101 Sorrowful Writing Prompts That Are Sadder Than Sad
The most powerful way to engage your reader is to invoke strong emotion .
Readers who quickly empathize are more likely to keep reading a story that invites them to do just that.
We’ve rounded up 101 heartbreaking, sad writing prompts to make your job easier.
And since sad prompts aren’t always enough, we’ve thrown in some story ideas to show how you can spin a few words into a story your reader can’t put down.
#1 — She never slept in this late…
#2 — “what would you say if i asked you… “, #3 — the folks at work call me a “cat lady.”, #4 — she took her time choosing the perfect stone for this one. , #5 — he had that luxury., 101 sad writing prompts to inspire your next heart-wrenching story , what are some sad story ideas .
Check out these five sad book ideas, each based on a prompt but taking it a step further.
As you move on to the prompts list, pay attention to those that start developing in your mind into story ideas. Then set a timer for a writing sprint and see what happens.
But as he rolled out of bed that morning, he seized upon the idea of surprising her with breakfast in bed. It took longer than he expected, and for a moment, he feared she would wake before he brought it to her.
He needn’t have worried.
The eggs and toast were cold now on the breakfast tray. He hadn’t noticed the folded letter on the bedside table, which the officer held in her hand as she read it. Then, she looked up at him, her mouth closed and her eyes unreadable behind the reflective lenses.
“Can I read it, now?” he asked.
“Asked me to what?” He visibly stiffened in his chair. She took a deep breath.
“I want you to empty one of the two rooms you’ve filled with your things — and I mean completely empty it, closet and all — by the beginning of summer… Or I’m out.”
He turned away, but she saw him swallow, heard him clear his throat, and take a deep, noisy breath through his nose.
Without looking at her, he nodded briefly and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
I have two of them. And while my mother had earned a reputation for trapping strays in her house and taking them to the vet to be spayed or neutered, I was nowhere near that ambitious.
Mischa and Cal just got me. Both were spayed. Both patrolled the apartment with the confidence of creatures whose mere will sustained the universe.
Right now, they mutually shunned my guest, yowling every time the smell assaulted their nostrils.
“Patience, kitties. Wait ‘til the embalming fluid does its work. It’s a special recipe. You’ll warm up to him no time.”
They’d switched to cremation after she lost the first baby. Six more followed, and this one — the one she’d named Hope — had almost survived the ordeal of childbirth. It had started normally, but her doctor had urged an emergency C-section. She hadn’t argued.
No time for anesthesia. No time to say goodbye to her husband, who told her he would be in there as soon as he could.
Hope was silent. They tried reviving her, and she… lying on the table with her abdomen cut open, waited, afraid to breathe.
The door opened then to let her husband in.
The luxury of agreeing to work whatever hours he chose. Not being the family chauffeur gave him a freedom he’d gotten used to. He couldn’t see why none of her interviews resulted in a job offer.
He was about to learn.
“Jax and Lily finish school at 2:00. Ben’s done at 3. Then Lily starts her shift at 4 and is done by 7. Jax doesn’t work today, but they do tomorrow. And no, neither of them can cancel last minute.”
“Why not? How am I supposed to get anything done if I’m constantly heading out the door to get them from something?” he asked.
“Oh… Sorry, does your boss not know you have kids?”
Read through these sad story prompts until you find one you’d like to use, either for a new story contest or for your own creative journaling .
Develop at least one of them into an idea today. Which of these will get you started on your next writing sprint?
1. The lone survivor of an advanced race tells the story of their family’s mission to Earth and what it cost them.
2. The main character receives a devastating diagnosis and decides to track down and try to reconnect with their estranged daughter and son.
3. She asked him a question she wished she’d asked him years ago. He reacted much as she’d expected.
4. One look at his face, and she knew he’d been through a lifetime’s worth of pain but hadn’t been beaten by it.
5. Whose idea was it to add “‘Till death do us part” to the wedding vows? And did only one kind of death matter to them?
6. “How did I not see it in my own daughter? She was dying right in front of me!”
7. He teased her for not being a “detail person.” But she noticed well enough how he looked at her best friend.
8. “A hero would sacrifice you to save the world. I’m not a hero.”
9. They were playing hide-and-seek. She never found him. Until now.
10. “You’ve had 15 years to notice… It just didn’t bother you enough to do something about it.”
11. “I was hoping you’d prove me wrong. Being right is the last thing I want to be right now.”
12. “She gave me one last look before walking out into the storm. No one has seen her since.”
13. He had no idea how much she already knew. He walked in the door, ready to tell her everything.
14. “You were angry with me … because I made you look bad to your family. What am I, then?”
15. I was old enough to remember the day I became an orphan.
16. “You honestly think this is the first time he’s done this? Where have you been?”
17. “It gets worse at night. We can’t allow anyone into that room with her.“
18. She wanted to marry her best friend. He wanted an idea she couldn’t live up to.
19. She emptied the hope chest, filled it with potting soil, and, planting it full of cacti, left it behind his car before she drove off.
20. Being depressed is hard enough. Trying to hide it is what led to this moment.
21. “You have no idea how messed up it is that you’re fine with the way things are.”
22. Most of my nightmares are about things that happen when the sun is shining.
23. “I know I need to grieve what I thought I would have with him. But right now, I’m just relieved.”
24. She gave him her house key and the garage door button with a small smile and nod before walking to her car.
25. “I was a different woman when I married him. And I’ve never been enough. But good Catholic husbands don’t give up, right?”
26. “I was waiting in the car when the rain started. He stepped out onto the covered porch, looked at me, and shook his head.”
27. “What kind of retreat was this anyway?” she thought. But then she saw it: the perfect stone, worn smooth and darker than its neighbors.
28. She spent the week in bed, unable to do more than sleep between small sips of water. He wasn’t there when she recovered.
29. It was the best part of their usual cycle, but even then, she saw the beginnings of the next stage. Nothing had changed.
30. “It’s not that I’m not motivated to put in the effort to become a saint. It’s that I’d rather be anything else.”
31. His voice brought back memories she wasn’t ready for.
32. “Don’t wait until you’re ready. No one’s really ready until they have nothing left to lose — and not enough time to enjoy winning.”
33. “One day, when he grows up and tells the church to piss off, he’ll find someone else, and they’ll be happy together. I hope.”
34. Maybe I’m ready for a job that requires me to shower on a daily basis. Maybe I need that now.
35. This was the song that was playing when we met. It hits differently, now.
36. He wasn’t a stranger for long. Something he said within those first few minutes flipped a switch. And just like that, he was my home.
37. “You seriously overestimate my need for certainty.”
38. All anyone can guess is that she took the wrong prescription by mistake. It was right next to hers. No one knew about the allergy.
39. One day at a time, she sorted through her things, boxed them up, hauled donations out the door. This time was different. She was ready.
40. That cat was the only creature who brought a smile to her face. No one’s seen her leave the house since.
41. He sent her a bouquet of pink Gerbera daisies with a note. She bit her lip as she read it, sighing deeply before looking up.
