"Love story" with a tragic ending

What are some distinctions between tragic, and morbid/depressing? I'm wondering what would slide a story from tragic into less desirable territory.

Reason for the question: I have a rather long story about a rock star who loses a wife he adores, and what happens afterward. What factors would make it morbid? What would feed into making it tragic? I showed a great deal in the story of his inner struggle with grief and loss, and it's 99% in his POV. My beta reader said I must include some inkling of the FMC's POV as well, and the only way I could figure out to do it and not break the flow of his POV, was to insert snippets of her journal. Mostly dealing with incidents that she responds to quite differently than he does, or incidents whose significance she misinterprets.

But I'm wondering if I set off down that slippery slope from "tragic romance -- cool!" to "eww, morbid and depressing."

Thoughts?

Viridian said:

To be clear, I am aware of this. I'm more concerned with the practical aspects of it.

Like, is it as simple as just not calling it a romance, or are there other things I need to worry about? That kind of thing.

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I would think emphasizing that it's a tragic story, and give clues to the tragic-ness in the blurb, and not market it as a genre Romance would be enough. Not baiting and switching romance readers is the most important part, I would think.

The tough part is marketing it as part of a Romance series. Maybe you have to market it seperately?

So we'd need to get a bit of reader-feedback, if I'm understanding you right. It's the reader's emotional response that matters.

So many times lately I need to remember it's really not about me; it's about the reader and offering him/her a satisfying experience of the story I wish to tell.

I agree with others who have said don't call it a romance. You might say "TITLE, a tragic love story about _______ is a prequel to ______." But for romance readers, even fans of your series, it should be as clear as possible that this particular book doesn't have a happy ending.

Whether you can market it in the same venues you usually market your romances really depends on those individual venues and their guidelines. For instance, if a review site says they only do romances, you at least need to inquire about whether they'll consider this one because it's part of your series but make clear it's not a romance.

Best of luck!!

I think before romance became a marketing genre there was no expectation that a love story would have a happy ending. Some of the great classics, in fact, have tragic endings.

Many people who don't read genre romance, and who don't have any respect for it either, are not averse to a good love story, so long as it's not marketed as the "dread" romance novel. Perhaps a book such as you describe might appeal to more mainstream readers, who don't necessarily expect the happy ending.

But, you know, a lot of it is what a reader is expecting when they pick up a book, what they are in the mood for. Sometimes I want something that breaks my heart and makes me cry like a baby. Other times, I want something that is going to leave me feeling happy. If I picked up a book expecting either one and it turned out to be the other, I would be disappointed, and end up disliking a book that I might have liked very well had I read it at another time.

Anna_Hedley said:

Dreamspinner have a Bittersweet Dreams imprint that's specifically for unhappy endings, so that might be what you're looking for?

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It's part of an existing series and a prequel so those who have actually read the rest of the series know the character dies. The only risk is people stumbling on it who were looking for a romance.

Maybe you should make it clear it's better to be read after other books as a prequel? You can target the Nicholas Sparks crowd I guess.

I've never read these kinds of books. Now I'm living one. Although I guess in most of these tragic love stories the characters get to say goodbye? I didn't get to say goodbye to my lover and husband of 20 years he just died suddenly and unexpectedly. I spent New Years Day 2015 being told he only had hours to live, and he was already unconscious.

I am also living a tragedy. Yet if I were to write my story as a novel I would make sure the reader is uplifted at the same time as being sad, which is what I am trying to practice day after day.
(Husband bedridden in a care home, dementia, cannot communicate etc)

One of my novels (The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q) has just such an ending. Tragic and yet uplifting at once. I personally do not like morbid or depressing books and try not to read them, and would hate to be surprised by one. I need clouds with silver linings, finding strength in tragic circumstances, etc.

Deb Kinnard said:

What are some distinctions between tragic, and morbid/depressing? I'm wondering what would slide a story from tragic into less desirable territory.

Reason for the question: I have a rather long story about a rock star who loses a wife he adores, and what happens afterward. What factors would make it morbid? What would feed into making it tragic? I showed a great deal in the story of his inner struggle with grief and loss, and it's 99% in his POV. My beta reader said I must include some inkling of the FMC's POV as well, and the only way I could figure out to do it and not break the flow of his POV, was to insert snippets of her journal. Mostly dealing with incidents that she responds to quite differently than he does, or incidents whose significance she misinterprets.

But I'm wondering if I set off down that slippery slope from "tragic romance -- cool!" to "eww, morbid and depressing."

Thoughts?

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For me, the difference between morbid/depressing and tragic is the overall feeling you're left with.

A tragic/bittersweet end might be incredibly sad, heartbreaking even, but it leaves you with the feeling that things are still somehow right. It focuses on what's good and beautiful about the situation and shows that after this story, people will heal, the world will keep turning, and life--and love--will somehow go on.

A morbid/depressing ending focuses on the unfairness, the lack of justice, and the brutality, and it leaves you to sit with it.

I can't actually think of very many stories I've read or watched that had a truly depressing end, other than stuff in the horror genre, where a dark twist is pretty common.

Your story doesn't sound depressing Deb. It sounds like someone trying to rebuild his life after a terrible loss, which would imply there's a lot of hope still.

Can you hint at the ending in the blurb / sales description? There's nothing worse than a disappointed reader who thought she/he was buying one thing and getting another. Romance readers usually expect a happy end.