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How do you make an unhappy ending satisfying for the readers?


Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion (un)happy endings

... make people feel good about wasting their time in front of the TV ... Alice I think a realistic ending is the best, no matter happy or sad.

Why I Hate Sad Endings | Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog

The trailer made you think there's going to be a happy ending. At ... Don't make the reader think they're getting themselves into one ...

On Happy Endings or the Lack Thereof - Justine Larbalestier

There's something very vulnerable about reading. When I am immersed in a good book I feel so utterly consumed by it that an unhappy ending, the ...

Happy-Sad Endings - Rachel Neumeier

After some tinkering, I stumbled onto a secret for creating this emotionally complex story resolution: For the happy-sad ending to work, the two ...

The unhappy ending - The Michigan Daily

The unhappy ending knocks the reader or the audience unconscious from its element of surprise. It puts the world in prospective. It speaks truth and honesty.

Making Ends Meet: How to Write a Good Ending to a Story - Re:Fiction

Good endings make sense; evoke emotion like contentment, anger, sadness, or curiosity; shift the reader's perspective; or open her mind to new ideas.

Beginnings and Endings for Your Memoir - C. S. Lakin

The reader has joined with you on this journey, and when you get to ... ending point might be a satisfying conclusion of your story.

The Anatomy of a Bittersweet Ending - Forefront Festival

Caught Between Happy and Sad: The Anatomy of a Bittersweet Ending · Element Number One: Loss. Loss is key, separating decent stories from the ...

Orchestrating the End of Your Novel - Writer Unboxed

A great ending emerges from the work itself, from the characters and the themes and, of course, the plot. To be satisfying, it has to answer all ...

How to End a Story with a Bang Not a Whimper - Dabble

Just like a compelling opening, a good ending is a bit of an art form and can take some practice. As with anything in writing, ...

The HEA Ending: Part I - All About Romance

A lot of the enjoyment I get reading romance comes from the development of the characters and their living together through their problems and not from knowing ...

A (Fairly) Sure End | - Writescape

My readers will not be satisfied with a neat bow or happy ending. And my ... And there must be a choice to be made with only two options, neither of them ...

Why I Won't Read a Book With an Unhappy Ending - Raine Thomas

Readers find them implausible and undramatic. A good ending that straddles the gulf between those two extremes is one in which your hero wins, ...

Why Write Sad Stories? - by Jennie Robertson

... readers a happy ending is what makes it a good story.) I think anything along the “happily ever after” lines rings false because we all know ...

On Carpool and Satisfying Storylines - Elizabeth Spann Craig

A happy ending, good triumphs over evil, boy gets girl, bad guy is killed, no kids are harmed. This is what makes me happy as a writer. Stephen ...

Unhappy Endings | Fantasy-Writers.org

The main thing I would keep in mind if I was planning something like this would be to make sure the ending flowed more or less organically from ...

The Art of Writing a Satisfying Story Ending - Edit911 Editing Service

Typically, the beginning of a novel sets the stage for the drama to unfold, drawing the reader in. On the other hand, the story's ending ...

Writing The Short Story: How To Write A Gripping Ending To A Story

You can choose to end your story with a satisfying conclusion – with all the loose ends tied up. Most of us enjoy this type of ending. The neat ...

Happy Endings vs. Sad Endings - Harma-Mae Smit

As a reader, I'd probably pick the happy ending every time if I have a choice. I can skim over glurge, and have many times, but a sad ending to ...

How To Find an Ending: What I Learned from Reading Fifty ...

Meeting goals and challenges are prominent in endings. I defined a goal as something freely chosen such as Nita Sweeney setting out to run a ...