42. She was the only one putting up signs when the child went missing. No one knew why until the police arrived at her door.
43. The flowers he bought meant something. The ones she bought for herself meant something else.
44. She never needed the alcohol to numb herself. It just made it easier to stay.
45. Retirement was finally just a week away. The cardiac wing of the hospital wasn’t the vacation spot he had in mind.
46. She listed every item in the donation box, making sure to add a value estimate to every gift she’d kept.
47. He left a note on the kitchen countertop: “I ate the cake you made for book club. It was dry.” Terrible last words.
48. “You have no idea how little those words mean right now.”
49. He’d forgotten how nice it was when people showed up when they said they would.
50. The last teddy bear sat on top of the pile, his head bowed.
51. The best thing about the property was the trees. One by one, they started dying.
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52. She brewed his favorite tea every morning and started her day with it.
53. Find a box that will work for my Dell tower, monitor (in a pillowcase w/ padding), keyboard, speakers, and cords.
54. What could have been doesn’t matter anymore. I’m more interested in what’s next.
55. He interpreted my being demisexual to mean I wasn’t attracted to him. He was right about that — but wrong to think he could fix it.
56. We never needed a perfect dad — just one that kept trying.
57. The “functional” bit in functional alcoholic is the word we use to trick ourselves into thinking we’re still in control — or that we ever were.
58. He had what he said he’d always wanted. It wasn’t enough.
59. They told her to choose between her own life and that of her unborn child. He chose for her.
60. After years of waiting for him to see what this was costing her, she finally told him.
61. Her leash and collar still hang on the hook by the front door.
62. He meant well. But he shouldn’t have used their daughter’s dead guinea pig as his first taxidermy project.
63. The child had a habit of eating houseplants, and his mother, the “salad queen,” was distracted.
64. She named her house “the Owlery” and started collecting them on her front porch, one cage at a time.
65. She folded the clothes and gently laid them in the donation box. These were for the woman she used to be.
66. Ankle-length skirts, demure necklines, muted colors… they no longer had a place in her wardrobe. She smiled and closed the box.
67. She paused just outside the door, hearing the dance music playing inside. She caught her reflection, and her shoulders sank.
68. She wasn’t used to being missed. So, she hadn’t called to let her parents know when she’d need a ride.
69. For years he would ask for it, teasing her one day and then resorting to guilt.
70. She’d burned a CD with his favorite songs, including some he’d introduced to her. She gently laid it near his cold hands.
71. Every time she heard a dog bark, she’d freeze, waiting to hear it again.
72. “Why are you grieving? Isn’t this what you want,” she asked. It is, now, I thought. But it wasn’t always.
73. If she were a house, her doors would be locked. But there might still be a way in for someone determined to find it.
74. Her interview was tomorrow. The clothes would arrive next week.
75. If there was ever a time for expedited shipping, this was it. She clicked on the box, wincing at the price. He would know.
76. I hadn’t known I was pregnant when I went out that night.
77. She would have chosen her child. I would have chosen her. The virus chose for both of us.
78. “Yes, beauty is fleeting,” she said. “But it’s right in front of us, now. Why not enjoy it?”
79. The flowers she’d bought the day before lay wilting on the sidewalk.
80. “You don’t know how hard I looked for it,” he said. “It wasn’t there.”
81. The rain and wind suddenly fell silent, and her eyes turned toward the deck window, her face paler than I’ve ever seen it.
82. She rubbed the lotion into her hands absent-mindedly, her fingernails shorter than they were before the movie started.
83. She held her doll to her face while her mother scooped her up and headed out the door.
84. The dog stood patiently by the door as he always did, waiting for his return.
85. Our cats all end up in the same place eventually. It’s a busy road.
86. She’d made her famous noodle casserole for every family that came to hire her husband. This one was different.
87. The phone rang five times before the seven-year-old picked it up. “No one’s here,” he said.
88. “The only apples that grow on those trees are half-eaten by worms by the time they ripen. You want applesauce? Buy some.”
89. I’d seen him chase her down the road, carrying something and yelling at her. The cops found them both an hour later.
90. They thought he would come when they sent word of his mother’s illness. Only after she passed did they learn the truth.
91. He had the best balance of all of us — and the least fear.
92. No one could see that he was actually suffocating until he passed out.
93. The box was empty. All of them were. She looked up with tears in her eyes.
94. Seconds before he pulled the trigger, I realized I was the villain in this story.
95. Now that I’m leaving, he won’t have to worry about renting storage space for all the things he wants to keep.
96. I could see that the front door was ajar when I pulled in. I left the engine running.
97. The curtain fell, and behind it, so did she.
98. She wasn’t trying to be the perfect mother. She was just trying to get through the day.
99. She trimmed the crusts off his sandwiches and brought them to his bed.
100. He has no idea most people aren’t born that way. No one’s told him.
101. Someone had left the starving animal chained to a fence post in the middle of nowhere.
Now that you’ve looked through all the sad story prompts and story ideas in this post, we hope you found at least one you’re itching to write about today. Jot it down, along with any ideas that come — snippets of dialogue, setting details, etc.
Then pick a time and let those words flow.
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135+ Sad Writing Prompts to Stir Deep Emotions in Readers
By: Author Hiuyan Lam
Posted on Last updated: October 20, 2023
Categories Writing Prompts
The benefits of using sad writing prompts
Unlocking creative depths.
Enhancing writing skills
Exploring emotions and improving mental health
Sad writing prompts to unleash creative depths
Exploring health challenges and personal struggles.
Tackling social challenges and environmental crises
Delving into personal relationships and trust issues
Artistic expressions of emotions
Sad writing prompts to develop students’ writing skills
Addressing academic pressure and anxiety.
Understanding family dynamics and common issues
Confronting bullying and peer pressure
Navigating friendship and unexpected setbacks
Sad writing prompts to facilitate emotional expressions and personal growth
Facing anxiety and fear.
Examining loneliness and isolation
Reflecting on regrets and mistakes
Dealing with loss and heartbreak
Unraveling betrayal, conflict, and misunderstandings
Do sad writing prompts have to be with a sad or tragic ending?
Conclusion: Gateways to emotional depth, imagination, and transformation
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Lost and found books with booktrib, write about a character reminiscing over something they should have said, and how their life would be completely different had they said it., write about a character who is trying to leave something or someone behind — only to realize they carry it with them., "i trusted you.", write a story where a character's last words to someone are: "i wish i could forget you.", one is the loneliest number. and you're one..
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Write a story that expands on Ernest Hemingway's famous 6-word story: "For sale: baby shoes. Never worn."
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The best sad writing prompts
One great thing about creative writing prompts is that they are always there for you, especially when you want sad writing prompts. Writing is a beautiful outlet to engage with life and the world around us — and sometimes, it's the only way to deal with something painful or raw.
If you’re a writer who’s looking for some sad writing prompts to help get you in touch with your feelings or deal with such themes as love and death, this page is for you. We hope that it provides you with the inspiration that you need.
