No ending or bad ending?

[CountVanBadger]

When an author gets tired of writing their story and wants to move on to something else, which is worse: when they just drop the story entirely, or when they give it a rushed and completely unsatisfying ending?

For me, it's a bad ending. If they just drop the story, I can at least imagine how the rest of the story could have played out. If they rush the ending, that's it. I can't pretend the story might have ended well because I already know it didn't. The minor villain introduced in act 1 suddenly decided he was the big bad, got killed in that same chapter, and then the heroes discover a solution to every problem ever twopageslatertheend.

(And before anyone says anything, this isn't related to me or XNPC. I just felt like asking)

 

[Bimbanana]

Personally i think its better if the author just made the end for the current arc and make it like the next arc will come someday.
Bad ending is worse, because of the bad aftertaste no matter how enjoyable the start and the journey was.

(see? I can gave serious answer sometimes)

 

[seenbystarlight]

I've heard the following idea before: The worst thing a story can do is be boring.
I think a story that makes you feel like you wasted your time is worse. The beginning and ending of a story are the most important parts. Fumbling the beginning means nobody reads it, but funbling the end makes everyone who did upset.

 

[Lysander_Works]

I think a Hiatus is technically better. Missing ending means there is the potential for readers to imagine how it might end.

 

[AmiRose]

Defs bad ending ish worse.
But no ending ish still super-bad.
If you're gonna stop a story, ya gots ta give it a proper ending.
I sucks at actually writin good stuffs though so don go askin me how ta actually does it though.

 

[Dawnathon]

Just look at almost every "it was all a dream" type of twist endings that ever existed. It's not just a bad ending, it retroactively ruins the rest of the story by making it all pointless. There are some exceptions, but they are few and far between. (Usually then the story was simply not pointless since the events were real, just filtered through the protag's traumatic memories. It's far less disrespectful for the reader's time and interest then.)

Some bad endings are just lousy without undermining everything leading up to it, but even then they are a bookend with a sour aftertaste as opposed to leaving any hope of a better outcome.