Q&A for How to Write Sad Stories

Then you may have a hit on your hands. Keep at it.

Give it another day or two and try reading it again. If you're still not happy with it, try to think about what you might like to change. It can also help to give your story to a friend or family member (or a few different people) and ask them to give you their honest feedback about it, then change your story based on what they've said.

Maybe. If it makes you really sad, make sure to add in some funny parts, like the article suggests. Since you're the one writing it, you're probably more invested in it than the reader will be, but keep in mind that it's a good thing for your story to be emotionally moving!

Give meaning to a specific object or something physical. Show the positive significance of it throughout the beginning of the story then later mention it in the moment of tragedy. Give little but clear mentions of it in the moment of tragedy as this will allow the reader to think through the journey.

Draw from things that made you sad as a child, something that your target audience can relate to and understand. Or on the flip side of that, make it something that they don't understand to help them learn about it; for example, "The Lion King" and "Iron Giant" can teach about loss and death, even though they may not fully understand it at the time.

Absolutely! Betrayal is great for all sorts of stories, and depending on the kind of betrayal, like romantic or platonic, it can propel the story forward!

It might be a bit hard to read or write, but it would definitely be sad.

Yes because you can express your feelings while your writing and you will become less stressful because you’re writing how you feel.

That's definitely a good way to connect the reader to the characters. And if there's a character death involved, then this enhances the effect because the readers too felt close to this character. But if the sad parts occur between characters (not between character and reader), then you need to build relationships.