If you're looking to cut to the chase, here’s a list of top sad writing prompts:
- Someone in the story has a lot of hard lessons to learn.
- Write a story about someone tired of their day-to-day routines.
- Write a story about someone who loses their cat.
- Write a story based on the metaphor: "Beauty is a fading flower."
- Write a story inspired by this quote from Ally Condie: "Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that."
- Write a story that feels lonely, despite being set in a packed city.
- Write a story that starts with two people saying goodbye.
- Write about one character’s fundamental misunderstanding of another character’s job.
If you’re interested in becoming an author, check out our free resources on the topic:
- Character profile template (free resource) — All stories are character-driven, and it might be argued that this is especially true for sad stories. If you want to figure out what’s driving your character’s emotions, this free character profile template is here to help.
- How to Write Believable Dialogue that Develops Plot and Character (free course) — If your story requires your characters to navigate some difficult conversations about sadness, you may find this helpful. Dialogue is one of the most important writing tools that can drive character and plot. Let this free ten-day course show you how.
Ready to start writing? Check out Reedsy’s weekly short story contest for the chance of winning $250! You can also check out our list of writing contests or our directory of literary magazines for more opportunities to submit your story.
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Explore more writing prompt ideas:
Adults Writing Prompts ⭢
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Angst Writing Prompts ⭢
Character Writing Prompts ⭢
Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢
Dark Writing Prompts ⭢
Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢
Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢
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Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢
Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢
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Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢
Winter Writing Prompts ⭢
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How to Write a Dark or Sad Story
Last Updated: April 11, 2023 Fact Checked
This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 268,380 times.
Do you want to give your story or writing project a dark or tragic turn? Are you unsatisfied with your ability to write anything but happy stories? With practice and planning, you can write a story that will chill and/or depress even your most lighthearted readers.
Sample Stories
Writing Your Own Story
- If you would prefer not to get wet, carry an umbrella with you.
Community Q&A
- Be sure that your work makes sense... read it a hundred times over if you must. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- You don't have to be a serious person to be a serious writer. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- Imagine if you were in the characters shoes, how would you feel? Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
- Don't copy other people's work. Thanks Helpful 201 Not Helpful 30
- Don't mock your own work. Thanks Helpful 199 Not Helpful 34
- Don't use excessive detail where it isn't necessary; be judicious. Thanks Helpful 189 Not Helpful 37
Things You'll Need
- Dictionary.
- And yourself...
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- ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/process/reverseoutlines/
- ↑ https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1171691.pdf
- ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/transitions/
- ↑ https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/writing/punctuation
About This Article
When you’re writing a dark or sad story, you’ll want it to be as realistic and engaging as possible. Try listening to sad music and dimming the lights to set the mood for your writing session. You can also do research about whatever you’re writing. For example, if you’re writing about someone with cancer, read other stories about it or watch vlogs from people dealing with cancer for inspiration. Then, start to plot the main events of your story in a rough outline. Don’t worry if your story changes while you write it, since the outline should only be a guide. While you’re writing, try to put yourself in your character’s shoes and imagine everything they think and feel. For a sample gothic short story, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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25+ Sad Stories That Will Break Your Heart (And Make You Think About Life)
Sad stories will make you cry, but they will also make you contemplate life in a way that can be very rewarding. A strong sad story will make you feel less alone—more aware of the fact that no one’s experience of this world is all rainbows and unicorns. We all have to trudge through the darker aspects of existence. Read these sad stories because they’re beautiful, and because they reflect real life.
18 Two-Sentence Sad Stories From Reddit
Language is a wonderful medium. In just two carefully crafted sentences, you can tug at a person’s heart strings. Make them think. Move them deeply. In the below sad stories, so much emotion is conveyed with so few words. Brace yourself and read on—if you have the strength.
I found the love of my life. She didn’t.
He promised he would wait for her forever. She kept him to his word.
It was a lot. It just wasn’t enough.
He woke up, rolled over, and reached for her. She wasn’t there, and never would be again.
They told me they could save either my wife or my son. They were wrong.
After months of waiting he finally saw his wife. He’d never been happier but he knew he’d have to wake up soon.
He never wanted to leave his wife. But it was getting late and the graveyard gates were about to be closed.
My owner won’t wake up. My food bowl has been empty for so long.
I pick up your little collar and leash, and I almost expect you to come running at the sound.I will never get used to the awful silence.
I rock my baby in my arms and sing softly to her. It helps me pretend she is only sleeping.
I had carried her to the hospital, half conscious and overdosed, but alive. I was the only one who waited with her for her recovery, and every day she would reiterate how much she loathed me for it.
I became an EMT to save people’s lives. Twenty minutes of CPR on my dad proved that was a lie.
The heart monitor chimed its final tune. Come the end there was no applause.
I told her she would be okay. That was the first lie I ever told.
“He’s not coming, is he?” I asked, squeezing my mother’s hand, the multi-colored party hat on my head slipping down. My mother squeezed back, and without a word walked back inside the house.
9 months of excitement came to an end. She never cried.
I kept the ultrasound. Someone I never met.
Mommy promised her the monsters weren’t real. But mommy didn’t know that daddy was the monster.
10 Tragic Love Stories From Literature That Will Break Your Heart
But V-Day’s contemporary style is as far removed from its origins as your family’s Thanksgiving dinner is from your syphilis-sharing Pilgrim predecessors. Valentine’s Day is rooted in violence and loss. Brutality. Death. The punishment of the innocent. V-Day’s always had love notes and flowers. It’s just that they were written moments before slaughter and placed carefully next to a cracked skull and a fresh grave.
So in the true spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are 10 Tragic Love Stories that Will Break Your Heart. Because as St. Valentine knew better than anyone, the best romances don’t end happily, and the greatest love stories are tragedies above all.
1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Yes, it’s creepy. But it’s also a tragic love story. Perhaps one of the greatest ever written. A pedophiliac road trip that turns into a suburban farce, it features an entirely unreliable, endlessly nauseating, yet inexplicably compelling narrator–a middle-aged lit professor in love with a 12 year old girl. After causing the death of her mother, then driving her across an American wilderness, Humbert Humbert is part Walter White, part Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. And he’s Nabokov’s most magical accomplishment: an at-once pathetic, frustratingly endearing, unquestionably disgusting figure. His final act–to kill a man who has taken advantage of his now-grown Lolita–is both satisfying and ironic. The story ends as you’d imagine: in complete ruination of everyone involved.
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Skip the movie–despite Carrie Mulligan and Kiera Knightley. Read the book. Ishiguro’s sleight of hand will astonish you, and 100 pages in you’ll feel your stomach drop. Then you’ll fly to the end. Teenagers in England, growing up as friends in a strange kind of boarding school, are forced to confront the meaning of their short lives and imagine the possibility that love and friendship can make their years mean more than their commodotized bodies. This novel will crush you. And the pleasure of that pain will make you want to read it again.
3. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
I read Giovanni’s Room for a literature class in college. It is the one novel that has stayed with me after all these years (there is no shortage of good quotes). No one gets closer to the essence of human emotion than Baldwin does—he claws at it, pokes and prods at it, fully exposes it. He understands pain, forces his reader to feel every last ounce of it along with the characters. It’s an intense, fearless love story involving three different people. You’ll fall in love with all of them.
4. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Astonishingly contemporary for a book written 110 years ago, Wharton’s breakout novel features a young, hot Lily Bart, who might as well be a millennial in modern-day midtown Manhattan. Caught in a sticky social web of wealth and infidelity, Lily clumsily traverses a world of elite parties and stock market gamesmanship, engaging in an endless series of missed connections with the man she’s meant to be with. Scandals in New York lead to scandals in Europe. Millions are lost and gained. Yacht trips are taken. This is Gatsby before F Scott. The moral vacuum of the Manhattanite elite before Wolfe was born to write it. Eventually Lilly has her moral awakening. And the man of her dreams realizes he loves her as she him. But in a master-stroke of love eternally unrequited, he arrives to tell her so mere hours after she has expired from an overdose of sleeping pills. Ouch.
5. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
This novel, like Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , features our favorite reckless bad boy, Yunior. While Diaz’s two other novels focus mainly on Yunior’s childhood and formidable years, in This is How You Lose Her , we zoom in on his tumultuous and confused love life. It’s a side of Diaz that isn’t quite exposed in his other books—we are witness to a different type of hurt, caused by Yunior’s careless/selfish decisions in his encounters with various women. My favorite line: “And that’s when I know it’s over. As soon as you start thinking about the beginning, it’s the end.”
6. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
If you haven’t yet read or seen the movie, I suggest you do, either by yourself or with a loved one—it’s by far, Nicholas Sparks’ best novel. It’s a story filled with love and loss, and finding love again, and with characters that you find yourself becoming so completely attached to that you refuse to accept anything but a happy ending. You’ll cry—a lot. So keep that pile of tissues close.
7. The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
This is a book in which nothing happens. And that’s why it’s magic. For anyone who has ever felt like they are living on “the treadmill of the ordinary” in “a cage built of convention and consumerism and obligation and fear,” this book gives you a mirror. A broken woman, lost in her regrets and addicted to replaying the inequities of the past, offers a picture of the invisible, inconsequential person we all fear we’ll become. Reading it forces you to climb deep inside the castle of your own insecurities. Close it and you come back out again, broken and motivated, eyes open to the small tragedies of the lives that stride past you on the snowy sidewalk.
8. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
If you thought House of Mirth harnessed melodrama to drive a dagger through your heart, just wait until Henry James introduces you to Milly Theale. Pristine in every way, wealthy beyond belief, Milly’s flaws number only one: she is dying. Tragic news on its own terms, but more tragic still when the news reaches Densher, the handsome Londoner that Milly has fallen in love with. But Densher, lacking in money or social standing, is in love with Kate, who is no better off than he. You can guess the plan: Densher will trick Milly into thinking he loves her. They’ll marry. She’ll die. And Voila! Densher will inherit her cash and then he’ll marry Kate. Happily ever after. The brilliant plan failed to account for one detail: Milly’s unshakeable kindness, her unflappable spirit. As the con plays out, Densher is won over by the dying woman’s moral brilliance, and after her death he presents Kate with a terrible choice: turn down all the money and marry him, or take all the money and lose him. Few novels ask the reader more directly to imagine which they’d choose: money or love.
9. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
I know, The Bell Jar isn’t your typical lovey-dovey, romance novel–it’s way beyond that. This novel is the closest we’ll ever get to the true Sylvia Plath. But more than that, it’s a twisted coming of age story of a young girl trying to chase her dreams in the city known for its glamour, wealth, and fame. I view it as being about the importance of learning to love yourself, and I don’t think Sylvia Plath’s Esther Greenwood ever had that chance. Instead, she was locked away in a psych ward, essentially pushed into her insanity.
10. Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen
I had the privilege of reading Under the Jeweled Sky while it was still in draft form, and I hadn’t read such a brilliant and beautiful, emotionally-charged love story in so long. I followed the main character Sophie from her gardens in India to the gloom of London, and back again. It’s a deep exploration into forbidden love, scandal, and leaving a beloved and magical place behind. You’ll be teary-eyed at the end but you’ll have become attached to Sophie, and you’ll be better for it.
Meta Bonus: 14 Thought Catalog Articles That Will Make You Cry
Over the years, life will give you many reasons to just sit around and do some soul searching, quiet reflection, read a little, and maybe get a little emotional and let it all out. Words are powerful, and they can help us heal broken hearts and broken spirits. Here are some of the best Thought Catalog articles for a good cry.
1. How To Emotionally Detach Yourself From The Person You Love — Koty Neelis
“So you’ll end it because you know it’s for the best, it’s the right thing to do. You’ll separate your things into his and her boxes and silently wonder how you’re ever going to feel whole again. You’ll convince yourself you two will stay friends while secretly knowing you’re simply lying to yourself to pass the time.”
2. 38 Gut-Wrenching Photos That Will Leave You Speechless — Erin Cosetta
“‘If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture’ -Eddie Adams (a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist)”
3. What It Feels Like To Be In Love When You Don’t Believe You Are Worth Loving — Jamie Varon
“You will study your face in the mirror and you will replay conversations in your mind and you will try to find the thing that makes them love you. You will doubt their love so completely and so arduously that they will tire of your doubts and your jealousy. You will not blame them. You will be the first to call off the relationship. You will feel sad but also relieved each time you two break up because, at least now you don’t have to hold out some false belief that you’re worth loving.”
4. What It’s Like To Grow Up With An Autistic Sibling — Crissy Milazzo
“When you grow up with an autistic sibling, you learn patience, with strangers, your parents, and the world at large. You hold your sibling when they cry, or you try to. You learn not to cry when they pull your hair on a long car ride. You stop comparing yourself to them.”
5. Ode To Bucky Goad — Jim Goad
“Johnny says that with the way Bucky was treated, it’s a miracle he never became a serial killer. But he says Bucky never acted bitter, mean, or violent. Time and time again after being tricked, robbed, shit on, and abused, he merely dusted himself off and came back naively seeking kindness.”
6. What It Means To Date A Girl Without A Father — Ari Eastman
“She will shy away from discussing problems. She tiptoes when you wish she would just walk. You don’t understand how someone so feisty, so full of opinions and fire, can go mute when confrontation approaches. She is flight when you would have been sure she’d fight. You get too close, things get too real, and she runs. She has tennis shoes on stand by.”
7. Deprived Of Romantic Love — Kovie Biakolo
“No, this sadness would be for desperate people. No, you’re supposed to put a smile on your face and tell everyone that every single day is such a beautiful, wonderful day to fall in love with yourself. Even on the days you feel numb inside from the performance of it all. You don’t want to perform – you just want to cry and be intoxicated with feeling empty but full, intense yet devoid of anything real; that cliché of feeling everything and then nothing all at once. And then maybe cry some more.”
