by M.L. Hickerson from the March 8, 2010 issue.In a Nutshell: Rose owns a flower shop. A handsome man comes to order a bouquet. Rose assumes it's for his girlfriend, but soon finds out it's for his sister. The next day he sends Rose some flowers along with an invitation to dinner.
Observations: It's not unusual for the plot of a Woman's World story to hinge on a misunderstanding such as the protagonist assuming the love interest is married or taken when he/she is really not. Rose's Roses follows that "formula." However, what sets this story apart is the epilogue paragraph in which the two get married. That occurs very rarely.
4 comments:
Kate,
I just ran across your blog as I was researching guidelines for WW. I have published once with them, then-rejections, a ton.
Part of the problem was how often they change the word count. They are one of the only woman's magazines that still publish a short story, so I worry as the word count gets small that they will stop. But your blog and the info in it is really great for all us that are trying to get our stories published. What a great service. Thank you. Thank you.
Hi, TiGi! Welcome to my blog. It's disheartening when they continue to cut the word count. It just makes it harder to write the stories, if you ask me. (Also, they cut the pay at the same time, which really sucks! LOL) Right now the word count is 800. Hopefully it'll stay there for a while.
Hi Kate, I was hoping you would review "Rose's Roses." The beginning's "oh that's bad / no that's good" structure was so clever. And I'm a sucker for bakeries, chocolate shops, flower stores ... so romantic!
Mr. Robinson was a wonderful secondary character - an old grump who sends flowers to his wife! One tiny idea ... I wanted to know WHY he complained about his flower arrangement. I love specifics. His reason (thorns or wrong bow color) could have tied in with the end. The pink calla lilies were a lovely touch.
I loved this story.
Best, Sheila
PS Hope this isn't a double-post. I tried earlier and it didn't seem to go through.
Hi, Sheila. Gosh, I wish I had liked the story better, but Rose annoyed me. LOL She was TOO chipper for me, and unfortunately, when I don't like one of the main characters, it's hard to like the story. However, obviously Ms. Granger liked it, which is just more proof that my opinion and the WW editors' don't always mesh. :D
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