How Do You Craft a Convincingly Sad Character?

Writing a sad character involves more than just telling the reader that the character is feeling sad. A skilled author needs to show the reader the character’s sadness through their actions, dialogue, and inner thoughts.

Character Expressions and Body Language

A sad character often displays this through their outward behaviors and body language. They may have a drooped posture or be slower in their movements. They might struggle to maintain eye-contact, often look down, or showcase a need to be touched or comforted.

Sadness may alter their interactions, making them quieter or more irritable. In extreme detresses, this can escalate to visible grief or complete numbness.

Revealing Sadness through Dialogue

How your character communicates can also highlight their sadness. In their dialogue, a character’s voice may break or become quieter or hoarse. They might use negative words more frequently and may struggle to form coherent thoughts or sentences.

Physical Impact of Sadness

The exterior appearance should also coincide with your character’s internal emotions. A sad character may have red, swollen eyes, dark under-eye circles, weight loss, or a rigid posture.

Depicting Sadness in Thought and Feeling

A considerable part of developing a sad character is to dive deep into their mind. Their thoughts and feelings should reflect their sadness. They might feel a sense of heaviness, numbness, hollow, exhaustion, indecision, confusion, detachment, or experience physical ailments like dizziness, nausea, or aching.

Incorporating Sadness into a Storyline

Your storyline can contribute to illustrating the character’s sadness. The character’s reactions to external events, especially sad or tragic ones, can further expose the depth of their emotions.

Conclusions

In conclusion, writing a sad character truly comes to life when you show their sadness rather than just telling it. Immerse your readers in the character’s world; let them feel the character’s despair. Convey the sadness through behavior, dialogue, physical appearance, and thought process. These elements combined will help you create a sad character that readers can empathize with and remember.