8. One Sentence Love Story — Nick Cox
“Sometimes when you think you love something what you really love is not the thing itself but just some small and inessential part of it: you think you love banana splits but really you just love the maraschino cherry on top and you think you love autumn but really you just love getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and you think you love Shrek but really you just love that montage near the end after Shrek and Fiona have their falling out when he’s sitting in his swamp all alone and she’s getting ready for her wedding and Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” is playing in the background,”
9. Reflections On Seeing My Ex-Lover’s Novel For Sale At The Mall — Oliver MIller
“I experienced all the expected thoughts of failure and jealousy. My cheap new shirt was still in my backpack; suddenly it seemed very cheap and very new. I thought about my ex-lover, who now had a movie coming out. She did not have to live in a house with a bunch of alcoholics; she had met famous actors and did not have to buy cheap shirts.”
10. Long-Distance Relationships Mean Always Getting to Say Hello — Ted Pillow
“She’s much braver than me, at a new school in a new state, making new friends, away from her family and her home. How does she do it? I get anxious when it’s time to change the clocks forward an hour for daylight saving time – I could never make it.”
11. Why Do I Hate My Body? — Jamie Varon
“To be hot is to be everything. To be hot is to be afforded the luxury of having not be anything else. Female hotness is the ultimate aspiration. And. I. hate. it. Maybe I would hate it less if I were hot, if I was profiting off the system, the game. But, you know, I think I could be hot. I could devote my life to being hot. There are means. There are ways.”
12. A Letter To My Dead Father — Ari Eastman
“I closed my eyes, tried to quiet the rest of the world. I took a deep breath. I saw your smile. The gap in between your two front teeth, just like mine. The reason I won’t allow the cosmetic surgeon to touch it. This imperfection in my smile that reminds me of you. But I couldn’t hear your laugh. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hear it, Dad. I tried, I really did. I feel like it’s not so much to ask that I just hear it once more. Just once.”
13. The One Who Cares Less — Kovie Biakolo
“What people don’t seem to realize about the person who cares less or acts like they care less is that they’re usually the one who ends up being hurt the most. It is human to want love and to want to be taken care of and to want to take care of someone else. To deny that, is simply to deny one’s humanity.”
14. The Soulmate You Deserve — Cody Gohl
January nelson.
January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.
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Articles & Advice > College Admission > Blog
How to Approach Tragedy and Loss in Your College Essay
You may feel compelled to write about a difficult subject for your college essay. Here are some tips to write about hard topics with respect and impact.
by Keaghan Turner, PhD Partner, Turner+Turner College Consulting
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023
Originally Posted: Aug 5, 2019
Tragedy and loss are not easy subjects to broach in writing at all, let alone very public writing that someone else will read or hear spoken. Writing about tragedy and loss certainly won’t be for everyone, so make sure you give it some real thought before you try to dive in and put your jumbled, high-emotion thoughts to page. But if a difficult topic is the one that compels you to write a great admission essay, then it can be done—as long as it’s done the right way. Before we explore the key elements to writing about traumatic experiences the right way, here’s some perspective through a personal story of loss.
The struggles with writing about loss
One spring, there was a rash of suicide attempts at a local high school in my community. Two of them were successful; others were not. The first time I wrote about this loss was for a memorial service. This is the second time. It’ll never be “easy” to write about, just as what happened will never make sense to anyone who knew the victims. How can we use words for trauma and grief in order to make sense of what doesn’t make sense?
One student, in a mature spirit of activism, wrote an open letter to the school district office, which was posted and reposted all over social media until there was a school assembly featuring officials, professionals, and faith leaders open to the whole community. The Parent Teacher Organization gave out green ribbons to raise awareness about depression and other mental illnesses . Most immediately for the teens in my town, the words appeared via social media posts. That was how the students wrote about their loss in the weeks following the first (then six weeks later, the second) tragedy. Some students will write about it for their college essays, and they’ll need help. It’ll be important to them to do a good job, to honor the memories of their friends who passed away, to get it “right.”
To say the least, people had mixed feelings about these posts and reposts; about what should be discussed and how; and how to protect the grieving families from more suffering. It’s a small community, and these were shockingly sad events. The fact is, these tragedies have already fundamentally redefined the high school experience of the students in my town. The ripples might be subtle or pronounced, but they exist. Peers will mark time using these losses (midterms happened before , prom happened after ), and the experience will not be forgotten; it’s now part of their life stories.
Related: Mental Health: What Is It and How You Can Find Help
How to tackle writing about tragedy the right way
Difficult topics can ( and should) be broached in admission essays because they are a part of life that can’t be ignored and often play a huge part in defining who we are as people. What I told those students about handling loss with their words is summed up below, and it also applies to writers tackling any kind of special need, medical condition, or family struggle in their college essay.
Be honest and straightforward
You don’t need to have been super close to a tragedy to be affected by it or to write about it effectively. But don’t pretend you were affected in a way you weren’t; you’ll come across as phony. If you’re moved to write about a painful event, there’s a genuine reason behind that impulse. That reason is good enough; figure out what it is. That being said, powerful life events require quick-hitting, direct sentences. Be like Hemingway, my professors used to say—keep your sentences short; they have more punch that way. You don’t need lots of flowery or figurative language to convey that your subject is a big deal—but at the same time, do make sure you’re showing, not telling, in your writing . Connecting emotionally is about expressing that time through actions and events, not just thoughts and feelings.
Find your message with the right words
Superfluous language gets in the way of gravity. Be ready to prune drafts until you feel you’ve found the right semantic fit for the intention behind your words. Your essay also needs a theme, a call, a purpose. The point isn’t simply to narrate a sad story in order to show the reader how sad it is (e.g., your essay’s message is not that teen suicide is tragic); rather, the point is to connect the sad story to the essay prompt you've chosen to address. The event itself essentially takes a backseat to the points you want to make about what it means .
Be respectful
This is really the one ultimate rule, and if you do this, the other stuff can be worked out. In the context of the college essay, respect usually involves approaching your subject matter somewhat anonymously. Names aren’t necessary. If you’re engaging a serious, painful topic—and it involves others—be careful to write as circumspectly and thoughtfully as you can. When in doubt, ask someone whose judgment you trust (like a teacher or parent) to check it out for you.
Seek help for you or others
Is it easy to write about hard realities? Not at all—not in any context, not for anyone. But if you’re brave enough to try, you may find it to be transformative and therapeutic to articulate your experience as you process your grief and begin to heal. And the most important thing to remember is to take those emotions and experiences and use them to help others in the future before other tragedies strike. Writing about these situations can often shed light and inspire others to help people in need, which in the end is more crucial than anything else. If you have been affected by tragedy or are worried about a friend who is struggling, help is available. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 or a trusted adult.
For more advice on college essays, check out our Application Essay Clinic , or if you’re in need of mental health advice, check out the tag “mental health.”
