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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/35326
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Here's a slightly different approach. Write the story in such a way the MC's death has something to compensate it, such as your character becoming irredeemable by dint of their actions of personality, or them dying to save someone else, or his death leading to a noble cause or vengeance against the killer.

Now, it's not normally a good idea to tell you what should happen in your story. But here's the twist: that's not what I'm telling you to do! When I said to write in a certain way, I never said those "sweet" parts of the text you write have to be in the finished story other people get to read. (In some software, such as LyX which I use, you can hide anything you like very easily without even using s separate file, because the finished product is outputted to another file type for readers.)

What's more, the parts that are just for you don't need to be well-written, so you can write them very succinctly. Now, my advice may sound awfully crazy, but the one upside is you can execute it in all manner of ways. For example, if you think you want to spend a while on hidden parts, e.g. because it makes you feel better or it's good practice, go ahead. And if you think some of the resulting plot points could go in the finished product after all, either now or in a redraft, that's also fine.

Original score: 4