Home
>
Writing
>
Make Your Readers Cry

Make Your Readers Cry

You know, I really hate it when someone catches me crying over a book.

I surreptitiously dab at the corners of my eyes with a finger. I turn away from anyone else who might be in the room. Darn it! Why was I born such an emotional sponge?

The good part is, of course, that the author has succeeded admirably. I am really involved with those characters. When bad things happen, I'm aghast. I can feel their pain. I want things to get better for them - as soon as possible! I can't turn those pages fast enough to find out what happens next.

We'd all love to think that our prose is powerful enough to have readers reaching for the tissues. But how do we do that? What's the secret to putting words together to make our readers cry?

If We Don't Know Them, We Don't Care

Some of you probably sob regularly over sad stories on the nightly news. Others are more hard-hearted - it really takes a lot to make you cry.

Let's imagine you're sitting down in front of the TV set. You're only half-watching the news; flipping through a magazine at the same time. Then up comes one of the night's big stories - a major road accident. You gaze at the mangled wreck and shake your head. There are some awful accidents...

Then the announcer gives a name. You sit bolt upright, and take another look at the car. Your heart sinks like a stone. Oh no... oh no. That's Janet's son they're talking about. That road fatality - that STATISTIC - is the youngest son of one of your neighbours; so proud of his first car. Your hand flies to your mouth, and tears spring to your eyes. Oh, poor Janet...

There's a lesson here. Bad luck is infinitely more tragic if we know the person concerned. We put ourselves in the place of his/her family members. We start thinking about the repercussions.

We HURT.

How can you apply this knowledge to your writing?

Give The Reader A Chance To Get To Know Your Character

You've probably been advised many times to plunge the reader into the story right away. Start at the point of change. Dive into the action; involve the reader.

This is good advice - to a point.

I've read far too many books (published and unpublished) in which the author has begun with Something Bad happening to the main character. The idea is to get the reader hooked from the first sentence. Oh my goodness... how will Jane get out of this?

The bad news is, it doesn't always work. And almost always, the reason it doesn't work is because we're reading about strangers. To become really involved you have to 'become' the viewpoint character. Then you will feel her pain!

Let's dig into this a bit more. Living in your own skin, you have a whole slew of background experiences to call upon. If 'something bad' happens to you, there's a history all waiting.

Case One

You support a talented child all the way through to Olympic success. You've lost count of the sacrifices the family has made. Then at the crucial moment - that child loses his balance on the swimming blocks at the Olympic selections meet and is disqualified. Years of training down the drain. (OK, it happened to Ian Thorpe... but it could have been anybody: the years of training and sacrifice are the same.) How does a parent feel? How does the athlete feel?

Case Two

You scrimp and save for years, sometimes working three jobs, and finally build a successful business. At last, you are financially secure - you can have anything you want. Then your partner, having siphoned off all the money, leaves the country. You're bankrupt. At nearly sixty years of age, you have nothing.

So? you're saying. Wouldn't either of those two scenarios be good openings for a novel? Losing your balance at the crucial moment? Going to work one day to find you'd lost everything?

Yes. Both could work. BUT... hold on a minute.

To make us really care, why not take a little bit of extra time? Get into that character's mind. Help the reader to slip into his skin... to settle in, finding out some of the history. This is what will make us care.

It need not take up much story time or space: sometimes just a few extra paragraphs. Sometimes a couple of pages. You don't have to go into flashback or spend pages telling the backstory. A few hints are enough.

Don't start with the explosion - show the happiness of the victims a few moments beforehand. THEN have the big bang, when we know enough about them to care. Foreshadow the danger, or the approaching disaster, while we're getting to know the characters. THEN show things going wrong.

Here's an example from a published book: Demolition Angel by Robert Crais

Code Three Roll Out
Bomb Squad
Silver Lake, California

Charlie Riggio stared at the cardboard box sitting beside the Dumpster. It was a Jolly Green Giant box, with what appeared to be a crumpled brown paper bag sticking up through the top. The box was stamped GREEN BEANS. Neither Riggio or nor the two uniformed officers with him approached closer than the corner of the strip mall there on Sunset Boulevard; they could see the box fine from where they were.

