Writing About Sad Happenings

 

I'm a little late with the blog post today. We had a tragedy in our small neighborhood circle, and neighbors have reached out to one another this morning. As I absorbed the sad news and then pulled up the blog, I started to think about writing about tragic events and loss. 

It's certainly not something we enjoy doing, but from experience, I do know this. Writing about sadness in our lives is one step in the healing process. Not a fix-all but one step. To be able to reveal our inner feelings helps us deal with whatever occurred. I'm not suggesting you start writing immediately after the tragedy, but do so later as you are trying to deal with grief or whatever else it's brought.

When we write about these events in our lives, we aren't necessarily looking for sympathy. Nor are we writing with the #1 purpose being to be published. Far from it. More about that later. We write to help us deal with the situation, to perhaps find some understanding. We write to leave a record for future family members to know and understand what happened. 

I've said many times that we should write our family stories, but that does not mean that we should only write about the happy things or those that were funny. Bad things happen in good families and are a part of our family history. They need to be addressed, too. 

Should you ever attempt to publish stories about sad or tragic events? Some would say that you should not, that it's a very private thing. They would want to keep it private by writing only for themselves or for close family members, and that's fine. Others would hope to publish what they'd written, after some time has gone by, to help others who might experience the same kind of sad happening. I have had several stories about a tragedy in my life published, and my aim was to help others., but it helped me, as well. I've had good responses from readers who thanked me for sharing. I could not have submitted those stories soon after the tragedy, but later it was possible for me to do so. In fact, I felt compelled to do so. 

What should you write when the topic is sad? You can use almost any form. Write a fiction story based on the event. Write a personal essay about it showing how you felt and what you learned, how you were able to move on. Poetry is a particularly good form to use, as well. Many memoirs are based on sad or tragic subjects. Writing your feelings in a journal is another way. 

Writing can soothe the sharp edges of sadness. Not right away but as time goes by and you're still dealing with it.