Common Mistakes When Writing a Sad Scene 💔
No matter what the emotion is, describing it correctly is key to AMAZING storytelling. It’s so easy to write, “Ann was sad” but describing it can be more of a challenge.
One common mistake we see a lot is when the writer always describes sadness through the character shedding tears. Sometimes this is unrealistic especially when the character cries every time they’re sad. Avoid always describing sadness through tears. But there are cases when this is appropriate. Read below:
(Describe crying when a Character has reached breaking point, Character is extremely sensitive, For example Autism, mood swings, certain mental conditions, past experience, etc.)
Now let’s move on to the next mistake…
Another mistake is showing instead of telling. “On the nose” writing can cause your sad scenes to fail. This basically means your stating the obvious or in a very plain manner. For instance read the sentence below:
Ann took out her cell phone from her front jean pocket and unlocked it. She felt angry when she found Wyatt’s message and read it quickly.
Ann, I know you’re mad at me for not showing up to our date last night. I am really sorry.
Ann felt angry. She didn’t want to forgive her boyfriend. He had forgotten all about her.
Now that was boring to read and gave us WAY to much telling and little to no showing. Read version 2 below:
Ann took out her cell phone, her breathing picking up as she read the name across the screen.
“Never,” she said, throwing her cell phone on the bed and kicking her shoes off.
Pro tip - When describing emotion, stop and consider how you would feel. Put yourself in your character's shoes and reflect back to situations when you were sad. This helps realism.
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