Happy ending or sad one? Try a mix of both!

Have you ever been torn between delivering a happy ending to please readers and delivering a more realistic but sad ending?

Good news: Gilbert Bassey thinks a combination of both will often serve your story best.

Bassey, a writer and story consultant, thinks that the happy-sad ending, more so than either extreme, strikes readers as more realistic.

So in a guest post at Writers Helping Writers, he shares five frameworks for the happy-sad ending (along with examples from popular media to illustrate them).

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• Your ending should make a reader want more; here's how 

• How to write a powerful, memorable ending to your novel