Tagline
Phil had been keeping a big secret--and so had his wife. Only, her secret was even bigger than his!
In a Nutshell
Only days away from her wedding anniversary, Brie suspects her husband of having an affair. She's wrong. He was preparing a surprise present - a puppy! Well, that explains the blond hairs on his sweater and his mysterious meeting with the "other woman"/puppy owner.
Observations
Any of you long time Woman's World readers will probably be as shocked as I am. This story had a lot of drama! In my classes, I always caution people to beware of including too much angsty drama because Woman's World tends to shy away from it.
However, Brie's worrying time went on for most of the story. I'm not sure what to think. Does this mean we can start introducing drama into our submissions? Possibly. Or was this just a one-time anomaly? Hard to tell.
I loved the ending, though.
Photo credit: By Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
26 comments:
Yes, Kate, I was shocked too! Suspicions of cheating, and a marriage that seemed to be in trouble. Yikes! I loved the change of pace, but the story line reminded me a lot of the Christmas story I have submitted. So I'm wondering if their willingness to publish this will help it sell, or hurt it because they've just run a husband/wife/pregnancy story. Well, since it's mid-October, I'll have the answer soon.
Anyway, kudos to Ms. Anderson!
I loved this story even though I am sure we all knew where it was going. It made me feel very emotional. That is such an unusual effect from a WW romance. I must say I welcomed it.
I agree, this was very unlike the usual sunshine and light tone of WW and made a welcome change. But I doubt this is going to herald a complete sea-change at WW, I think it was just so nicely written that they couldn't say no, although the picture they chose to illustrate it was an unfortunate spoiler in my opinion.
Yes Chris, with the picture of the puppy there was never any doubt that "Sweet Lola" was a dog and all was well with the couple. And I agree, next week's story will probably have a heroine with a sprained ankle and a hero who drives a tow truck.
Yes, I too was very surprised that WW would publish this story. I didn't think any hint of cheating would be acceptable. But the picture did give it away and maybe that was there reason for using it because we would know it wasn't what it seemed.
And actually, the next week's story was also about a dog. How many dog stories are they going to publish? I would think they would want something different.
It seems like stories often follow the "rules are made to be broken". While standard fare is the main course, every once in a while WW decides to mix it up - and as Kate said, probably due to the quality of writing (or the whim of the editor.)
So last night at the store I finally got a chance to read a WW romance -- I know that sounds crazy, but I just never got around to that - even as I explored various outlets for freelancing (such as this blog).
Honestly, I was somewhat disappointed at the layout of the story - the page seemed so crowded and jumbly, the paragraphs so tight - didn't make me want to read it.
I know others here have mentioned that the fiction is not that attractively presented.
However, it certainly was instructive as I could see how a bit of fiction is just sandwiched in there and so the word count, format etc. really matched what is done throughout the pub. Not something I'm used to, but an interesting approach.
Well, you learn something everyday.
I would have to agree that the stories in WW do look like something thrown into the back of the closet. It would help if they only moved that crossword solution to the puzzle page where it belongs. What is the rationale behind plunking it right in the middle of the story? Then the mystery page has little jokes sprinkled over the story. It has been that way for so many years, I suppose the publisher would not think of changing it.
What I've noticed (maybe more in the mystery) is that there are breaks -- a space and the new paragraph beginning with a large drop-down letter, with absolutely no break or lapse in time. I'd love to know the rationale for that.
How can one possibly have an informed, intelligent conversation about stories that one has not read? Or about a magazine that one has not even perused? (Or purchased?) Sort of like buying the Cliff Notes so you don't have to actually read the book.
Just sayin'. I find that odd and mystifying, at the least.
Am I the only one?
