How to write sad event?

Nakakure

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For some reason when i try to write sad event or tragedic event , eventhough my head have idea the hand just frozen when i try to write it or i am end up crying because what i write then end up delete it. So how to overcome this hurdle?
 

yansusustories

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There's no harm in crying while you write. In fact, I think it might be positive. If it's enough to make you cry, then the chance that it might feel emotional to your readers is probably good too. You just have to forbid yourself from deleting it right after writing it. I'd let it rest for a few days and look at it again if I had the time.
 

Jemini

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There are some cautions with sad events to keep in mind. The key issue is to make sure it does not feel too forced. If it's sudden, then don't make it feel like the character unnaturally walked into the line of fire for this sudden event. Make it seem like they were just going about their normal routine and then this sudden thing happened. If it's set up, make sure to carefully seed the clues and have every single character act as they normally would as the event is approaching.

EDIT: One of the better ways to set up a sad event is to have some major event happening that the MC is dealing with and it just so happens to cross the path of the victim of the sad event you are setting up. The common example is the hero's loved one's school or place of work gets hit by an attack, or perhaps the place the loved one was going to run an errand at. This is somewhat of a mix between contrived and reasonable, but it does work. About the only issue with this method is that due to how well it works it has become a little cleche since a lot of writers use it.
 

TLCsDestiny

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Copy and paste elsewhere then delete it if u have to. Go back to it later...
Explaining emotions is somewhat normal and critical for a story in my opinion...And I've cried a coupla times with my own stories so don't think ur strange aye!
 

Nakakure

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Copy and paste elsewhere then delete it if u have to. Go back to it later...
Explaining emotions is somewhat normal and critical for a story in my opinion...And I've cried a coupla times with my own stories so don't think ur strange aye!
I don't think i am strange though. I wonder if i can cruel to my character though
 

lnv

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For some reason when i try to write sad event or tragedic event , eventhough my head have idea the hand just frozen when i try to write it or i am end up crying because what i write then end up delete it. So how to overcome this hurdle?

As others have said, don't delete it. Feeling bad about sad events is normal and shows that you care about your characters which is a good thing.

If you wish to draw the line on how far you will go, then after writing it, soften it bit by bit during editing.

For example, as I was writing out one of the scenes and following the MCs train of thoughts, deep thoughts of suicide came from the MC's thought process. But that was below the bottom line I wished to write, so I kept the other aspects and toned down the suicide which I quickly progressed their thought process (this can be done via self motivation, time skipping, or change of events preventing contemplating)

In some cases you can also resort to POV switching to tone down the event.
 

TLCsDestiny

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I don't think i am strange though. I wonder if i can cruel to my character though
Well think of it this way then...u are the writer...the character is in the book so u have no relation. U might come up with their past and what not but don't forget that they are coming to life through ur book only. This is their chance to shine! Don't ruin it for them lol.
 

TheMoonStain

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Your characters aren't real, they are constructs. Remind yourself of that. You're not abusing a person when you write sad or tragic or messed up events. You're abusing lines of code.

Writers have to be sociopaths sometimes.
 

tak

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idk how to write it (i tend to avoid serious moments in writing and turns it absurd / comedy) but from what i've noticed:
  • if reader know it will happen and there's nothing you can do to change it: write how the (for lack of better word) victim is hurting but most people around them don't know that. There should be some who knows / notice something but still doesn't realize the point.
  • if it's sudden and we're not prepared: write how the characters cope with it. how does the event affect them.
  • it's sadder if the victim is pretending everything is fine / keep being happy or upbeat, especially when reader know there's something wrong.
  • write emotions with (idk the english terms) idioms. (the floor is shaking, the sky collapse. a punch in the gut.) write feelings directly. (they are tired.)
The Day I Disappeared (BG, female MC, oneshot) and Heroic Death System (BL, each arc can count as individual story) made me cry so it might be a good example?
I wonder if i can cruel to my character though
*whispers to character* It's fine my child this event is to temper yourself, you will come out victorious and stronger.
so if you don't want to abuse your character, discipline them. abuse as in, randomly throwing sadness for no reason. discipline as in, character development.
 

NiQuinn

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Why do you end up deleting it? Don't write a sad event though if it doesn't really do anything for the story. Also, be careful in writing a sad event because you, as the author, might feel that it's sad but your readers might not have the same feeling. I don't know about the others here but One Piece is a great example of pay-off when it comes to the sadness factor. Eiichiro Oda, the mangaka of One Piece, portrays certain characters as unlikeable but then surprises the audience by such tragic backstory that it gives the character a quick reversal. It's effective because he lays down the groundwork.

Crying is fine. They're your characters after all. Don't delete sad parts but put it aside and come back to it to see if it makes sense. A writer's duty is to make their readers feel what the characters are feeling. If it's just you who feels sad about a certain event, then you might have missed something along the way. Looking for editors, in this case, is a big help.
 

Shizun

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Torture the readers emotionally as much as possible and make a plot twist at the very end :sneaky:
 

S-Scherr

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When it comes to writing sad/tragic events, I trust in my characters to lead me where the scene must go and how much and what kind of emotion is left behind in the aftermath. Every character is different and will react in different ways, depending on the situation. I'm often caught off guard with what ends up on the pages, and I, too, have teared up on occasion after writing an unexpected scene. I believe when you capture the 'raw' emotions your characters react with, you are delivering something honest in a scene, especially a tragic one. I don't recommend trying to plot it out ahead of time. It will feel contrived. Just pick a moment you can put yourself in the middle of said 'sad' scene and let the characters run with it while you write it all down. If it feels strange afterward... then just leave it alone and move on to the next scene. Chances are you captured it the first time and it's not supposed to feel comfortable. Just my two cents ;)
 
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