Why endings are important

He should try to remember only the happy things he experiences in his journey of life. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Why are happy endings important? Ben Davis May 30, Which type of ending do you enjoy and think is most effective? A good ending is extremely important to me and it does have a big say in my overall thoughts on a book.

A surprising twist is a very effective way and I can think of several examples, but any ending has to be plausible in relation to the rest of the story.

I completely agree that cliffhangers or abrupt endings do not belong in standalone books, as we have discussed before! I agree completely! I really love open endings that leave a lot up to the reader to decide : great post Darina :.

Thanks, Emer! I guess I like closure. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree with you that the ending needs to fit the story and sometimes an ending comes as completely unexpected and unnatural to what has just happened which is disappointing.

And you are very right that plot twist endings are becoming more and more common in thrillers, I guess there are also many readers who enjoy them but I find them very hit or miss.

Great post, Darina! Plot twists are a lot of fun and I do prefer them a bit before the ending myself. I find that an open-ending is also pretty cool when you get to choose how to understand the story. Thanks, Lashaan! I agree with you that open endings are also great as they leave a lot to the imagination. Share this: Click to share on Twitter Opens in new window Click to share on Facebook Opens in new window Click to email this to a friend Opens in new window Click to share on Pinterest Opens in new window.

Like this: Like Loading Posted in helen carey posts and tagged characters , endings , good ending , Michelangelo , nick clegg , novels , Story structure. Cheers, Joab. Thanks for posting this on your own site — glad you enjoyed it! Kas Thomas kasthomas on August 28, at pm said:. Maria McCarthy on August 12, at pm said:. Lisa Cresswell on August 12, at pm said:. Julia Horton-Powdrill on August 10, at pm said:. Yes indeed, ahh much better than owh!!

Well put! So glad you enjoyed post. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. When endings loom, in other words, our minds seem to tune into the present, shedding distractions from the past and the future that have little bearing on our happiness now.

Indeed, a study suggested that endings bring about mixed emotions. In one experiment, participants—both young averaging 20 years old and older 77 —imagined being in a location that was meaningful to them, like their favorite cafe. Both groups felt more mixed emotions—less happiness and more sadness—when they imagined being there for the last time, compared to being there as usual.

In a second experiment, graduating seniors reported more mixed emotions when they were reminded that it was their last day as a student of the university. Endings seem to inspire a particular mixed emotion called poignancy. These mixed emotions, suggests at least one recent study , open the door to greater meaning in our lives. In a sense, imagined endings may offer more of the benefits and less of the drawbacks of facing a true loss. One hospice nurse famously reflected on the top regrets of the dying , based on her experiences at their bedsides.

Among them are the regret of working too much and losing touch with close friends. Why do we get bogged down in stresses and annoyances rather than treasuring everything we have? Although these questions are still perplexing, this research at least suggests a potential, counterintuitive solution: Imagine that the thing you love will soon be coming to an end.

Far from making you unhappy, this exercise may give you the capacity to better appreciate the here and now, and perhaps avoid regret later.