Tips For Writing Sad Scenes

Tips for Writing Sad Scenes

Remember not all characters express emotions the same way. For example, some characters are more closed off than others and will act accordingly. What makes one character collapse into a sobbing, wailing mess, might make another grieve quietly in a way people who don’t know them well might not even notice. That doesn’t make either reaction less impactful, it simply highlights the differences between the characters’ personalities.

Avoid melodrama. Going overboard with intense expressions of sadness can make them unintentionally humorous. Basically, make the intensity of characters’ emotions suit the situation and don’t let characters endlessly wallow in sorrow throughout the story. While it’s perfectly understandable for emotions to linger, dwelling on the same one with minimal variation risks losing the reader’s interest. 

Use buildup judiciously. Sometimes, you might decide to reveal that a bad situation is even more dire than the characters’ first thought, leading them to feel hopeless. Other times, the sad event might strike the characters as suddenly as a lightning strike.Giving characters and readers nuggets of hope can be especially effective. That’s because those lead people to believe that a positive outcome is possible, thereby making it hurt all the more when things take a turn for the worse.

Show characters seeking and giving comfort. Whether they try to drown their sorrows in alcohol or hug their friends close, moments where characters seek or give comfort show how much a sad event is impacting them. This provides good opportunities for bonding and possibly more conflict. Plus, coping mechanisms speak volumes about characters. Do they try to comfort others when they’re practically falling apart themselves? Do they seek some kinds of comfort but avoid others?

Emphasize lost opportunities. What will characters’ find much harder or even impossible now? If a character dies, who or what are they leaving behind? Who misses them now that they are gone? What dreams did they leave unfulfilled?