I started this WIP novel earlier this year while was/am going through a difficult time. A lot of my own personal emotions are seeping into the novel and making it very sorrowful. Do you think this might work against it or work well with it? Is it something that people will probably find boring? And also, do any of you unintentionally transfer your mood unto your work?
Then its called a Tragedy. I'm working on an epic tragedy myself. Remember, a good tragedy puts the reader through patches of false hope.
I think most of us unintentionally put our general mood into our writing. As for your story being too sad, if there is such a thing, then I don't see a problem. Books which invoke no emotion suck, and books that bring out the tears or the smiles are awesome, otherwise we wouldn't have an emotional reaction in the first place. When your feelings sneak in, you're producing some of the most genuine writing you possibly can, regardless of your skills as a writer. It's real emotion. If somebody isn't looking for a sad story but reads yours anyway, then you have succeeded if it makes them feel down. Regardless of what the reader wants, if you make them feel something (unless it's anger towards how bad your story might be), good job! Edit: Out of curiosity, what makes your story - in your mind - overly sad? I for one enjoy tales which are full of despair.
This is a very good thing to keep in mind, thank you. And what makes my current story sad is mostly the overall narrative, the tragic things that happen to the characters, flashback scenes that tell of when things were well and more tone of narrative.. .. But I am planning to give a sense of hopefulness in a few ways because it might balance things out more. In my current part of the story is where all of the despair is supposed to be so the next part might be a little more hopeful.
People love a good tragedy - just think of all the "abusive childhood" books, whatever that genre is. And Romeo and Juliette. And when your own emotions go into your writing, that's when the writing gets good, so I wouldn't worry about it. I try my utmost to describe my emotions when I'm writing a scene, actually - I imagine a related or similar event in my own life and try to describe those very feelings as my character's. So far my characters have usually been described as genuine and relatable, so it's all good as far as I know! I did once read a tragedy that I wish I hadn't read, because it was sad from beginning to end - but that's not the book's fault. It was more the fact that I wasn't looking for a tragedy but mistakenly got one. But if you think about it, I still remember the story to this day - certainly a few of the key events, even how one of the characters was described, how the book opened and how the book ended - and I don't mean the event, I mean the narrative paragraph. It opened and closed with water and how the narrating character feared water would be her death. And note, I read this when I was something like 14 - I'm now 28! You could say that story was a success, regardless of the fact that I didn't enjoy it. How many books do you still remember 10+ years later, after all? As long as you make it clear in your blurb what kind of book it is, and the reader go in knowing what to expect, you're fine. What irks readers is usually when they get something they didn't expect. Imagine walking into the Dark Knight film when you expected I dunno, Hot Fuzz. It wouldn't matter how great The Dark Knight is as a film - it wasn't what you wanted - and you're gonna be pissed off lol.
Mckk said it best: just let readers know what they're getting into. For me, I don't mind sad stories so long as there are some good stuff happening. If a story is relentlessly said, tragic, grimdark, etc., then I'd be turned off by it. But just stick with your vision and just make it clear in the blurbs what reaers will be expecting from this stiry.
