A character's death is a big deal, and it can be tempting to draw this out over the course of several paragraphs (or, God forbid, pages), articulating every groan and sigh and/or prick of pain--every final thought that runs through his or her mind.
But such descriptions can come across as lurid to the reader--overdone, melodramatic, and even histrionic.
The best route to take when writing a death scene?
Understatement.
Keep the language and descriptions simple--only include the most relevant details.
Focus on how the characters around the dying react rather than the death itself.
Oh, and we rarely get to offer deathbed confessions, so try to avoid characters who go on at length about loves, losses, recantations, regrets, etc.
Your readers are smart. They know how to handle a dying character, and the more subtle your narration, the greater the impact it's likely to have.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
