“And they lived happily ever after” is not just a matter of fairy tales. A Happily Ever After (HEA) ending remains a favorite of many readers and has likely been one ever since stories were first told. In this age of growing social unrest, HEA as a required satisfying resolution has morphed into the defining factor for an enjoyable read for many audiences. A romantic novel is often not considered as belonging to the romance genre unless the lovers end up in this situation.

Novels are a temporary distraction rather than a recipe for fulfillment. Readers of the initial book in a series may want other similar ones to a point. They probably will not tolerate the major couple splitting up and getting back again more than once. So, HEA may not be the ideal ending for a novel in a series. D.H. Lawrence’s main character in his first semi-auto biographical novel, Sons and Lovers, indicated that happiness was not his goal.

Penny Locaso, author of Hacking Happiness, views happiness as a state of being that requires constant improvement. Her assumption that no state of mind is permanent came from climbing the economic ladder without finding satisfaction. That’s not a great shock to me. As I grow older I increasingly notice people, who gained everything they wished to have when younger, and yet are still frustrated or fearful. Locaso also noted that fear caused by unfamiliarity with others can cause unhappiness. People who acknowledge both negative and positive emotions tend to be happier.

But, novels are fiction, so I read to find out how an overwhelmed protagonist deals with a problem that I hope to never encounter. What leads to a momentary happiness may be enough to end a book in a satisfactory manner. Let’s return to Hacking Happiness and research findings by the author, Penny Locaso. Happiness may result from helping others. Often characters in romance novels seem self-centered, living in a world revolving around their own desires. Knowing that one character truly made a difference in the life of another could be a happy ending.

For a character to be interesting they should have serious problems. Perhaps, a suitable ending is learning to adapt to problems rather than getting rid of them. So, what if blissful happiness is not the final destination of your characters? They can make the courageous decision to let go of a mindset requiring their own happiness and create a better world for others, or help others overcome their own depression. Either outcome can be considered a successful ending that rivals the traditional “and they lived happily ever after.”

Photo of Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles, CA by K.N. Listman