Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/5746
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

As I see it, there are two possible ways for a character to influence others after death, but each has a number of variations.

First, the character could **directly influence others** after death. This would involve some sort of continued existence either magical or supernatural in origin. Some examples:

- Ghost (or any other non-material existence after death, such as a poltergeist, or other spirit)
- Uploaded brain (into a computer or robot)
- Cloning (depending on how magical the cloning process is -- in a more realistic universe, a clone would be an identical twin born later, not a repeat of the original person)
- Time travel (which stretches the limits of "after")
- Resurrection (same person coming back)
- Reincarnation (returning as a different person)

Another way for a character to exert influence after death is not to actually be there but to leave some sort of **intentional legacy**.

- A will
- Letters to loved (or hated) people
- Bequest with ongoing results, such as founding a charitable organization or school

**Unintentional legacies** are also possible

- Inspirational speech
- Taught a significant skill or piece of knowledge to another character
- WWDGD: What Would _Dead Guy_ Do? (In other words, a life philosophy built around that of the dead guy, who acts as a moral guide for the living character.)
- Published knowledge that helps others (Dr. Dead Guy's research suggests that we can find the solution to our problems in this star system.)
- Unpublished documents that come to light after the death (see Emily Dickinson). 

And one that straddles the border between intentional and unintentional:

- Children
- Parts of the body, either from donated organs or in the form of frozen sperm/eggs/other material
- Genetic legacies, particularly in terms of diseases that might get passed along

Original score: 14