If anything, probably based on my age and point of view, I think a good ending has to be bittersweet with moments of colorizations towards regret. A good ending is the solving of a problem, and sometimes that requires the largest commitment of all to redemption. Take the worst case, the James Bond movies of the 1960s. After driving the coolest car on the planet, he saves the world, thumbs his nose at his boss, gets the girl (several times, I might add) and delights with a big stupid grin while the credits roll. It's a comic book. The first truly sad ending I experienced was in "The Bird of Paradise." Debra Paget jumps into a volcano to save her people. She almost broke my heart as a little boy when she comments on the idea of death by saying, "I have loved and been loved." I carried around that feeling for days. So show me the last few minutes of a Bond film and chances are I cannot guess the name of the film. They are all the same. But show me an old studio picture of Debra Paget, and you break my heart again.
I wanted the film 'Avatar' to have a sad ending. In history we know that the less advanced civilisation loses even if they put up a good fight (Zulu, native Americans). I think the message would have been stronger if the ending was sad. So yes, I think sad endings are good and probably more realistic
The only thing I don't like is when the protagonist dies in the end, although I find this happens in films more often than books (possibly because of what I read vs watch). I just find it really unsatisfying no matter how justified or necessary it is; I even got annoyed when Mr Lazarescu died at the end of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, even though it was hardly a surprise But MC-death aside, I too prefer bittersweet endings. My tastes lean towards MCs who don't really deserve 'happily ever after', and some sort of sacrifice or loss for whatever gain they receive is usually the most satisfying conclusion. I also find that although a happy ending is lovely it doesn't tend to live long in the memory, while a bit of wistfulness or some loose ends keep me reflecting on the story after I finish it. *still pondering The Killing series 1 over a week after finishing the series*
I feel much the same way. That's why I kill my lead off right away in the first chapter. It becomes a pleasant plot twist rather than a funeral dirge. The ending has impact, and I hope it is memorable. For those who do like a good melodramatic ending, I did an epilogue. I just wasn't going to bother with one of those hokey Bond endings.
I agree with both of you guys, I found out that same thing about the bittersweet/sad endings. I love happy endings but as you said, they don't live long in the memory of the reader I guess.
Not quite. I really can't explain why without giving away the story. But trust me, he's dead. Like really dead. Not undead. No vampire blood. He dies. The soul leaves his body. No sequels. I believe that comes from the reason we read stories. We are looking for emotional attachments, drama, impact. If you don't care about the plot and the characters, it's just chewing-gum for the mind.
I'm not sure that's all there is to it. I can enjoy a story a lot and really care about the characters and feel happy when it ends well for them, but maybe it's when the author doesn't give us the ending we wish for these characters that it leaves us thinking about it afterwards? In some cases to create out own alternative ending, in some cases because we try to give a meaning to everything that happened or because we try and analyze the story for messages we didn't catch right away but which has to be there... otherwise we would have read the story for no purpose.
Ahhh, there, you nailed it! It's a story about them that we read. Now, I can understand how some forms of literature appeal to certain groups. My Aunt Clara loved those bodice-ripping love novels, brought her to tears. My brother is a college professor, I can't even grasp the books he writes, much less the stuff he reads, which really is in Greek, BTW. However, we either enjoy learning about a character or we ride with him on on his adventure. We are not him, unless we have lived a similar life, but we *know* the ending is what he would have wanted. To me, life without meaning is just wasted days. If a lead character dies, loses a woman, takes on a villain while Vegas doesn't give him a smell, or just does something that has a singular meaning for him, then that's the book I want to read. Hey, sometimes lost causes are the only things really worth fighting for.
My only belief is that the ending has to fit the mood and tone of what came before. I don't think the actual eventuality matters a great deal as long as it's believable to the reader. Some 'downer endings' have never left me: 1984, Kafka's The Trial, Flowers for Algernon, The Green Mile, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Great Gatsby, anything by John Steinback. They seem to be the ones which make the most impact on the mind.
Rickswan prefers cool endings over sad endings. Example: the "dark" Star Wars film is the Empire Strikes Back. The Empire has trounced the rebellion, Harrison Ford is encased in Carbonite, and Luke's hand is missing. However, it's probably the most badass of the trilogy IMO, although the good guys lose at pretty much every encounter. Note that it doesn't have a "sad" ending, there's still hope, but it certainly ends grimly. So to summarize: Dark > Sad, Grim > Hopeless
I think of myself as open to all writing styles and techniques but always seem to feel disappointed if a sad ending is not handled tactfully, if everything that has happened in the story means nothing due to the sad ending then I can often feel that it was all a complete waste. But if it is done well, and many people have done so, it can often turn out well.
I like sad endings, but I prefer unclear ones. That is, endings that can be sad or happy, and where key characters' fate are unknown and shadowed in murky waters. Let the reader interpret it himself.
Funny you should say that. I noticed a lot of similar sad forboding phrases, paragraphs and plot twists in my own writing based solely on the time of day that I write. For example, if the sun is out and I write here, in a sunny breakfast nook, my writing is more clearly defined. It's where some of the best humor has been written. Put me in front of the computer when the house is dead quiet and black and that's when I write the better bleak(er) scenes. I've noticed it to the extent that I should gerrymander my writing to coincide with the plot point that needs to be devleoped. It's a tragic but necessary story with some light-hearted moments, kind of a 75/25 split. Perhaps the best way to write this story is to make 'me' the missing puzzle piece.
I think it depends on how you write it, and also the genre. Shakespeare killed almost everyone off in Lear, and I wasn't disappointed by that.
Ha, King Lear has one of my favourite endings of all time and yet I hate it when MCs die, I'm such a hypocrite
