The poll closed a few days ago. With an impressive fourteen votes, woo! Thanks to everyone who voted, your opinions are appreciated. The results actually surprised me. Of course I expected the majority to prefer happy endings. Who doesn't like it when the guy gets the girl, the day is saved and a corner of your heart is warmed by the end of a story? (UNLESS the story is SO bad that it makes you cheer for the villan and secretly hope the story's hero/heroine falls into a well. A deep well. But that is a post for another day.) The options were:
1. I like happy endings. (5 votes)
2. I think sad endings are more realistic. (0 votes)
3. I like bittersweet endings. (7 votes)
4. I like abrupt endings that leave you hanging. (2 votes)
Happy endings did pool alot of the votes, which was expected. What surprised me was how many people like bittersweet endings. I've been a fan of them, selectively and for the right books. I like bittersweet endings for the end of dystopian/depressing-type stories when if the author made a happy ending that would have been impossible under the conditions in the book (ie. Hunger Games and Mockingjay).
I am very glad there were no votes for the second option, after all, if we wanted realistic we would just have to look up from our book. As for the last, I only like these endings when they are the first or second books in series. If it is a stand-alone and it leaves the ending hanging, implying a follow-up book and there isn't one ... Well, grrr.
The happy endings and bittersweet just depend on the book. If I love the characters and I want them to pull through and get their happy ending, there better be a happy ending. Bittersweet I prefer when I'm writing and I prefer to read happy endings. I sometimes think that happy endings are a little overdone.
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