Do authors have a moral obligation to provide readers with hope?

Plus plotting problems, a poll, and this month's paid subscriber extras (Writing Journal #9)

My writing experiences over the past couple of weeks have reminded me that no one should ever underestimate how challenging it is to write a novel! I’ve been in plotting purgatory, thanks to discovering a plot strand was falling short of where I wanted it to be, but thankfully I think I’ve escaped after realising I just need to add another section of ba…