Tagline: Sam thought it was just another routine work assignment...then he met Dara!Observations: I decided against showing the edits on this one, mainly because it takes a ton of time and there are several other mark-ups you can look at on other stories of mine.
I read the story again and I loved the ending. However, I have to confess, I didn't write it! Ms. Gaddis had Wyatt blurt that line out about them getting married and the rest of the story after that. So if the ending needs work, Ms. G will work some magic on it. HOWEVER, that doesn't absolve you of trying to write the BEST ENDING you can. Don't write a story with a mediocre ending and just think to yourself, well, the editor will just fix it. Just don't.
Photo credit: Jason Lawrence via Flickr Creative Commons
16 comments:
A "handsome" cop? He is not only handsome once, he is handsome twice. Does the editor have a list of limited vocabulary that can be used in a WW story? I see that POV changed from the woman to the cop in the middle of the story. Was that your work, Kate, or the editor's? There seems to be a flux of wedding endings in the more recent WW romances. Some writers have observed that when Johnene was editor she rewrote their whole story. Maybe it is a requirement of the job? Still, Kate, you know how to write a story they will want to print. Everyone, pay attention.
Since it wasn't your ending, Kate, I feel safe in saying that I don't care for the "wedding" endings that are popular in WW romances lately. But if that's what they want now, I'll try to adapt. Or at least suck it up if the ending of one of my stories gets changed. As I always say, I'm just happy to make a sale.
Yes, I think all the writers submitting work to WW would just be happy to make a sale, Betsi. I am waiting...and waiting...and waiting. I wonder if Bauer has ever considered publishing a magazine like Australia's Fast Fiction.
I enjoyed it. I did enjoy the ending. I guess I like seeing the wedding endings.
I don't think this wedding ending is a trend. I think sometimes the story in question lends itself to one of those endings, and other times it doesn't. It depends upon how the story shakes out.
On average, how much time elapsed between submission and acceptance for you, Kim, under the new system?
Tamara, when you have one story after the other ending in marriage, I think you can safely call that a trend. It would seem obvious that the editors would like to assure the reader that the Cute Meet is not just a blip on the landscape, but is actually going to result in a lifetime commitment. There are only so many ways the writer can do that in 800 words or less. Is that wedding bells I hear?
I stand by calling it a "trend" -- what was once an occasional ending is now happening frequently. I think it can work in some stories, but when the characters are meeting for the first time, it's hard to fit it in smoothly in 800 words. I always feel like it's just tacked on. Can't we trust the readers to use their imagination?
I think I ended up with that wedding conclusion in two of my stories without it being my intention when I began writing, so I guess I was basing my idea on my own experience. Guess you're right, though, it is happening more often. I'm also curious about the time lapse, Kim, and whether contracts are now sent via email.
Kate, I went back and reread your story because of your comments about the ending. I love what Patricia did. It is so typical and true-to-life what a kid would say to new guy in his Mom's life that he liked.
I did so enjoy your story. I didn't think of it so much as a wedding ending story, more of a kid catalyst story.
Mary Jo, the point of view change was mine. I think some stories need more work than others. Like I said, my ending wasn’t particularly strong and I liked what Patricia did to it. I think if you were editor, you’d see the actual state of the stories that are submitted.
The wedding ending…sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. It does seem to be appearing much more frequently than it used to, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn’t go adding weddings to all your submissions though. This is why writing is an art. Each story will be different. Each story will want its own particular ending.
The acceptance for this particular story was probably about three weeks from the time I submitted it to acceptance, but I can’t say for sure. I don’t keep track of that anymore. Also, keep in mind that I submit to the email address for previously published authors, which may make a difference in response time.
Three weeks?!! That's fabulous. But it doesn't bode well for my submissions, unless she liked yours so much she put it ahead of others. Please tell me how you received the contract -- by email or snail mail. No one has answered that question.
Tamara, mine sold in even less time than that -- I don't think we can count on things progressing "in order" now that they have the new system in place. If she sees something she thinks will be a good fit for the issue she's working on, she snags it. But Mary Ann just sold a story a couple months after she submitted it, so if you don't hear something right away it doesn't mean it's rejected.
As for the contracts, they arrive by email. The document opens in an app called DocuSign, and you "sign" it online by clicking on your signature. Very easy and modern. When everyone has signed (I think it needed 3 signatures) you get a final copy that you can print and/or save. I assume the check comes by snail mail! I'm still waiting for mine.
Tamara, I forgot to add that I heard about the sale from Patricia about a week before the contract arrived, as did Mary Ann. It's very different from the old days, when the contract in the mailbox came as a big surprise.
Thank you for all that information, Betsi.
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