Grief. It directly represents a deep sense of sorrow, often associated with loss, which is a common theme in sad stories.
Melancholy. It has a more subdued and lingering sense of sadness. A sad story could be filled with a melancholy mood, perhaps a story about an old man looking back on his life with a tinge of regret and a general feeling of melancholy for the things that could have been different.
Despair. This word conveys a feeling of complete hopelessness. In a sad story, the character might be in a situation where they see no way out, and despair can be a very powerful word to use to describe their state of mind. For example, in a story about a person who has lost everything in a war, they might be filled with despair as they face an uncertain future with no home and no family left.
You could say 'a tragic tale' or 'a sorrowful narrative'.
Tragedy. A tragedy often involves a sad or disastrous event.
You could consider 'The Broken Heart's Lament' or 'Tears in the Rain'. They convey a sense of sadness and tragedy.
Names like 'Tears in the Rain', 'The Broken Heart's Lament', 'Shadows of Sorrow' can be good names for a sad story. 'Tears in the Rain' gives an image of someone crying while it's raining, which is often associated with sadness. 'The Broken Heart's Lament' directly tells about a broken heart and the lamenting that comes with it. 'Shadows of Sorrow' implies that sorrow is following like a shadow.
One could be 'The End of a Dream'. Another might be 'Lost in the Abyss of Sorrow'. And 'A Heartbreaking Farewell' would also work well.
The pacing of the story matters. Slow down the narrative when the sad event is about to occur or is happening. This gives the reader time to soak in the emotions. For example, if a character is about to be told bad news, describe every little detail of the moment, like the ticking of the clock, the look on the person's face who's about to deliver the news.
My '5 words sad story' is 'Hope, gone, dark, fear, end'. A person had hope, perhaps for a better future or for a relationship. But then it was gone. All they could see was darkness. Fear crept in and they felt like it was the end of everything, as if there was no way out of their misery.
For my '5 words sad story': 'Heart, break, tears, cold, night'. One night, a heart was broken. Tears flowed freely. The cold of the night seemed to seep into the very soul. It was a moment of pure sorrow, when the world seemed to stop and all that was left was the pain of a broken heart.
First, choose words like 'lonely' and 'lost' to set a sad mood. Then use strong emotional verbs like 'grieve' or 'suffer'.