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About Keaghan Turner, PhD
Keaghan Turner, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Digital Writing and Humanistic Studies at Coastal Carolina University . She has taught writing and literature at small liberal arts colleges and state flagship universities for the past 20 years. As a managing partner of Turner+Turner College Consulting, LLC, Dr. Turner also counsels high school students on all aspects of their college admission portfolios, leads writing workshops, and generally tries to encourage students to believe in the power of their own writing voices. You can contact Dr. Turner on Instagram @consultingprofessors or by email at [email protected] .
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Sad Writing Prompts: Over 50 Ideas That Are Complete Tearjerkers
- July 14, 2022
Strong emotions make for great story-telling.
Sadness is one of those emotions that pulls on the heartstrings and makes a story engaging and memorable.
The saddest stories make us cry and even summon a tear when we remember them long after we first heard them.
Even though sadness is a complex emotion, it’s part of life.
Each of us will face feelings of sadness at some point in our lives.
When it comes to story-telling, exploring sadness offers some benefits.
It allows readers to connect with the characters on a deeply personal level and can be incredibly cathartic. Catharsis is the purging of emotions through storytelling.
We’ve got you covered if you’re a writer and want an idea for a sad short story.
This article has over 50 sad writing prompts to help you get started.
The prompts below include general sad story ideas, sad opening lines, and suggestions for sad dialogue.
We’ve also included sad lines and quotes from world-famous novels to inspire you further.
50+ sad writing prompts
Check out the 50+ sad story prompts below to inspire you!
Ideas for sad short stories
The main character is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Write a story about their attempts to reconnect with distant family members during the short time they have left.
A couple who lost their child to an illness years ago adopted an orphan. Write a story from the parents’ perspective as they learn to love this adopted child.
Write a story about a teenager trying to get through high school while also battling her depression. Explore her background, trials, tribulations, and the main character’s rocky relationship with herself.
Write a story from the perspective of a dead person who watches over their loved ones from the afterlife.
One of the last remaining members of an animal species is caged in a zoo. Write a story about their memories of life before the zoo, how they got caught, and their thoughts and sentiments today.
A couple about to reunite after ten years has their plans thwarted by a global pandemic. Write a series of letters between the two lovers yearning for each other during this unprecedented pandemic. For extra drama, add a conflict to the correspondence. Does a letter go missing? Is there some vital information revealed in one of the letters, something that might change the relationship?
An older, overweight woman just wants some love and affection. Her size and the amount of time since she was held by someone make her believe she is unlovable. One day, an old friend from school shows up to ask how she is. They spend time together, have lots of fun, and make lasting memories. Our main character develops feelings for her old friend, but he won’t be around forever.
A young boy is destined to become a superhero and save the world. To fulfill his destiny, he must leave his friends and family behind without telling them and enter a strict training regime in a secret location. Write a story from the perspective of his friends and family members who believe their loved one has gone missing.
A young high school couple decides to try a long-distance relationship when high school ends, and both go to different states for college. Write a letter from one partner to another explaining why they think they should break up—include memories and sentiments from the relationship and important last things they say to each other.
Write a story about a young girl whose cat was run over on the road outside her house. Explore how her parents teach her about death and grief.
An old man slowly dying in a hospital bed recounts the story of his life to his young grandson.
A father’s alcoholism tears a family apart. Write a story from the perspective of a daughter who needs her father, but his addiction makes him indisposed to help.
In high school, all the girls receive Valentine’s day cards from the boys in class. All but one. Write a story about the girl who doesn’t get a card.
Two young lovers are forbidden from seeing each other. Yearning for each other’s company, they sneak out of their respective homes. Knowing that their love is forbidden, they never return home.
A woman whose husband is killed in war dreams about him every night and wakes up alone every morning. Tired of the pain of waking up alone, she tries to go to sleep forever.
An old man and his dog are best friends and have only had each other for years. When the old man dies, the dog is left alone. The man’s relatives take the dog into their home. Every day, the dog runs away and sits on his former owner’s grave until his new owner comes to bring him home.
Sad short story opening line prompts
When I was a child I always wanted a dog, and I had one. The three months I spent with my dog was some of the most fun I’ve ever had.
Maria couldn’t cry. She was sad and angry but tired, and crying required far more energy than she could summon.
One morning, Brian woke up alone. He was surprised until he remembered that his dream life was a dream.
The best way to break a person’s heart is to pretend that you care about them.
I loved her, and she loved me. Now I’m a stranger, and she’s a memory.
One day I woke up, and she was gone. No text, no note, nothing. Just the smell of her hair on the pillow and my loneliness were all that was left.
You never know how much you love someone until they’re gone. That was one of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn.
Have you ever loved someone so much that it broke your heart?
When I was younger, I thought love was about butterflies, smiles, holding hands, and being happy forever after. Now that I’m older, I realize how much pain it causes. Still, that doesn’t mean we should stop loving.
The day the doctor told me I was sick was the first day of the rest of my life.
Looking back on my life before I died, I realize that there were so many things I could have done differently. All the worry, the procrastination, the pointless arguments, what a waste of time!
I’m done with love. Over. Never again.
Sad short story dialogue prompts
‘No, I won’t let you go!’
‘I love you.’
‘I’m sorry, but I have to leave.’
‘I was waiting for you.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I wish you told me how you felt before today.’
‘I understand if you never want to see me again.’
‘Can we just talk?’
‘I don’t love you anymore.’
‘I heard this song, which made me think of us.’
‘Loving you is the best and worst thing ever to me.’
‘Is there someone else?’
‘I have some bad news.’
‘How could you do this to me?’
‘I need to tell you something.’
‘I have to go, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.’
‘I really thought things would be different this time.’
‘I can’t help myself.’
‘I hope you never miss someone as much as I miss you.’
‘Words can’t describe the pain I feel right now.’
‘I’m worried about you; call me?’
‘All I want is one more moment with you; is that wrong?’
‘I know you don’t want to talk to me anymore, but I just want to thank you for making me a better person.’
‘I thought you would notice, but you didn’t.’
‘How can I possibly trust you anymore?’
‘I’m not mad at you, but I’m very disappointed.’
‘One time, I would have screamed and argued with you, but now I just don’t have the energy.’
‘I heard you’re happy now.’
‘All of this hurt, all of this pain, and still I love you.’
‘I never realized loving you would hurt this much. Still, I don’t regret a thing.’
‘I dreamed we were still together, you and me.’
Sad lines and quotes from literature
“Beautiful things grow to a certain height, and then they fall and fade off, breathing out memories as they decay.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned
“Time was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on. I hope you never have to think about anything as much as I think about you.” Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
“If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?” Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper
“There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
“I know so many last words. But I will never know hers.” John Green, Looking for Alaska
“I have scars on my hands from touching certain people.” J. D. Salinger, Raise High the Roof Beam
“I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.” Amy Tan, Saving Fish from Drowning
“You see I usually find myself among strangers because I drift here and there trying to forget the sad things that happened to me.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
“The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains.” Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
‘I think everyone feels alone in their sadness, and there’s a certain value to hearing other people’s sad stories.’ Brandon Stanton, American Novelist
Sad stories evoke difficult emotions.
