A Bite of Love

 by Alyssa Symon from the September 21, 2020 issue

Tagline: When Theo's high school crush returns to town and opens a bakery, it's only a matter of time before he gets a sweet shot of romance.

Observations: This was a solidly written story. My favorite part was...

She smiled--there wasn't a heart in town she couldn't melt with that smile.

What a perfect line.

Also, right after that there's a high pitched voice that says, "Cookie!" and I thought it was the hero! I thought he was so nervous that his voice cracked. I immediately reread that part and realized my mistake.

I also thought it was funny that she thought he was on a stakeout, after last week's story, which really was a stakeout.

Photo by Vegan Feast Catering via Flickr CC license

Undercover Love Story

 by Shelley Cooper from the September 14, 2020 issue

Tagline: When Gideon, an undercover police officer, falls for Becca during a sting, he wonders how she'll react when she finds out he's not who he seems.

Observations: Again, what a unique premise for a Woman's World story! I love crime shows and I love Woman's World romances and this was a fun mash-up of the two. I would never have thought to try putting those two things together. 

I adored the teasing banter between Gideon and his co-workers. I loved the touching moment when Becca tells him she's there for him. I would have thought there were too many names/characters to keep track of in such a short story, but it wasn't.

Photo by Brad Greenlee via Flickr CC license

Staying Past Summer

 by Wendel Potter from the September 7, 2020 issue

Tagline: When she moves to her aunt's hometown, Shallon Seacrest never expects to find her old friend Travis...or a chance at new love.

Observations: What stood out to me in this story was the setting. You can't get more Norman Rockwellian than Bison Falls, the town in this story. I have never lived in a place where there would be a Labor Day potluck, so for city folk like me, this kind of story has the appeal of living the small town life vicariously. When a story is set in a small town, I automatically feel like life is passing at a more leisurely pace.

Potter managed to surprise me, even though I saw this hint earlier in the story...

He regarded Shallon, his eyes flashing with recognition as a shiver ran down her spine.

I read that and wondered about the recognition and then moved on to read the rest of the story. Then at the end, I was surprised to see they had known each other as kids. I love being surprised when I read. I applaud the author for accomplishing this in such a short story. :) 

Photo by A Little Bit of Stone via Flickr CC license

Mr. Fix-It

 by Shelley Cooper from the August 31, 2020 issue

Tagline: After a tough breakup, Delaney never expects to find the fix to her broken heart behind the counter of a hardware store...

Observations: I really liked the character of Delaney in this story, and I wanted to talk about two options for characters you may never have considered.

Option 1

Present the readers with a character who needs a change in his/her life. Show how the character's life has been up to this point and then, during the course of the story, show them realizing change is needed and embracing that change. It can be romantic. For example, Mary could have a problem with shyness and in the story we see her mustering up the courage to talk to a man she likes. 

Or it can be completely unrelated to romance. Maybe someone is too rigid about rules to their detriment, and in the story we see the person realize that being more flexible is a good thing. In these types of situations, just make sure there's some romance in there as well.

Option 2

Mr Fix-It is an excellent example of the other way you can go at this. Here, Delaney is already poised and ready for the change to occur. She/he's done all the hard work of getting mentally ready and embracing the opportunity to grow. All you have to do is put her in the ideal situation for that growth to occur or for that first step to be taken.

Photo by Rich Bowen via Flickr CC license

The Winner

 by Shelley Cooper from the August 17, 2020 issue

Tagline: When her identity gets mixed up with a lottery winner, Sarah Parker can't believe her bad luck...until a handsome stranger shows up to help.

Observations: What a super unique premise! I loved it. I wish I'd thought of it. But even if I had, or you had, you're not guaranteed a great story even if you have a grade-A premise like this one.

This is, at its heart, what I like to call a Man to the Rescue story. A Man to the Rescue story has a woman with a problem of some kind that the man solves or helps her to solve. (And of course, this can always be flipped to be a Woman to the Rescue plot.) The best way to plot a story like this is to brainstorm a bunch of potential problems.

Off the top of my head, someone could have computer problems, gardening problems, insomnia, a family member who is hard to buy gifts for, a need for a plus-one at a wedding, a broken appliance/car... I'm not super thrilled with any of these, so I would probably keep thinking until I had 20 ideas. In a writing workshop I took once, the instructor said she swore by The Rule of 20. She said that the first ideas your brain comes up with are usually the easy ones, the cliches, so you have to really push your brain to dig deeper. In my experience, I haven't had to get all the way to 20. I usually come upon an idea that sings to me before that.

After you come up with the problem, you figure out who is going to solve the problem and how. What sometimes tripped me up with Man to the Rescue stories is the old-fashioned idea that women need to be rescued by the big, strong man. If you're one of those people, I have this to say. First, the Woman's World reader demographic skews on the older side, so many readers won't feel miffed about this issue. Second, in reality, sometimes we need help with something, and there's a fifty-fifty chance it's a guy who helps you. Right? LOL Lastly, you can just make sure you show the heroine taking charge of her own life, being assertive in some way that demonstrates she's more than just a damsel in distress. 

Here in this story, Cooper showed Sarah Parker working up the nerve to let Chad know she was interested. And just like that, you've shown her to be a modern woman.