I'm going out on a limb here to say that I don't think it matters much if the way the story is presented in the magazine appeals to you or makes you want to read it. WW has a circulation of 1.6 million--every week. The question is, can you, and do you want to, write in the style that the magazine buys? Do you want to earn a whopping $1 a word for your efforts? I feel like the frequent criticism (of the editors and publishers, not the writers) is biting the hand that feeds you, or that you hope WILL feed you. After 15 sales to WW, I'm still happy to get a contract, get a check, and see my name in the magazine. They can edit it and present it any way that want to, that is their right.
Gotta agree (although I've beem guilty of making complaints at changes I felt were unnecessary and not improvements or changes that produced errors), Johnene has been gracious and helpful to me, as was Jimmie Meiss before her, and I appreciate it. And, those checks are wonderful.
I didn't mean Jimmy Meiss(misspelled above)was exactly before Johnene; she was first editor before she passed away, so she was actually before Patricia Gaddis.
Tamara, I always want to spell her name "Jimmie" too -- I sure was confused the first time I got a note from someone named Jimmy! I heard somewhere that she was the EIC's mother.
That's an interesting piece of information, that she was EIC's mother. I used to call her; she had no problem talking to writers and invited rewrites (with no promises, of course). I called her a couple times and asked her why she rejected some specific story, and she told me. She also wrote long notes on her rejections.
For the record, I HIGHLY recommend that anyone regularly reading this blog also read the stories. There is no substitute for actually reading the stories that are in the magazine. What I do here is a SUPPLEMENT to the stories. In fact, if you and to choose between reading the stores or reading this blog, I would wholeheartedly recommend you choose reading the stories. It is the ONLY way you'll get a true feel for what they want. :)
Um, that was supposed to say "In fact, if you HAD to choose," not "if you and choose." Grr.
Kate, I was amazed when I read this story. It was so racy for Woman's World. But I loved it!
Just go to show if you write a really great story WW will publish it.
Does anyone comment on WW stories without having first read them? I have never noticed that. What would be the point? This was a good story and many thanks to Marie for writing it and taking a chance on WW. Maybe the magazine editors are trying to take a step into life in the 21st Century. I know I appreciated it.
Betsi, besides knowing what the WW editors want, you also happen to be a very good writer.
Thank you, Mary Jo. I've been feeling a bit "stuck" lately, and your compliment gave me a boost. The story I'm trying to finish, believe it or not, has a BALD hero! It will be interesting to see what happens with that.
Edeltraut said in a comment a few days ago that she had just read her first WW romance, that's what others were referring to.
Betsi,
I hope you have good luck with your story! My sister's husband is bald and so are a few actors: Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel, Jason Statham- just to name a few.
I do hope this week's story is a new trend. It was written very well and I loved how it ended. But what is that old saying about the word "assume?" Lol. I know I've been there a time or two in my marriage, so the story was very relatable to me.
Yes Susan, I liked the story for that reason too -- there are moments of worry in every marriage. We all breathed a sigh of relief along with Brie when hers proved to be unfounded.
As for the bald hero, I figured there are plenty of hair-challenged men out there, and women who love them. We joke about all the WW heroes being "handsome," and I think they are -- to the heroine, anyway. So my guy is bald and handsome. :-)
Betsi, your story sounds intriguing and I'd love to see some more 'realistic' male leads in WW, but I bet if it's a yes that changes will be made to his appearance before it goes into the mag. Good on you for trying, though.
Chris, they'd have to change the whole story to give this guy hair. It will either be a yes and he's bald, or a rejection. Which is okay, I'm no stranger to rejection!
So, Betsi, were the guy and the girl sitting in the same restaurant and his head kept shining in her eyes?
Best of luck with it, really. I hope it makes it to print.
That's pretty funny, Mary Jo.
Hi Kate,
(Hope this message makes sense! Hard to explain what's happening)
Please let me know if you get any suspicious emails from my email. Strangely it showed a duplicate email of the one you sent me a couple of weeks ago stamped with today's date (showing unopened). Didn't think it was you, because beneath it I had yet another duplicate email (showing unopened) from another friend. Thinking about getting a new email carrier because weird things keep happening on yahoo. Thanks! Tressa
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