How to show a crying/sad scene without using sentimentalism?

Question

Previously, I had no difficulty in showing a scene like that, and as for me, to show a crying scene I'd write something like "then a teardrop rolled by her cheek". However, I had read an article from a respected writer (I can't remember who) saying how sentimentalism is bad for a story, and used as an example a crying scene, and said that writing something like "then a teardrop rolled by her cheek" is too sentimental, however, this writer didn't tell how it should be written without sentimentalism, which is hard, because the act of crying is itself something sentimental, making it not sentimental I would be telling, not showing.And that's what I want to know: how to show (not tell) a crying or sad scene without using sentimentalism?

Answer 1

to avoid sentimentality it's best to give your characters' authentic reactions, ones we believe. If not, the character who bawls is seen as silly, ridiculous, cowardly or a whiner, in all not a character we'd like.

And as a filmmaker I can tell you that often when a character cries, the audience does not. They've been robbed of the emotional journey they could have taken, that of experiencing the moment. Also in real life many of us work hard not to cry, not to show how we feel.

What we do instead is telling. Sometimes we leave so as to experience sadness privately. Or we divert our attention by initiating outrageous small talk or grabbing a drink or feverishly cleaning a spot off our shirt, or getting crazy angry. Often the character behaves uncharacteristically which tells the viewer how hurt, scared or sad he or she is.

You might ask yourself what you do when you want or need to hide your emotions? Or ask other people what they do, both men and women. And by the way, it's been proven that we believe people's actions far more than their words.

Allegedly, the famous actress Bette Davis had trouble crying on screen so right before the director called action, she ripped out a nasal hair thus making her eyes tear! Now wouldn't that make a terrific piece of business for a scheming character?!

(I hate to admit it but I can cry on cue when an officer pulls me over to give me a ticket. What does that say about me?)

Finally you may want to go back to a book, a short story, or a film that moved you to tears. Notice the details and situations that got you there. Or think about when and why you cry...

Please note the above comments also hold true for novels and plays, and life!

Hope that helps,

Shelley