It may be that one of your goals as an author is to get your readers to cry. While this does sound a little dark, it also makes sense. Often, crying is a sign that readers have truly connected with the story and its characters. It shows they care deeply about the journey you've written. However, there isn't an exact way to write a story that will make people cry. After all, what's sad to one person may be completely hilarious to another. That being said, there are five pieces of advice that will help make your writing more emotional to readers. Discover these tips down below!
Write From Your Heart
Even though your story may be fiction, you should still write from your heart. (Especially if you are trying to get your readers to cry.) Writing from the heart consists of drawing from personal experiences or emotions, which will be extremely beneficial when trying to get your readers to cry. For readers to cry, they need to feel that sense of authenticity and the weight of real emotions. That's why writing from the bottom of your heart is important. When you write from a place of vulnerability, it resonates with readers on a deeper level.
Create Relatable Characters
Now, the best thing you can do if you want your readers to cry is to write relatable characters. There is no way that readers will cry about a character who is perfect, boring, or just plain unrealistic. That is why you need to develop characters that readers are bound to connect and relate with. After all, readers aren't going to cry just because the characters are crying, rather, they'll cry if they can relate to the sad moments your characters are going through. As a result, make sure you develop characters with strengths, flaws, dreams, and insecurities that readers can identify with. When readers see pieces of themselves in characters, they’re more likely to feel their struggles and victories.
Plot a Difficult Journey
It is also a good idea for you to plot a difficult journey for your characters when you want your readers to cry. When you put your characters through challenges it forces them to grow, struggle, and sometimes fail. Ultimately, this is sure to lead to emotional moments which may cause your readers to cry. Overall, challenges and high-stakes journeys—whether it’s dealing with loss, navigating relationships, or facing fears—are sure to evoke empathy from readers.
Include Sad Dialogue
One of the most traditional ways to make your readers cry is by incorporating sad dialogue. Dialogue that conveys a character’s pain or longing can be especially powerful. That is why when seeking to make your characters cry, you should aim for raw and emotional dialogue that reveals the vulnerability of your characters. That being said, sometimes, what your characters don’t say is even more impactful. Continue reading below for an example of how subtle dialogue can create a better emotional impact. The dialogue is from a scene where a mom is comforting her kid before the mom's risky surgery.
Example: Explicit Dialogue
Child: "Will you be home soon, Mom?"
Mother: "We talked about this, honey. It depends on the surgery, and you know the odds are slim."
Example: Suggested Dialogue
Show Don't Tell
Connecting to the previous point, you must show rather than tell when writing emotional scenes. "Showing" will more effectively draw your readers into your story and therefore make them more invested in the stakes and your characters. That's why you should make sure to use subtle actions, expressions, and setting details to illustrate your character's emotions rather than explaining them. Let readers experience the heartbreak and sorrow through immersive details, such as a trembling hand, a lonely room, or a wistful gaze.
Overall, while there’s no guaranteed formula to make readers cry, the tips above are powerful strategies to create emotional moments. Simply remember to write from your heart, write relatable characters, and include heart-wrenching dialogue.
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