, resurrect him, then kill him again.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Caris O'Malley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-grow-to-hate-your-characters/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-grow-to-hate-your-characters/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/caris-o-malley-41155_communication_there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-g_288457.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is a point where, as a writer, you grow to hate your characters, their stupid motivations, and their…” — Caris O'Malley",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Caris O'Malley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-o-malley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There is a point where, as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-grow-to-hate-your-characters/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-o-malley/there-is-a-point-where-as-a-writer-you-grow-to-hate-your-characters/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
