Do people believe or like happy endings?

Question

I am writing a story and would like to know people's opinions on what constitutes an ending that they like. Happy, intriguing, open ended, etc.

I am not a normally positive person so I doubt I would be able to write or buy a positive ending, but I could come up with something. I dare say I can write anything.

Woops I diverged from my question. I want to know what you like in an ending.

Answer 1

It depends on the story. I like there to be some element of realism to what I read. And sometimes, the most realistic ending may not be a tie-it-all-up-and-wrap-it-with-a-big-ole-bow kind of ending. The ending has to make sense for the characters involved. And it also depends on what kind of writer YOU are and what kind of story you are trying to write. I like a good story, whether the ending is happy or not.

Answer 2

It depends entirely on two things, I think. First of all, it depends on the story and the themes within it. For instance in Lord of the RIngs, iimagine that the books were written exactly the same way up until the very end, except in the end Frodo fails and everyone dies. That wouldn't have been a good ending because the themes throughout the book suggested that good would ultimately prevail in this particular conflict. However, if the book had been written differently, with impending doom being foreshadowed throughout, then perhaps ths different ending would work. This brings me to the point that it depends on the way it is written also. Ultimately a good story is a well written story, a good ending is a well written ending, and that is what we all like in the end. It's the same in movies. People love happy endings in good movies and hate happy endings in bad movies. Same for sad endings. What really matters is how the story is told.

I hope that made at least a little sense.

Answer 3

The ending needs to draw things to a natural conclusion. This does not mean everybody has to be run over by a bus, just that the problem, or sub problem in the case of an ongoing series needs resolution.

Open ended annoys everybody, unless you are creating a serialized work (new installment every day, or at most, week).

Lord of the rings (the books) were a good example of sub problems being solved at the end of the novel, with the bigger question of the ring being unresolved until the last one.

Oh and speaking of that, the ending of Lord of the Rings was not happy. Bilbo was destroyed, Frodo was destroyed, the magic went out of Middle Earth. They defeated evil, but it cost everything.

I thought it concluded well, though I prefer ending my stories on a happier note.

Resolving things with a quirk or twist is kind of fun. Sort of catch your readers while they are napping.

A lot of SF writers like to end things with total downers. I like at least a ray of hope in an ending.

-Dio

PS - If you want to see what kind of writing I do, check out my 360 blog. Got a story going there now. Still missing some chapters before chapter 8. Just wrote it after the rest, and decided to post it first. The 5 missing ones are written, will post them one a day.

Answer 4

Happy endings are just not real. Modern narrative has usually sad endings, because there is no possible harmony between an anti-hero end the surrounding world. Check Novel Theory, by Georg Lukacs, for example. Happy endings only work in Hollywood.

Answer 5

i think that it should be realistic, so if they are in an impossible situation, dont end it with a happy ending, because readers will be like, "okay, how did that happen?" but if its realistic for a happy ending, there you go. if you plan on writing sequals, or using ht esame character, its always good to end it without a real ending, kind of letting the reader wonder, or make up there own endings. i prefer darker, sadder endings though. to me, they are a minority, which makes them more appealing when you read them. i also think that negative emotions are stronger then positive, giving the reader a more stronger connection to the book and the auther.

Answer 6

the important thing is that the ending fits the story. it does not have to be happy, but it should not be sad just for the sake of being sad either. really, i feel an ending should be a part of the story, if you don't know setting out what the ending is going to be, then leave it open ended.

Answer 7

I don't want a happy ending that's phony, but I do want a satisfying conclusion. Usually for me that means I have to feel like I'm leaving at least one or two of the characters at a place where they're going to be okay. You can have everyone else die a miserable death on last page minus two - but on the last page I want the main character walking out of the carnage and deciding to go to medical school to stop the next epidemic.

Answer 8

Sheesh - I'm embarrassed to say that I'm doing what my mother did many years ago - reading the ending somewhere along the way, to make sure it ended okay. And these are murder mysteries! I used to tease her about it - and she only read Harlequin Romances - and we know that they all ended the same. Don't worry about the ending - just write a good story and let the ending come as it will. I will say that open ended drives me mad.

Answer 9

I really don't like open ended endings. When I read a story I get into it and enter into the world of the story, but I like there to be a finish. I like positive, if not necc. happy endings.

Answer 10

It doesn't have to be a "happy ending". But you need to resolve whatever "issues" are in the story. Although, I tend to prefer books that end on a positive note.