Dan put the phone back in his pocket and broke into tears, slowly sitting down on the stairs. He was going to be a father.

[alpacinou]

Is there a verb which means "slowly sit down" because you are extremely sad or happy? What can I use in these examples?

1. Dan put the phone back in his pocket and broke into tears, slowly sitting down on the stairs. He was going to be a father.
2. Patrick ran his hand over his head and slowly sat down, processing the news. His wife had filed for divorce.

 

[Barque]

1. ... lowering himself down to sit on the stairs.

2. ... lowered himself into a chair.

 

[5jj]

... slowly sinking to the stairs.
... slumping to the stairs.

 

[Barque]

A perhaps minor point: To me, "slump" implies a quick or sudden downward movement, because you lose or give up muscular control. I think the OP was referring to a slow and deliberate downward movement. "Sinking (down)" sounds good.

 

[jutfrank]

Is there a verb which means "slowly sit down" because you are extremely sad or happy?

You don't need a verb that has that meaning. Above all, you need to create the meaning yourself. Your aim is to put meaning in the mind of the reader, right? Can you think of a verb that would convey the emotions that Dan is feeling? Remember, in the specific literary genre that you confine yourself to, you have so much room to play with figurative language.

Can you tell us again why it is that you're interested only in this particular kind of literary English? Why does everything you write sound like it's meant to be in a novel? Who exactly do you imagine as your readers? If you want to become a novelist, you need to develop your style quite significantly. We can't do that for you. If you don't want to be a novelist, then what's the point of all this?

 

[alpacinou]

You don't need a verb that has that meaning. Above all, you need to create the meaning yourself. Your aim is to put meaning in the mind of the reader, right? Can you think of a verb that would convey the emotions that Dan is feeling? Remember, in the specific literary genre that you confine yourself to, you have so much room to play with figurative language.

Can you tell us again why it is that you're interested only in this particular kind of literary English? Why does everything you write sound like it's meant to be in a novel? Who exactly do you imagine as your readers? If you want to become a novelist, you need to develop your style quite significantly. We can't do that for you. If you don't want to be a novelist, then what's the point of all this?

I ask questions here for a variety of different reasons. Sometimes, I learn a new idiom/word and try to write a very short story using that idiom/word so that I can effectively learn it.
Sometimes I practice writing flash fiction. When unsure about a sentence, I ask about it here.

 

[alpacinou]

... slowly sinking to the stairs.
... slumping to the stairs.

Great suggestions! Can I use both of them?

Patrick ran his hand over his head, slumping against the wall. He then slowly sank to the stairs.

 

[5jj]

Yes.