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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40761
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40761
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Do consider _why_ you're choosing to write a crying scene. What it means; how it develops; what you're hoping to get out of it.

Because I think a fair bet is: the point isn't to observe, in minute detail, this one character crying. It's not about how much or how long or how hard they cry.

Instead, it's probably about something else:

- Why the character is in such distress
- How another character is working to help and make things better
- How fragile and emotional the character is (or, how dramatic and manipulative...)
- ...

So, there's a sharp limit to how much you even _want_ the physical act of crying to be the focus of the scene. Instead, you probably want to identify the deeper significance, and spotlight that -- through the crying, but not _only_ through that.

Look for what _else_ the character needs to do; what else the scene needs to carry. If you've got a character who's _only_ crying, then obviously that's going to be repetetive -- try and find _more_ for that character to do in the scene! They can demonstrate despair in words; they can develop their relationship with the protagonist in this moment of truth; they can reveal poignant backstory that makes the reader sob along with the character. And if none of these is already present in your scene -- consider coming up with _something_, and writing it in :) Because a character with nothing to do but weep, will certainly be repetitive.

All the best!

Original score: 3