Happy Ending?

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Sophi57
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Re: Happy Ending?

Post by Sophi57 »

Readers often become attached to characters especially if you've done your job as a writer. This is why they want happy and hopeful endings. They want to see that life can at least find content. However, I like to think that the best ending are somewhere in between.
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DragonTeethDice
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Post by DragonTeethDice »

I think most people prefer to end on a positive note. Mind you, a tragic or dark ending may be more memorable or more useful for teaching a lesson. But I mostly read for fun these days. I'm not looking to expand myself through a study of the Humanities. If a story leaves a mental aftertaste, I prefer the flavor of chocolate over the flavor of poop. That said, I do appreciate cliffhangers and dilemmas intended to make me want to read more.
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Post by elanger333 »

Hello! I prefer happy endings in stories because life doesn't always end up that way. I'm a bit sensitive and can really become attached to characters. But I really do think there is a need for people to create stories where endings are questionable because that can stir people up and create change. If "The Jungle" was a happy book, then there would have been no Clean Meat Act.
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Post by Rebeccaej »

I think I prefer endings that realistically address the nuances of whatever issues have been brought up, more than I prefer "happy" or "sad" endings.

Thinking through the endings of my own stories, I have, "the character gets exactly what he wants, but it was a trap. It kills him, but he dies happy;" "What the character wants just can't exist in this world, but she has the chance to start her own world and create it for herself;" "We're trapped in an eternally hopeless situation, but, after having experienced so much suffering, we've learned to shamelessly enjoy ourselves in whatever way we can." That last one actually ends with the suggestion that the narrator and his companion may someday attempt suicide together, "...but while we can, we might as well have a bit of fun."

So...they're mixed. I like nuance. I do like the nuance to have a positive, hopeful element, though.
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Post by Serena_Charlotte »

I personally hate happy ending because they are unrealistic and are, frankly, cliché. Lately I have taken to realism and find that the book is more relatable if it doesn't have the happiest of endings. I mean, it can't end in total tragedy, that's horrible, but not everything can come to a happy resolution.
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Post by lily_kh87 »

I prefer happy endings, but to be honest, shocking endings are better but I just don't like to feel sad after reading a book lol
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Post by Mys »

I think ending types depend on why you like to read. There are people who like "real" stories, while others like to escape real life.

I prefer HEA because life can suck and I really don't want some fictional character to get the short end of the stick.
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Post by Amagine »

Most times, I prefer a happy ending. I wouldn't be upset if an ending was provocative or if the bad guy won in the end. The reason is because that would make it exciting. People are so accustomed to happy endings in books and film that when there isn't a happy ending, they freak out. I want to read something unpredictable. Unfortunately, happy endings are extremely predictable.
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Post by Rebecca Henderson »

It might be vague, but I like endings that make me think. For example, I recently watched The Hateful Eight and the ending left me so stunned I had to share it with my boyfriend. He felt the same way! I felt as if the entire plot was destined to end in a bloodbath and (spoiler alert) everyone dead. When it did, I felt as if my expectations of a triumphant ending were dashed. I think the fact that a lot of the plot was based on clever lies was also part of that let-down.

In the end though, the story left me thinking about it long after I'd watched the movie. I'll remember the characters very well, and the though the plot rankled me a bit, I did admire the story-telling.

My question about the happy ending is this: how do you avoid cliche but achieve a happy ending nonetheless? Can happy endings be achieved without melodrama? On the flip side, if an ending is tragic, is it just that way because the author wanted to avoid the pitfalls of a happy ending?
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Post by katiestardis »

I prefer a happy, but realistic, ending. I hate when the ending seems contrived or forced, but it's almost worse when I've read a whole series to have the main character die at the end.
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Post by csimmons032 »

I definitely prefer happy endings. I have read my fair share of sad and flat out terrible endings, but overall I would much rather read an ending where everything works out well for the character(s).
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Sushan Ekanayake
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

I usually like to see a happy ending of any story. yet, the most memorable stories I can remember are the ones which had sad endings
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Post by Khrysalis »

It's good for a reader to experience a dark or tragic ending from time to time. It makes the happy endings all the sweeter. Makes it so I don't take the stories that end in victory or jubilation for granted, nor become bored with them. Helps keep that delicious fear in the back of my mind that maybe things won't turn out well, maybe a dream won't come true, maybe lives cannot be saved, maybe the dark and creeping things have all the advantages after all, and maybe all of these efforts are for naught. It's important to believe all of that when reading a book, and having books that make those beliefs true, they're just as important as the happy endings.
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Post by Inkroverts »

I think a lot of stories have an uncertain ending because the writers want to pave a way for the second instalment.
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Post by Thea Frederick »

As a reader, I prefer, not necessarily a happy ending, but a satisfying one. If I am going to go out of my way and take the time to read a book, I don’t want to reach the ending and think “well, now I’m going to be depressed for a week.” Which some books can do. I want the ending to feel right. As if what needed to happen happened, even if it’s not necessarily what I would have wanted or what might have been happy. I don’t find much point in reading if a book is going to leave me depressed and melancholy, you know? So, even if the ending is not happy, I at least want it to sit right in my mind. Preferably give me something to contemplate, but in a good way. An ending that makes me think. Think about my life, and how I can improve. And even if the ending is not tragic or sad and not something that makes you say “well, that’s real life for you”, I don’t think this makes the ending unrealistic. Like I said, I like a ending that feels right, and often times, that requires something from the characters, not the scenarios. Perhaps remorse, forgiveness, or love. An ending like that can be equally realistic. But maybe one would argue that “people are not always going to be sorry for the evil they have done” or “they might not forgive before they die” etc. but I think that there is enough of that in the real world for us to see and experience, why surround ourselves with it more than is necessary? What good will that do us, even if it is the most realistic ending of all time?
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