On reading and writing a story: what ending do you prefer?

When I am writing it will actually depend on my mood if I want a happy ending or tragic ending. When reading I choose the type of book that fits my mood of the day.

In a story or movie or anything what i really want is a thrill (either a happily ever after ending, a sad ending or a thrilling ending)...i don't know. Maybe i just want a unique ending that would really wrap up the sotry. anyway, i think i would probably like a mystery happy ending. its cool and makes you wonder makes you think makes you want for more... =)

I like experimenting with endings. More commonly though, I tend to pick endings that conclude the plot but not the character. They're left in whatever circumstances that ending left them in and we're left to only imagine where it could've gone from there. It leaves it open in case I want to do one more book after all. I like endings that kill off all the characters too, because there's something...wonderfully deconstructive about it. I dislike happy endings, because it feels a bit unrealistic. So if I'm feeling that the story requires something a little less harsh. I'll make it a weary but good ending, or a bittersweet one instead. As you can probably guess, many of my stories can be viewed as tragedies...and the rest are subjective and left up to intellectual fancy.

Generally people like a happy ending.What i mean to say is an ending like --and they lived happily ever after..!

Whether reading, writing, or even watching a movie, I prefer a realistic ending. Which is a big reason why I hate romantic comedies. In real life, it's like 1 time in a million that things end the way they do in those movies. They all follow a basic formula: A meets B and falls in love. B thinks A is stupid/stuck-up/pretentious/any number of other negative adjectives. A keeps trying and B eventually falls in love with A. A behaves like a jackass and B kicks A to the curb. B mopes and cries and drinks martinis with friends. A appears with a grand, yet cliche romantic gesture and they all live happily ever after. I like movies that end they way they would really end if they were real life (and yes that even applies to sci-fi or fantasy movies...hence the use of the word "if"). I hate leaving a movie disappointed because the Disney ending was forced. If a happy ending is natural and comfortable, great! Let's have a happy ending. But if it's not...then no thanks.

I would always love an ending that keeps people guessing all sorts of things as the probable ending for the story. A good story is one for which a sequel could be written. Since good writing is a creative enterprise, and the best measure of creativity is to see how many more creative thoughts the original one spawns. An example is how a Nobel Prize winning discovery is chosen.

I think most people want a happy ending because life is filled with so much heartache and sadness. We secretly root for the hero (and sometimes even a villain) to succeed because life is so full of challenges. The most important thing about any sort of ending for a story is that the reader feels satisfied. The ending doesn't have to answer all the questions or say exactly what the future holds (sometimes it's even better if the reader can simply imagine the ending the way they like it or expect it would be). But the ending does make the reader know that they have gone on a journey with the characters and something has been resolved (whether it's a conflict or question or puzzle). Readers don't like to be left hanging. I think that makes writing sequels difficult. You want to create tension, so that the reader wants to go on to the next book, but you also want them to feel they have experienced a complete story in one book.