by Suzanne Jackson from the August 4, 2014 issue
Tagline
Kathy's sprained ankle was a real pain--but it turned out to have an upside!
In a Nutshell
Kathy meets a man while waiting to get her ankle x-rayed. They connect. He invites her to coffee afterward.
Observations
Cliche Done Well: At first I thought this story was going to be the same old sprained ankle story and was prepared to be...well, bored. But I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the humor. I liked the good start these characters got off to. The dialogue was very realistic. I really loved the ending. So even though I've seen probably fifty sprained ankle stories over the years, I still enjoyed this one.Photo Credit: Keith Parker via Wikimedia Commons
8 comments:
I think this was cleverly done, with both of these people having accidents that didn't occur during the exciting activity but peripherally; also the amusing quip: "Is this the line for school pictures?" and the ending one, "I'll race you."
I groaned when I first started reading this story. One of my rejections was a sprained ankle story. Like you, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the new twist on an old plot and really enjoyed the story. Nice job, Suzanne.
Kate,
Thanks for all you do for writers. I hope you have time to answer a couple of questions, please.
1. Do you write the taglines for the romances you submit to WW, or does Johnene or Stephanie do that?
2. Another WW discussion board recently stated that WW now takes "all rights" on fiction stories. WW's website lists "all rights" for nonfiction articles but gives no info on fiction submissions.
So I wrote WW a month ago, asking for updated guidelines for fiction. They sent their full guidelines which included: "First North American Serial Rights for six months after publication."
Have you signed a contract for a romance with them recently? What rights did they ask?
Thanks!
Janice
Hi Janice! I signed a contract recently for a romance, and they do indeed now take all rights. They should update their guidelines.
Also, they write the taglines, and often do quite a bit of editing.
Good luck with your submissions.
I notice the last two stories posted are action-into-love: running and falling.
Hi Everyone. Thank you all for your nice comments about my first published story. Kate, I couldn't have done it without you. I've been submitting romances to Woman's World off and on for about a decade. Reject reject reject. Then I found your blog, bought one of your classes, and paid for one of your quick reviews. Success! Thanks so much. Shira Jackson - penname Suzanne Jackson p.s. I had no idea the ankle thing was common!
Suzanne! OMG. This is so great! I'm so glad I was able to help you sell to WW! Congratulations!!!
Can I quote you on the testimonials page?
Hi Kate, Feel free to quote me on your testimonials. You deserve the praise. Thanks for all you do. Shira
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