Monday, August 31, 2020

Love is a River

by Mary Ann Joyce from the August 10, 2020 issue

Tagline: As she competes against her nemesis, Derek, during a kayaking race, Rosie Joes is surprised to find the tide of her feelings turning into love.

Observations: This story was so funny. I have to admit I'm partial towards humorous stories. Let me go count how many times I wrote "LOL" in the margin.

Okay, I'm back. I laughed five times. That might actually be a record for a Woman's World story.

I liked the kayaking race, something I can't recall seeing in a Woman's World story before. I also liked that little naughty raciness when Rosie caught Derek looking at her backside.

Of course, the story is written by Mary Ann Joyce. She's a master at this.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

A Chip Off the Old Block

by Melanie Dusseau from the August 3, 2020 issue

Tagline: While making a surprise tomato delivery to her elderly neighbor, Molly gets a surprise of her own when his dreamy son shows up to greet her.

Observations: I thought this story was summer itself. Check out how she made the season come alive in these quotes.

The early afternoon sun hit the patch of land full-on, warming her face as she tilted it toward the cloudless blue sky.

She placed both palms on the dirt and did something that always delighted her as a child: inhaled the scent of garden tomatoes. The earthy green fragrance bloomed around her and she thought about how happy her neighbor...was going to be when she brought him a basket of his favorite summer bounty.

She mentions cold lemonade. She's wearing cut-offs. There's a porch swing!

Don't forget about just writing a story that's seasonal and not attached to any particular holiday. I think this actually gives you a little advantage in that, once those holiday slots are filled, the editor will turn to stories that have more flexibility as to scheduling. But that's just a theory. :)


Wednesday, August 26, 2020

A Behind The Scenes Look at Editing

Shelley Cooper graciously allowed me to show you her original story and the editing that Woman's World did so you can get an idea of what kinds of things they do to an author's raw story. Blue indicates a change from the original. I hope you find this informative! 



THE FRIENDLY SKIES  FINDING LOVE AT 30,000 FEET

 

            “You’re boycotting men?” my sister asked, her brow furrowed as we stood on the airport curb outside the departures area gate.

            I nodded, feeling vindicated as I assured her that, yes, it was true. Truth was, a After a string of recent dating disasters, I was more tempted to enter escape to a nunnery than I was to go on one more dinner date.. And because I knew she’d react this way poorly to the news, I’d waited to tell her until the end of my visit was over.

            “As of a week ago,” I replied.

            “Don’t you think that’s a bit...drastic?”

            I couldn't help but smile. “Says the lucky woman who married the last good man.”

            She gave me a fierce hug. “Oh, Elise, text me the minute your plane lands. And don’t be discouraged give up. There are still a lot of good men out there. A--all you have to do is read look for the signs.!

            "Sure, I said noncommittally, waving as I followed the crowd inside. In truth, The the only signs I planned on reading looking for were the overhead ones pointing the way through the airport to my gate. With a wave, I followed the crowd inside.

            Then I saw him for the first time. The first time I saw him, he He stood a few feet ahead of me in the TSA line. It wasn’t his blue eyes, or the impossibly long lashes framing them, or even the empty ringless ring finger on his left hand that caught my eye. —I’m a professional blogger; I notice details—that caught my attention. It was the way he smiled at a little boy while returning the toy car he’d dropped.

            That smile boldly stole the oxygen from my lungs.: It was downright criminal. Heaven help me if he ever unleashed it on me. Not that we would ever cross paths after today at all. We were just strangers in an airport.

            The second time I saw him was at my boarding gate, where he was deep in conversation with an elderly woman. Something she said must have struck his funny bone, because he gave such a joyous, infectious laugh that more than one head turned toward the sound.  My heart fluttered as I watched him clutch her hand in his, his eyes twinkling as he looked up. Heat rushed to my face as his eyes met mine, and I hastily turned away. Moments later, the sound of his infectious laugh turned more than one head…including mine.

            The third time I saw him, he was sitting—you guessed it—in the window seat of my assigned row. This time, he aimed his smile at me, and it was even more devastating than I’d feared. Weak-kneed, I quickly deposited my suitcase put my bag into the overhead bin and dropped onto the slid into my aisle seat. Reminding myself of my boycott, I buried my nose in a book.

            A minute Moments later, a flight attendant stopped by my side appeared at my side with a little girl.

            “Here you go, Ashley,” she told her a little girl who didn’t look more than six. “You have the middle seat. If you need anything, you push that button up there, and I’ll come right away.”

            “My name is Dan,” my seatmate said, smiling at Ashely as she as, after stowing a pink polka dot backpack beneath the seat in front of her, Ashley expertly fastened her seatbelt. “And the lovely lady next to you is…” He looked at me expectantly.

