Brainstorming ideas for a Happy Ending NOT involving marriage + kids for the heroine?

[Theglasshouse]

Finds a cure for a sickness. Which could be a conspiracy to keep the cure or medicine to treat it a secret from the world population. This is inspired by conspiracy theories of cancer not having a cure yet. That if they one day discovered it. It could be kept a secret for a long time since it is either a billion or trillion dollar industry. Someone the main character knows in the story has the sickness. Maybe cloned humans are experimented on. While this is happening cloned humans can't reproduce and are made to believe they are orphans. This is inner conflict. Give in to the temptation of greed or succumb to guilt. Could be a moral story that speaks volumes on human selfishness. Lord of the rings used both of these themes. If all else fails borrow from themes of stories you admire. Lord of the rings is one example of many. Use your favorite novel for a possible theme and put it in your story. Use works you admire to inspire you. Critics examine theme. It could be worth a try to emulate a work of fiction you admire.

[BornForBurning]

Let's brainstorm some general ideas of what a happy ending would look like for a heroine who has been on a tough, rigorous quest and deserves an ending that she sees as "healing" to her and obviously not involving getting married and having kids.

Morgana, hard as this may be to accept, I suspect that the reason you're struggling with this so much is that your heroine is precisely the kind who will find out, perhaps even against her own expectations, that she wants to get married. What does she want? I mean, exactly? Reality: if she's a human, she probably wants love. Not necessarily erotic love, but because eros is arguably the deepest/most vulnerable form of love that two humans are capable of, fiction often revolves around its pursuit (or its avoidance!) The only real way to write a character who isn't pursuing love is to write one who has already found it, or one who is fleeing it. You do not need to have your protagonist pursuing specifically erotic love. But if she is unloved, she will by definition have an unspeakable craving for intimacy that claws at her soul.

By the way, 'friends and wine in your 40s' isn't love.

I think you may have picked a fight you can't win. Humans are programmed to seek intimacy. We crave intimacy. Intimacy requires vulnerability, vulnerability requires us to step outside our own self-expectations. Your protagonist wants to clutch at something, whether it be her husband, her God, or a wine-glass. Btw, what does 'sees as healing to her' even mean? Something is either healing or it isn't. It doesn't matter whether the protagonist 'sees' it as healing one bit. Hey, here's an idea: you mentioned wanting to write this girl as hating her own birthday. Maybe she hates her own birthday because her parents never loved her, and her birthday was a reminder of just how fake the celebrations really were. Eh? Gosh that's so sad though, lol. My birthdays were always great.

[EternalGreen]

Sometimes freedom is enough.

[Annoying kid]

The ending should write itself really, based on everything that came before.

But if shes ex military maybe her ending is becoming some vigilante or somehow becoming alot better at her job.

[Olly Buckle]

Thinking of some ex military I have known. Discovering a raptor (bird of prey), bonding with this wild, savage thing and flying it daily.

[Tettsuo]

Let's brainstorm some general ideas of what a happy ending would look like for a heroine who has been on a tough, rigorous quest and deserves an ending that she sees as "healing" to her and obviously not involving getting married and having kids. If you care to list some examples you've come across in books you've read, that would greatly be appreciated too!

She learns to forgive her parents.

- She overcomes her fears.

- She let's go of a toxic relationship.

- She finally opens up and releases the pain she's been holding onto for years.

- She saves a kid and becomes the child's mom.

- She opens a successful business doing what she loves.

- She finally gives up drink and drugs and gets her life in order.

- She makes a snow angel as a demonstration of her finally being able to find peace.

The options are endless. You just have to pick one that suits your character.

[MorganaPendragon25]

Morgana, hard as this may be to accept, I suspect that the reason you're struggling with this so much is that your heroine is precisely the kind who will find out, perhaps even against her own expectations, that she wants to get married. What does she want? I mean, exactly? Reality: if she's a human, she probably wants love. Not necessarily erotic love, but because eros is arguably the deepest/most vulnerable form of love that two humans are capable of, fiction often revolves around its pursuit (or its avoidance!) The only real way to write a character who isn't pursuing love is to write one who has already found it, or one who is fleeing it. You do not need to have your protagonist pursuing specifically erotic love. But if she is unloved, she will by definition have an unspeakable craving for intimacy that claws at her soul.

By the way, 'friends and wine in your 40s' isn't love.

I think you may have picked a fight you can't win. Humans are programmed to seek intimacy. We crave intimacy. Intimacy requires vulnerability, vulnerability requires us to step outside our own self-expectations. Your protagonist wants to clutch at something, whether it be her husband, her God, or a wine-glass. Btw, what does 'sees as healing to her' even mean? Something is either healing or it isn't. It doesn't matter whether the protagonist 'sees' it as healing one bit. Hey, here's an idea: you mentioned wanting to write this girl as hating her own birthday. Maybe she hates her own birthday because her parents never loved her, and her birthday was a reminder of just how fake the celebrations really were. Eh? Gosh that's so sad though, lol. My birthdays were always great.

You make great points! I would say my heroine is in need of love. Yeah, the whole birthday thing could be a huge deal about her having the opposite of love. I won't rule out her having a romantic partner but I'm against marriage as an institution so it wouldn't be that for her. I think she's both into men and women. The only thing for absolute certainty is her future will never include kids of her own. I think in the end she'll have a fonder appreciation of kids, especially if they look up to her as a role model and she'll find new meaning in her life and serve as a mentor to them.

I appreciate your words here, they helped me out a lot!

[MorganaPendragon25]

She learns to forgive her parents.

- She overcomes her fears.

- She let's go of a toxic relationship.

- She finally opens up and releases the pain she's been holding onto for years.

- She saves a kid and becomes the child's mom.

- She opens a successful business doing what she loves.

- She finally gives up drink and drugs and gets her life in order.

- She makes a snow angel as a demonstration of her finally being able to find peace.

The options are endless. You just have to pick one that suits your character.

Great ones! I'd say my heroine could be a whole bunch of those you listed! She is a very complex woman! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

[MorganaPendragon25]

Thinking of some ex military I have known. Discovering a raptor (bird of prey), bonding with this wild, savage thing and flying it daily.

Thank you for those ideas, dude!

[MorganaPendragon25]

The ending should write itself really, based on everything that came before.

But if shes ex military maybe her ending is becoming some vigilante or somehow becoming alot better at her job.

Good points, thanks!