All of us have some sadness in our lives somewhere. Such is the nature of human life.
Many of us would rather avoid sadness altogether and only allow ourselves to feel positive emotions.
However, integrating and accepting sadness is essential for living a life of emotional stability.
Sad stories, though emotionally heavy, can help us process our own sadness.
American Novelist Brandon Stanton believes that hearing others’ stories is valuable. We experience catharsis, the purging of emotions through experiencing them vicariously through fictional characters .
Sad stories also help us feel sympathy, empathy, and compassion for others.
For writers, sad stories pose a challenge.
It’s essential to approach sad scenes and themes with authenticity and honesty.
At the same time, one shouldn’t indulge in sadness. It should exist as a theme as a by-product of the natural unfolding of events in a story.
So, if you’re a writer and you want to write a heart-heavy, tear-jerker story, use any of the prompts and ideas outlined above.
Feel free to chop and change elements of each prompt to suit you.
Take inspiration from one or several of the prompts above and craft your unique story that will bring a tear of sadness to your reader’s eye.
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How to Write a Sad Story: 33 Best Tips + Examples
Writing a sad story requires the mastery of various literary techniques, the ability to express emotion convincingly, and the skill to create characters and situations that resonate with readers.
Here is how to write a sad story:
Write a sad story by developing empathetic characters, crafting a tragic backstory, using detailed descriptive language, creating high stakes, and incorporating a fitting setting. Effective use of literary devices like symbolism, metaphors, and flashbacks can enhance the emotional depth.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore 33 techniques that can help you write a compelling sad story.
Tip 1: Develop Empathetic Characters
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To create a story that genuinely moves readers, it’s essential to develop characters that they can empathize with.
Spend time developing your characters—understand their backgrounds, their motivations, their strengths, and weaknesses.
The more real your characters feel, the more readers will care about what happens to them.
For example, in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters George and Lennie are portrayed with such depth that their struggles and ultimate downfall are deeply affecting to the reader.
Tip 2: Use Show Don’t Tell
“Show, don’t tell” is a classic writing advice that applies excellently when writing a sad story.
Instead of telling readers how a character feels, show it through their actions, dialogues, or reactions. This method involves readers more deeply as it lets them infer the emotional state of the characters.
Take as an example J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Order of Phoeni x.
Instead of saying “Harry was angry,” she shows it: “ Harry was silent. His fists were clenched in his pockets. He seemed to be chewing the interior of his mouth. “
Tip 3: Craft a Tragic Backstory
Creating a tragic backstory for your character can evoke sympathy from the reader.
This backstory can be slowly revealed through the narrative, increasing reader’s investment in the character’s fate.
For instance, in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir’s guilt over his past actions towards his friend Hassan lends a heartbreaking undertone to the entire story.
Tip 4: Use Symbolism and Foreshadowing
Symbolism and foreshadowing can be used effectively to deepen the sadness in a story.
Symbols can represent a character’s emotions or foreshadow their fate, and foreshadowing can create a sense of impending doom that enhances the tragic atmosphere.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the green light stands for dreams that Gatsby can’t reach. It hints of his eventual tragedy are sprinkled throughout the book.
Tip 5: Create High Stakes
High stakes can make a story more gripping and its sad moments more impactful.
Make sure something significant is at risk – whether it’s the character’s life, their loved ones, or their cherished dreams.
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games is a prime example.
Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the deadly Hunger Games to save her sister, making the stakes extremely high.
Tip 6: Use Detailed Descriptive Language
Using detailed descriptive language can help convey the emotional tone of a scene and make readers feel the sadness more acutely.
Describe not just what’s happening, but also the sensory details and the character’s internal thoughts.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout’s detailed narration of events brings a potent sense of innocence lost, making the unfairness and sadness of the story even more poignant.
Tip 7: Evoke Pathos
Pathos is a rhetorical device that appeals to the reader’s emotions.
Use it to create a strong emotional connection between the reader and your characters. This can be achieved through the portrayal of universal human experiences and raw emotions that the reader can relate to.
Consider Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arm s, where the protagonist’s despair and loss in war evoke deep pathos.
Tip 8: Write Realistic Dialogue
Well-written dialogue can reveal a character’s emotions, making the sadness in your story more real and relatable.
Ensure the dialogue feels natural and true to the character, and avoid melodramatic speeches that may come off as insincere.
In The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, the dialogue between Hazel and Gus is filled with raw emotion, making their tragic story even more heartbreaking.
Tip 9: Use Contrast
Contrasting happy moments with sad ones can make the tragic elements of your story stand out more.
This can be done by contrasting scenes, characters, or moods. The sudden shift from joy to sorrow can intensify the emotional impact.
An example is in Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, where the joyous moments only serve to highlight the tragic circumstances of the characters’ lives.
Tip 10: Choose a Fitting Setting
Create an atmosphere of sadness.
The setting of your story can contribute to the overall mood. A gloomy, desolate, or oppressive setting can reinforce the sad tone of your story.
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights uses the bleak moorland setting to mirror the tragic and passionate story of Heathcliff and Cathy.
Tip 11: Use Metaphors and Similes
Metaphors and similes can be used to depict emotions in a creative and impactful way.
They can offer fresh perspectives and deeper insights into a character’s feelings.
For example, in 1984 by George Orwell, the metaphor “His heart seemed to be frozen” vividly conveys the character’s despair.
Tip 12: Use Internal Monologue
There are few techniques more visceral than when you dive into the character’s mind.
Internal monologue can give readers a direct insight into a character’s thoughts, feelings, and struggles. This can make the emotional journey more personal and touching.
An example is in Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, where the characters’ stream of consciousness provides a poignant look into their inner lives.
Tip 13: Create Relatable Characters
In other words, make your characters human.
Ensure your characters are relatable and have human flaws.
Readers are more likely to feel for characters who are believable and imperfect, rather than idealized or one-dimensional.
In A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, the characters’ struggles with their personal demons are so human and raw that it’s impossible not to be moved by their story.
Tip 14: Use Irony
Irony, especially tragic irony, can enhance the sadness in a story.
It occurs when a character’s actions have the opposite effect of what was intended, or when the reader is aware of information that the character isn’t.
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is a classic example, in a situation where Oedipus, without his knowledge, makes a prophecy come true by ending up killing his father and marrying his mother, leading to his ultimate downfall.
Tip 15: Ramp Up Conflict and Tension
Conflict and tension are the driving forces of any story.
They keep readers engaged and invested in the characters’ journeys. The more the characters struggle, the more tragic their failures or losses will feel.
In Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Scarlett O’Hara’s constant struggles and conflicts, both external and internal, lend a tragic undertone to the entire story, making her eventual losses deeply affecting.
Tip 16: Write from the Heart
Let your own raw emotions flow into and through the story.
Writing a sad story requires a certain amount of emotional investment. Don’t shy away from channeling your own feelings into the narrative.
Genuine emotion can make a story resonate more deeply with readers.
In Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the author’s real-life experiences and emotions about his mentor’s illness give the story a heartfelt and moving quality.
