"Happy Endings" is Margaret Atwood's short story about two generic people, whom she names John and Mary. In this story, she writes as if speaking to a person who wants to write a story about a man and a woman. This how-to story describes the basic plotline to achieve a happy ending when writing fiction. Atwood provides Options A through F as general plotlines.

Option A takes John and Mary through a picture-perfect life of love together in which everything is joyous and stimulating in their lives. In the end, they both die. Option B has Mary falling in love with John and John treating her very badly. He never takes her anywhere, but rather uses her body as a tool for his sexual pleasure, which he does not even seem very excited about. John ends up with another woman, Madge, and Mary commits suicide...