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Happy Endings MAG
September 14, 2009
I have noticed that many of the fiction and nonfiction works published in Teen Ink have a positive outlook, a happy ending. While these are pleasant to read, one has to ask, when is optimism too much? I'm all for positive thinking, but readers should also be exposed to the darker side of life. Why not publish a story about someone who experiences a tragedy and gets nothing in return? After all, that's life.
Also, some stories feature young people who have overcome drug addictions or eating disorders. While these experiences are appreciated, what about those who face an addiction but are unable to defeat it?
Not every story has a happy ending. I think it would benefit Teen Ink's readers to see both kinds: happy and real.
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This article has 21 comments.
lovelymoon SILVER said...
on Jun. 10 2011 at 3:55 pm
I truly agree with you and me, like many others reading TI out there, do enjoy angsty pieces due to the emotion that's in there but optimistic pieces are also very important to have, especially in a magazine geared towards teenagers. At this stage in our life, we have to know that things will get better and that we can overcome things like bulemia or cutting or a close friend dying. That's why true stories filled with optimism are so great to have in TI.
WritingSpasms said...
on May. 8 2011 at 3:42 pm
I don't mind happy endings, but I find that dark conclusions are easier for me to write, simply because there's more passion and realism.
Uhavgot tobe kidinme said...
on Apr. 9 2011 at 4:12 pm
we read books to get out of everyday life NOT to read about some tragic death where nobody gets the guy or everybody commits suicide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when peple read a book they want a sad beggining a mystery as to whether someone will die in the end (maybe they do on rare occasions) and then we want a happy ending like i said before we read books to GET OUT of reality!!!!!!!!!!!!
loms said...
on Mar. 14 2011 at 10:18 am
ok job and good
DreamsAreBroken said...
on Dec. 28 2010 at 8:32 am
i agree completely. when i was little i wouldnt read fairytales, still wont. i agree. in alll these storys people overcome everything. sometimes even death. its not life.
writingrocks GOLD said...
on Dec. 27 2010 at 3:29 pm
I think it is always good to have a positive outlook in writing, but maybe the darker side is also very interesting. But parents do not like their children exposed to negative endings that might change their point of view in life. Teen Ink is a very great magazine, and parents do appreciate the hard work, but would they like it if it was "bad"?
Naninee said...
on Dec. 12 2010 at 3:46 am
I agree with you.Writers these days have the tendency to write stories with happy endings.It's not bad.I mean,why shouldn't it all come to a happy ending?Than we could all be pleased,right?
The thing is,real life doesn't have so many happy endings.So I also think that (and agree with you on that one) those unhappy endings should be present as well as the sad ones.We should be aware of the fact that not everything has a positive ending.
Experiences from other teenagers,good and bad ones,are priceless because they give us the insight in both bright and dark sides of what life has to offer.
Happy endings are great,but let's be realistic.Not everyone is destined with happy ending and not everyone's life ends up in a Fairytale style.
I think its just a mattr of how much you read. Want something without a happy ending? Read "fair try" by me :P But you're right, people gravitate toward "it all gets better" because its hard to admit that, actually, it might not. Its an 'ignorance is bliss' kind of thing. You just have to find someone who can actually see the darkness that glares them in the face.
Carmella_Hastings GOLD said...
on Sep. 20 2010 at 6:05 pm
Forgot to add- there is a book series that may be a little lower than teen level that I tried to read (hated it- too many sad endings) it's called the Series of Unfortunate events. Idk if you'd like it much but you could give it a try if you're looking for sorrowful endings.
Carmella_Hastings GOLD said...
on Sep. 20 2010 at 6:03 pm
While the traditional happy ending is a great ending, sad ones may be just as bad. I totally agree that we could use some sad endings, but I usually prefer one with happy endings, mainly because I prefer a book to leave me with positive thoughts. But you have a great point.
Amieee said...
on Aug. 17 2010 at 2:47 am
yup, happy ending stories are nice, but it's good to have a sad one every once in a while
LovelyMystery BRONZE said...
on Dec. 18 2009 at 10:14 am
You can check out one of my Stories. It is called "Rose Petals" It might be a story that you are looking for.
DuskAndDestiny BRONZE said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 10:37 pm
I'm a sucker for a well-written not-necessarily-happy-ending. I'm more of a fantasy or science fiction reader, but happy endings can take away from them for me. I like realistic endings, rather than a "happily ever after". Thank you for putting this out in the open; not everyone likes happy endings (all the time, at least).
hi there! i read your article in the magazine. if you're looking for a story without a happy ending, you could try "One Action, Many Consequences" or "She Sabotaged My Suicide Attempt". Both pieces are by me. the second one lets the reader decide the ending. let me know if that works out for you! -natalie
Matt-JT said...
on Sep. 20 2009 at 6:47 am
Both of the pieces I have published on this site have "dark" matter confined within the pages. Death, greed, confusion, anger, violence, all make up the bulk of my two stories and for the first several months that these were on the website published, I had a hope of getting them in the print. That died away with the main character in the second story. Even though, my stories can hold the top of the fiction's most popular list for days in a row, it's the audiances that limit the content of the print. Little kids probably read this and teachers and schools order it for their classrooms and libraries. I'm not saying that I agree with it, but I understand why it has limitations.
But hey, if there was one issue a year or something that only contained this "dark" matter, and there were warnings on it, "the following contains graphic and mature content, reader discretion is adviced," then at least we would have an equal shot at getting published, even if it was for one issue.
But hey, if there was one issue a year or something that only contained this "dark" matter, and there were warnings on it, "the following contains graphic and mature content, reader discretion is adviced," then at least we would have an equal shot at getting published, even if it was for one issue.
senryuu13 said...
on Sep. 16 2009 at 6:33 pm
I know I'm new to the site, but I cannot neither totally agree nor disagree. I believe that it's hope and optimism that truly brings out the joy in life. At this point, a number of people will scoff at me and ask me "you for real, deusch?"
Yeah. I am. And I mean it.
Yes we shouldnt over-do it. But consider this- as you yourself stated- what if a drug addict reads about another drug addict unable to overcome it? Personally, I think it may make it worse for him. He might find comfort in knowing hes not the only one but then again, wouldn't he be more hopeful knowing that the addiction can be defeated than knowing that someone else couldn't defeat it?
True, it might frustrate but it still keeps hope alive, right? And that in turn, keeps US alive.
Still, i agree that there should be SOME dark ones here. Reality IS appreciated.
Yeah. I am. And I mean it.
Yes we shouldnt over-do it. But consider this- as you yourself stated- what if a drug addict reads about another drug addict unable to overcome it? Personally, I think it may make it worse for him. He might find comfort in knowing hes not the only one but then again, wouldn't he be more hopeful knowing that the addiction can be defeated than knowing that someone else couldn't defeat it?
True, it might frustrate but it still keeps hope alive, right? And that in turn, keeps US alive.
Still, i agree that there should be SOME dark ones here. Reality IS appreciated.
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