Just the Right Fit

Author: Patrice Howell

Issue: February 16, 2009

Tagline: Lizzie was attracted to Michael, and Michael was attracted to Lizzie. They just needed a little push...

In A Nutshell: Lizzie has a wedding to go to and needs a second opinion on a dress she's trying on. As she emerges from the dressing room in search of the saleswoman, she meets an admiring man (a doctor, no less!) His mother easily manipulates the situation so that Lizzy and Dr. Right go to that wedding together.

Teaching Points: Lizzie is all of us, unsure about how attractive we are in the hell that is the department store dressing room, which helps the reader identify with her right off the bat.

Loveable heroes are a must, and Michael is a man we'd love to meet. Quick-witted ("I would've noticed you.") Humorous ("I can give you [a second opinion]," the man said. "I'm a doctor.") A good wage-earner (see above). And he treats his momma right (even if it's his medical obligation. LOL)

This plot moves along, showing the characters making a connection via the jokes, his obvious interest in her, the deft establishment of Lizzie's bachelorette status. Then, when the two potential lovebirds might have taken much longer to get around to a first date, Matchmaking Momma hustles them along.

As often happens, you see a Woman's World Happily Ever After in the form of a first date. So many of the features in Woman's World aim to uplift and their romantic fiction is no different. After every story, you want the reader to be content in the knowledge that the hero and heroine of the story have a bright future.

Woman's World prefers more middle-class characters, but once in a while a professional will sneak in, like this story's orthopedist. So, don't completely ban lawyers, and the like from your stories.

WW Standbys: a matchmaking relative, a wedding