            “Elise,” I supplied.

            “Elise.” He drew out my name in a way that had my pulse racing.

To Ashley, he said, “You’re very brave, travelling to travel all alone.”

            She shrugged shyly. “I do it all the time. Mommy and me live in Pittsburgh, and Daddy lives in Philadelphia. I spend most weekends with Daddy.”

            A sad sign of the times, I reflected, --and further proof that my boycott was a good, albeit lonely, decision.

            Then, before I knew what was happening, Dan and Ashley were changing seats so that she could enjoy the view. Up close and personal, he smelled divine. L, like soap and, incredibly, oatmeal cookies. I reburied my nose in my book and tried not to inhale.

            “Can we play makeover?” Ashley asked when the plane reached cruising altitude. “It’s my favorite game.”

            “I’d love to play makeover,” Dan replied, sounding sincere. “What about you, Elise?” he asked me his eyes meeting mine. “Would you like to play?”

            Ashley gazed at me so hopefully, I didn’t have the heart to say no to him--or Ashley. "Sure." I smiled at him, biting my lip. “Sounds like fun.”

            We landed an hour later, and Dan and I followed the little girl up the jetway, where she was  and watched her safely reunited with her mother.

            “Thank you for being You were so patient with her,” I softly remarked to Dan. told him.

            “We did a good thing,” he said. Then, after a slight pause, he asked, "Patient?" he said, fluttering his mascaraed lashes at me. "I was having a spa day in there!" He smiled. “Are you from Pittsburgh, Elise?”

            “Born and bred.”

“Me, too. Anyone special awaiting your arrival?”

            “Just my car in the long-term parking lot.”

            There was that smile again. “In "Oh...well, in that case, would you have dinner with me?”

            As he stood there, seemingly unconcerned with the makeup covering his sinfully handsome face—Ashley hadn’t been sparing in her application of blue eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick—I recalled my sister’s parting words. If I was reading the signs right, and I was pretty certain I was, Dan definitely fell into the category of good man...and suddenly I was ready to try one more dinner.

            Boycott abandoned, I said, “I’d like that very much. But first, I think we should both wash off our makeover.”

I was in the Ladies’ Room when I received a text from my sister. U home? Good flight?

            Fingers flying rapidly over the keys, I texted my reply. Best flight ever.

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

A Winning Combination

by Nell Musolf from the July27, 2020 issue

Tagline: When Linda Bennett runs into her high school crush, Owen, she's surprised by the sparks between them...and the promise of more...

Observations: I had two thoughts about this story. 

One, Musolf did "sad" right. She explained about Owen's loss with a light touch. There was a moment of feeling and of sympathy, but then they moved on. This is what Woman's World prefers. I remember when I started out writing stories for the magazine, I thought, "These stories are boring! I'm going to inject some excitement and emotion into them!" And those stories got rejected. LOL So pay attention to the amount of emotion you're adding. If you're talking about something potentially sad or upsetting--like death or divorce--do like Musolf did and use a light touch.

Two, I really liked how she took two older characters (something Woman's World readers are familiar and comfortable with) and yet added a touch of modern times into the story by having Linda be interested in vlogging. 

Photo by strandkorbtraum via Flickr CC license

Friday, August 7, 2020

The Promise of New Love

 

by Kate Finnemore from the July 20, 2020 issue

Tagline: After her daughter sets her up for a romantic date at the lake, Erin is unsure of whether she's ready to try love again...until a sign changes her mind.

Observations: Who doesn't love pint-sized matchmakers? Not me! I loved how the kids connived together to get their parents to meet. The lake and the rowboat contributed to the romantic setting. I mean, come on...a man rowing you in a boat? Classic romance. I also adored how Finnemore used the weather as a metaphor for Erin's life...she'd gone through some rough times (husband's death), but the clouds eventually clear (3 years pass) and you might find a rainbow (this new guy!), if you're lucky.

Wonderful story that gave me chills.

Photo by: Meredith Rutter via Flickr CC license

That's Amore

by Carla Ward from the June 8, 2020 issue


Sorry about the lateness of this post!


Tagline: When Lucy Schafer's 20th wedding anniversary trip to Italy was cancelled, her husband came up with a very sweet surprise to celebrate instead. And as they took a wonderful journey down memory lane, Lucy realized that home truly is where the heart is.

Observations: This was such a fantastic story. I loved it. It was stuffed with tender sentimental moments and so much romance. Even though when they arrived at the banquet hall where they'd had their reception I knew there was going to be a grand gesture of some type, I still loved it. I'd thought he had arranged for them to renew their vows, but the Italian themed party was even better.

Remember, guys, you don't have to write a first meet story! You can celebrate love and romance between already established couples.