Must Stories Have a Happy Ending?

 Do you feel cheated when you finish a book if the ending is not a happy one?

People often do. A good friend of mine confesses to reading the end of a novel before she buys it. If the ending is not happy, she puts it back on the shelf. Now that she reads on her Kindle, it's not so easy to preview the book's ending, but she usually goes with authors she can count on to let their characters live happily ever after.

I have no such requirement in mind when I read, or for that matter when I write a novel or short story.

What I want is for all the loose ends to be tied up, for all the characters' problems to have a chance at resolution (even if the resolution is not particularly a happy one), and most importantly, for the ending to be uplifting and offer hope.

Although most of my novels do have a happy ending, I do not insist on making that happen. Maybe the best thing that could happen to the characters is that they go their separate ways. Perhaps they were making each other miserable. Now, however, they may have a chance to find the one person who will make them truly happy.

Maybe the protagonist's dream has been shattered, but he finds the courage to carry on and find a new dream.

There are so many what if's. Life is like that.

Visit my Kindle Store and take your pick, All of my books are only $2.99.

If you don't have a Kindle, no problem. You can download a freeKindle reader for any smart phone, iPad, PC, or Mac. The download is offered on the Kindle website.

I do all my reading on my iPhone or my iPad because they come with a built in night light.

Also, take a look at my nonfiction books. I have all of my Simple Steps to Sentence Products on sale for 4 days in my Teachers Notebook Store. in celebration of my three grandsons' birthdays. Happy Birthday to Alec and Mason who turn 16 on the 27th,  and to Dawson who turns 10 on the 30th. 

I love you guys! You have my heart!

My teaching tip is being featured today on TeachersNotebook.com
Click here to read: So Many Papers to Grade: So Little Time.

All the best,