"How long has it been there?"

One of the Adam car officers, a Filipino named Ruiz, checked his watch.

"We got our dispatch about two hours ago. We been here since."

"Find anyone who saw how it got there?"

"Oh, no, dude. Nobody."

The other officer, a black guy named Mason, nodded.

"Ruiz is the one who saw it. He went over and looked in the bag, the crazy Flip."

"So tell me what you saw."

"I told your sergeant."

"Tell me. I'm the sonofabitch who's gonna approach the damned thing."

Ruiz described seeing the capped ends of two galvanized pipes taped together with silver duct tape. The pipes were loosely wrapped in newspaper, Ruiz said, so he had only seen the ends.

Riggio considered that. They were standing in a strip mall on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, an area that had seen increasing gang activity in recent months. Gangbangers would steal galvanized pipe from construction sites or dig up plastic PVC from some poor bastard's garden, then stuff them with rocket powder or match heads. Riggio didn't know if the Green Giant box held an actual bomb or not, but he had to approach it if it did. That's the way it was with bomb calls. Better than ninety-five percent turned out to be hairspray cans, some teenager's book bag, or, like his most recent call-out, two pounds of marijuana wrapped in Pampers. Only one out of a hundred was what the bomb techs called an "improvised munition".

A homemade bomb. This introduction of Charlie Riggio takes up roughly one printed page. The author spends another three and a half pages letting the reader get to know Charlie. We see how careful he is; how much experience he has. We are led through the procedure of checking out the bomb prior to its disposal.

And when the bomb detonates at twenty-eight thousand feet per second and kills Charlie, do we care?

You better believe it.

Let the reader get to know your character before you wield the axe... and the tears will flow.

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/

limo prices to midway Harrods Creek .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says DNA tests pose privacy risks like shared genetic information, inaccuracies and hard data deletion.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this enormous airship revolutionizes cargo transport by flying to remote areas.

Understanding the language of the internet can help you protect your personal information from bad actors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Woven City is Toyota's experimental city that is a fully functional environment for people to live, work and play while doing research.

The line between spam and scams is thin. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson details his tips for identifying and avoiding phone scams, robocalls and unwanted solicitations.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Kurt the CyberGuy takes you through the steps to easily set your preferred web browser whether you're using a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone or Android.

Google, Instagram, Facebook and weather apps can track your location and use that data to serve you ads; here's what you can do to protect your privacy.

A new debate has emerged about whether airlines should charge passengers based on their weight to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Hipshipper, which is used by eBay, Shopify and Amazon sellers, exposed millions of shipping labels.

Boxabl’s Baby Box is a 120-square-foot foldable home that can be set up in 60 minutes and has off-grid features. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says it's designed to maximize functionality.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Major IoT data breach: Mars Hydro database with 2.7 billion records exposed. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the breach is a reminder of the risks that come with using IoT devices.

Unitree H1 robots dance at gala, blending AI and tradition. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson examines the convergence of cutting-edge technology and traditional culture.

For the first time ever, SpaceX launched a rocket into space from Florida and landed the booster the Bahamas, allowing for future polar-orbit spaceflight missions.

Attackers use caller ID spoofing and AI voices to steal money. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson provides seven ways to protect yourself.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about the Genesis GV60 MIV, an electric rescue EV with snow tracks for extreme missions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you ensure a smooth online experience with a reliable, secure home network setup.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about Vollebak’s Shielding Suit, which blocks EM radiation, infrared and tracking for privacy.

Even Apple products are vulnerable to cybercriminals, and a new report suggests the owners of Mac products will have to be more vigilant this year.

An inflatable six-person tiny house from a firm called 2001 looks like a space station with its inflatable dome that is transportable and eco-friendly.

Scams cost Americans an estimated $159 billion every year and average about $3,500 in losses per victim. The CyberGuy has advice to protect yourself.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Zeekr and Waymo are joining forces for the world's first mass-produced autonomous vehicle, combining an electric vehicle with self-driving technology.

A humanoid robot training center has opened in Shanghai, a big step in China's efforts to become a global leader in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Make Your Readers Cry

Writing