Think of a relationship ending. Like 'She moved on. I'm left in the past.' It's about capturing that one moment of pain or loss. You can also consider the loss of a dream, say 'Dreams shattered. All hope seems to fade.' Here, it shows the despair that comes with the loss of something one has been hoping for.
Gift, rejected, sad. Imagine you put a lot of effort into a gift for someone. It could be a handmade item or something you carefully selected. But then that person rejects the gift. It makes you feel sad because not only is the gift not appreciated, but also your feelings behind it are ignored.
Think of tragedies like death or separation. Then condense it. Such as 'Mother gone. Empty world now.' You need to strip away all the extra details and get to the core of the sadness in a very concise way.
Use relationships. 'Family split, home broken.' When a family breaks apart, it often means the safe and warm place we call home is no longer the same. It can be due to divorce or other family issues, and it's a very sad situation.
Use strong verbs like 'lost' and 'die' in it.
One way is to use descriptive imagery. For example, if a character has just received bad news, you can transition to the next scene by describing the grey, dreary sky as the character walks outside, mirroring their internal state. This smoothly takes the reader from one sad moment to another.
Think of a dark concept like death or loss. For example, 'Death came, took all away.'
First, decide on a theme. It could be love, adventure, or mystery. Then, start writing. For a 236 - word story, you need to be concise. For example, if it's a love story, introduce the characters quickly. Maybe a boy and a girl meet on the 236th day of the year. Write about their first encounter in just a few words. Then, describe their feelings in a simple yet powerful way. End the story with a thought - provoking conclusion within the word limit.