Happy or Tragic ending

Haven't really thought that far ahead yet.

I rather like the possibility of a happy ending (but only if it's worked for), but at the same time, I am a fan of John Woo movies, and his Hong Kong offerings (such as The Killer) had endings that were tragic as hell for at least several major characters.

Advice #1:
Do what YOU like. Forget the crowd.

Advice #2
I think it's a good idea to see where your story goes. Let your characters decide.

Up to you, of course. I would think in general that it's easier to sell a novel with a happy ending. If you're looking toward publication, then you just have to research the market and see what's currently popular.

I fully expect that my novel will have a happy ending in that the hero will eventually triumph, saving the world (and the girl); but that won't preclude there being a lot of tragic happenings along the way.

But, as always, that's just me. Whatever you think works best is the way to go.

Best of luck!

Thanks everyone for the great advice. :)

I'm definitely in favor of going the route that I like. I'm considering something along the lines of leaving the reader guessing, and leaving me with the option of doing a book two. ;)

I'm going to end the book with a mix. Many good people have died and several close friends are being tortured to death. The problems are far from over. But at the moment the book ends the main character, fully realizing how hard the future will be, is really really happy. I love bittersweet stuff.

Of the two other nano's that i've actually finished... one was tragic/happy depending on how you look at it and the other was left open for the reader to decide.

Go with the flow, you'll know when you get there.

Personally, I love "tragic" endings.

Go with the flow is what I would say. There is no point in trying to manipulate a happy ending if in reality, the characters are leaning towards it being more of a tragic one.

In the last novel I wrote, I had planned it all out so that the two lovers sailed off into the sunset in a manner of speaking. They spent most of the book just trying to be with each other through a variety of difficulties.
But what turned out better is that the guy essentially sacrifices himself so all of humanity can live, so they're destined to actually not sail off. It's not even clear in the end if he lives or dies, and she has to go on never knowing.

It all depends on the book and your characters, but in my case it just made more sense that he goes for the heroic sacrifice.
It also leaves sequel options open ;)

I agree with this, even though I prefer happy endings over tragic ones. ;)

You should most definately decide for yourself, but I would suggest you go for a mix. You know, a bittersweet sort of thing. If it all works out just peachy it's way too unrealistic, and if everyone dies and it ends horribly with everyone miserable then people will hate your book. But as long as YOU don't hate it (too much), then however you feel it should end is the best way to go.

My ending is pretty much both.

Many of the protagonists die, but at the same time the antagonists' power structure falls and the truth is revealed. This does, however, result in a civil war and a great breakdown of society that causes a lot of death and destruction.

I generally go for a happy ending that's tainted by some kind of tragedy. I.E. the good guys win, but somebody dies along the way, or any of about a million variations on that theme (victory+loss).

I started this with my ending already in mind. It would be a very tragic, yet touching ending. The FMC has been trying to get back to the point where she entered this world. She is mortally wounded and the MMC jumps off the bridge with her, knowing that he will most likely die. They decide to stay together while he "takes her home."

I haven't thought about changing that yet, but I am only getting to the end of the first part of the novel. A lot can happen in the *next* 50k!

Personally I love tradgedy, my main character dies in the end although he's also the narrator, he dies as his vision is blurring.

I'd definitely go for a mix. Shakespearean tragedy, where almost every character remotely important to the plot dies, is just not cool. Having the main character die at the end is no longer shocking like it used to be, but you can definitely use it if it works for the plot. Happy endings where everyone lives happily ever after are also just stupid. So I would go for a "but" ending. Like, they defeat the dragon, but one of them dies. Or John gets the job, but he's not really happy with it. A mix always works the best.

I'd definitely go for a mix. Shakespearean tragedy, where almost every character remotely important to the plot dies, is just not cool. Having the main character die at the end is no longer shocking like it used to be, but you can definitely use it if it works for the plot. Happy endings where everyone lives happily ever after are also just stupid. So I would go for a "but" ending. Like, they defeat the dragon, but one of them dies. Or John gets the job, but he's not really happy with it. A mix always works the best.

I like the mixed endings, too. It's sort of like that with my novel. The six main characters make it out alive...but the other ten died out there. I have to agree. Endings where everyone is dead has no point. Endings where everything worked out perfectly, with no bad side-effects, is unrealistic. Go for a mix, it's like reality.