Tip 17: Use Pacing Effectively
You want to control the emotional intensity.
Pacing plays a crucial role in managing the emotional intensity of your story. Too much sadness can be overwhelming, while too little can feel underwhelming.
Strike a balance by interspersing sad moments with lighter ones, and build up to the most emotional scenes gradually.
The pacing in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is masterfully done.
The story unfolds slowly, building tension and emotional intensity until it culminates in a deeply affecting climax.
Tip 18: Use Imagery
As the author of a sad story, create a vivid emotional landscape.
Imagery is a powerful tool for evoking emotion. Use it to create a vivid emotional landscape that reflects the characters’ feelings.
This can be done through descriptions of the physical environment, the characters’ actions, or symbolic images.
Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse is renowned for its emotive imagery.
The recurring image of the distant lighthouse, for instance, mirrors the characters’ yearning for connection and their sense of isolation.
Tip 19: Deepen Emotional Impact With Flashbacks
Flashbacks can be used to reveal a character’s past, deepen their characterization, and increase the emotional impact of the story.
They can offer insights into why a character feels a certain way, making their emotions more understandable and poignant.
In Beloved by Toni Morrison, flashbacks to the characters’ traumatic experiences during slavery add a profound layer of sadness to the story.
Tip 20: Don’t Overdo the Drama
While it’s important to evoke strong emotions, be careful not to overdo the drama.
Excessive melodrama can come off as manipulative or insincere.
The key is to keep the emotions and reactions of your characters believable and relatable.
In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the post-apocalyptic world is bleak and the father and son’s struggle to survive is heart-wrenching, yet their emotions and reactions are so realistically portrayed that the sadness feels genuine and profound.
Tip 21: Heighten Your Prose With a Poetic Writing Style
A poetic writing style can lend a certain emotional intensity to your story.
This can be achieved through the use of rhythmic sentences, beautiful metaphors, and evocative language.
The writing style in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is notably poetic.
Her beautiful and evocative descriptions of the protagonist’s depression make the story all the more heartbreaking.
Tip 22: Create a Sense of Loss
Loss is a universal human experience that can evoke strong emotions.
By creating a sense of loss in your story, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a dream, or innocence, you can tap into the readers’ emotions.
You make them feel the sadness more acutely (and, if you do your job right, even desperately ).
In Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, the sudden loss of a dear friend leads to a profound sense of grief, making the story deeply sad and moving.
Tip 23: Use Emotional Honesty
Emotional honesty is crucial when writing a sad story.
Don’t shy away from portraying the raw, messy, and sometimes ugly side of emotions. The more honest you are in depicting emotions, the more readers will resonate with your story.
The emotionally honest portrayal of grief in The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion is deeply affecting.
Her unflinching look at the reality of losing a loved one makes the book a poignant exploration of grief.
Tip 24: Let Characters Grow and Change
Characters who grow and change in response to tragic events can make a story more meaningful and impactful.
Show how the characters are affected by the sad events, how they cope, and how they change as a result.
This can make the tragedy feel more real and significant.
In Atonement by Ian McEwan, the characters’ lives are profoundly affected by a tragic event, and their subsequent growth and change add depth and poignancy to the story.
Tip 25: Create a Bittersweet Ending
A bittersweet ending, where there’s some joy but also sadness, can leave a lasting emotional impact. It can make readers reflect on the story long after they’ve finished reading.
In “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks, the ending is bittersweet. The couple is finally together, but the circumstances are far from ideal, leaving readers with a mix of joy and sorrow.
Tip 26: Use a Limited Point of View
Enhance the emotional intensity.
A limited point of view can make the emotions in your story more immediate and intense.
By limiting the perspective to one character, you can dive deeper into their thoughts and feelings.
Also, you can make readers feel more connected to them.
In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye , we only see things from the protagonist’s perspective. Holden Caulfield allows readers to experience his alienation and sadness firsthand.
Tip 27: Use Repetition for Emphasis
Another important tip is to highlight important emotional themes.
Repetition can be used to emphasize important emotional themes or symbols in your story.
By repeating certain words, phrases, or images, you can create a pattern that reinforces the sad tone of your story.
In Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, the repetition of the term “donors” and “completing” serves as a constant reminder of the characters’ tragic fate, adding a sense of dread and sadness to the narrative.
Tip 28: Use Silence and Pauses
Silence and pauses can be used effectively to create emotional impact.
A pause in dialogue, a moment of silence, or an absence can speak volumes about a character’s emotional state and enhance the sad atmosphere.
In The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, the protagonist’s silences and pauses reveal his repressed emotions and regrets, making the story subtly tragic.
Tip 29: Use Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is a situation where the audience has more information about what’s happening than the characters in the story.
And it can be used to increase the emotional tension and sadness in your story.
This can make readers more engaged as they anticipate the tragic outcomes the characters are unaware of.
A classic example is in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, where the audience knows about the tragic miscommunications and misunderstandings before the characters do.
By doing so, you make the ending all the more heartbreaking.
Tip 30: Give the Reader a Tragic Hero
A tragic hero, a protagonist with a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall, can make your story more emotionally compelling.
The hero’s struggle against their fate and their eventual downfall can evoke a sense of pity and sadness.
Jay Gatsby is depicted as a doomed hero in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby .
His obsession with the past and an unattainable dream leads to his tragic end, making the story deeply sad.
Tip 31: Apply a Ticking Clock
A ticking clock, a deadline that the characters are racing against, can increase the tension and urgency in your story.
The fear of not making it in time can make the stakes higher and the tragic outcomes more poignant.
In On the Beach by Nevil Shute, the imminent arrival of deadly radiation increases the tension and urgency, making the characters’ attempts to live normally in their final days deeply tragic.
Tip 32: Keep Readers Guessing an Unreliable Narrator
An unreliable narrator, who is not entirely trustworthy or truthful, can make your story more intriguing and emotionally complex.
The uncertainty and the eventual revelation of the truth can add an element of sadness.
In the context of a sad story, an unreliable narrator can indirectly reveal their emotional turmoil, mental instability, or personal biases, which might be the sources of their sadness.
Their skewed perceptions of reality can gradually unfold to the reader.
For example, if the narrator minimizes their pain or grief, readers might only come to realize the extent of the narrator’s suffering as the story progresses.
Or, the narrator might misinterpret events due to their depressive or anxious state, leading to tragic misunderstandings or decisions.
Tip 33: Master the Art of Subtext
Subtext, what’s implied but not directly stated, can be a powerful tool for conveying emotions indirectly.
It can make the dialogue more realistic and the emotions more nuanced.
In Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, the subtext in the dialogue between the couple reveals the tension and sadness beneath the surface, making the story emotionally resonant despite its brevity.
Here is a good video about how to write a sad story:
Summary Chart of Tips for Writing a Sad Story
Final thoughts: how to write a sad story.
Writing a sad story is an art that requires sensitivity, skill, and a deep understanding of human emotions.
By using these tips, you can create a story that touches readers’ hearts and leaves a lasting emotional impact.
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