Make Your Readers Cry

ABOUT!:

 Fact: Writers are sadists who like to make people cry about things that never even really happened.

They have many tricks. One of the trickiest is dogs. I read a book about a dog once. Two hours later. BAM! That dog was dead. I then read another book about a dog. Two hours later. BAM! That dog was dead. Then I watched a movie about a dog. BAM! It died. To top it all off there is even a movie called “All Dogs Go To Heaven,” which could be the tale of a deranged puppy killer, or a heartfelt children's cartoon depending on which critic you ask.You know who writes movies? Writers. Writers who may or may not be cats. I call this the Dead Dog Conspiracy. There was an entire book about it called No More Dead Dogs. The dog does not die in this book because it was never even alive. Instead it was burned in effigy. What does that tell you?

If dogs aren't available, use a child. Children are sometimes even more effective, especially if they have curls, or big bambi eyes. Death in general tends to work well. I once read a book where a there was a character. He died. I do not remember how or why, but it all made me very sad. Sickness or physical malady works well too, so does making your characters want to cry, if they're likeable. Sometimes writers even combine crying attributes to gain an even bigger cry, like Charles Dickens did with Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim is tiny, crippled, and dies. There is a lot that can be learned from that example.

THE CHALLENGE!: In 300 words or less, write the saddest scene that you possibly can about a dalmatian and his best friend the wily elephant.