Are You Really Writing a Tragedy?
How to figure out what kind of story you’re writing, and why it matters.
When ever I teach a class about story arc or plotting, I always ask my students if they’re writing a tragedy.
Usually, in a class of adults, most people (actually usually none) are writing non-tragic stories.
If I’m teaching teenagers, usually about half of them raise their hands. Kids love a good tragedy. Or at least, they think they do. What they mean is that they’re writing a sad or intense story, which isn’t the same thing.
A tragic story is one where the main character is either dead at the end, or would be better off dead. You can have a very sad story, but if at the end the main character has learned something and will soldier on, the story isn’t tragic.
The only reason the definition matters, as far as writing goes, is because a tragic story follows a different story arc than a non-tragic one.