The Sweetest Love Story

 by Audrey Wick from the December 5, 2022 issue

Tagline: Mia is falling for the mystery man leaving her notes at her neighborhood's little free library...then a mug of cocoa finally brings them together.

Observations: I adore little free libraries! It's on my bucket list to have my woodworking sons make me one. I also adored the idea of exchange notes via the books. The first story I ever sold to Woman's World had a similar idea, except the notes were placed on tables at a deli.

This story was fabulous. I wasn't surprised to see that Ms. Wick is a novelist. There was a noticeable and restrained polish to her prose that I appreciated. I hope to see more of her stories in Woman's World!

Home for the Holidays

by Melinda K. Cherry from the November 28, 2022 issue

Tagline: All alone in the big city for Thanksgiving, Tess fears her day will be a lonely one...until Gordy shows up and gives her a taste of home.

Observations: I felt these two had a good chance of having a happy future with each other. She's a painter and he's an animator, so they're both in the arts. And they both like to volunteer for the community. 

I also really liked all of the backstory about Tess. Her exasperation with her grandmother felt real and made me sympathize. Lastly, I appreciated bringing the story full circle by mentioning the ring-hungry grandma again at the end.

Reality-wise, maybe it's different in other parts of the country, but it's a bit of a stretch for me to believe an out of work animator can get by on a dishwasher's pay.

Photo by Krista via Flickr Creative Commons License

Turkey Day Setup

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the November 21, 2022 issue

Tagline: Single mom Laci isn't interested in her sister's attempts to set her up with friends...that is until she sits next to Brent at Thanksgiving dinner.

Observations: Ms. Wills-Raftery has written such a warm Thanksgivingish (new word, made it up) story. I'm reading it after Thanksgiving but the story is still giving me warm fuzzy feelings from the recent memories. She and I worked on several of her stories in the past and I'm excited to see her stories being published. I can see so many Woman's World elements included that it's easy to see why the editors chose it.

I learned that pie crust can contain eggs. My pie crust recipe doesn't include eggs, so I was skeptical at first, but the good old internet told me that there's more than one way to crust a pie.

I liked the sisters' relationship. My sister and I often cook together for family events. I never tried to set my sister up, though. LOL

I also really enjoyed the epilogue last paragraph. 

However, I spied with my editor's eye, a dangling participle. A dangling participle is a participle or participial phrase, often found at the beginning of a sentence, that  is unintentionally modifying the wrong noun in the sentence. For example: Plunging hundreds of feet into the gorge, we saw Yosemite Falls.

Can you find the dangling participle in this story? I'll post it in the comments.

Photo by Tony Alter via Flickr Creative Commons License

Grateful Hearts

by Denice Stradling from the November 14, 2022 issue

Tagline: Having separated from her husband before Thanksgiving, Justine heads to her friend's house to celebrate...and gets a big surprise.

Observations: A reminder...this blog is my own opinion and is meant to be educational. My goal is to shine a light on things I find in the stories in order to help you read more critically and hopefully improve your own stories. Sometimes the things I find are shining examples, but sometimes I make suggestions about what I think might have made the story better. I am truly sorry if anyone's feelings get hurt, but to be honest, professional authors accept criticism and realize that not everyone will love everything they write. 

In the end, I liked this story, but it took me a while because of a couple of stumbling blocks, probably because my parents got divorced with I was 13 which was devastating. My entire world turned upside down. My family broke apart and my mother moved us all away from my friends. So my reading experience is heavily influenced by my personal history.

When Justine walked in and saw an old flame, I mentally reared back. She's only been separated for a few months. What is she doing? I thought. One thing I teach in my class (see the right menu for info) is to make your characters likable. In that moment, I did not like Justine. Was she going to respond flirtatiously to this old flame in front of her daughter? I hoped not.

Eventually, it became clear that Ed was Teddy and I was reeled back in...but not completely. If this story had come to me for an edit, I would have suggested the reveal occur the moment Justine walked in the door. That way, we readers would have felt hope at that moment, not confusion about Justine's rebounding so quickly. Their entire conversation would have been that much richer because we read it knowing Teddy/Ed was offering an olive branch.

I would have asked the author why Amanda, the daughter, didn't freak out with excitement at the sight of her daddy. If I had been the little girl, my hopes for a reunion would have shot sky high, and if Teddy/Ed was a responsible father, he wouldn't have blindsided Justine in front of her. What if Justine had rejected him? Amanda would have been dealt another harsh emotional blow. 

I would also have asked why the hostess cut their conversation short, because she would have been in on the surprise and I'm sure she was hoping there would be a reconciliation. Give the couple some privacy by perhaps asking Mandy to help them with the wishbone in the kitchen, killing two birds with one stone.

Despite all this criticism, I did enjoy the story. I like the idea of an estranged couple getting back together. I'm extremely happy their relationship looked better at the end of the story, for the sake of the little daughter. 

P.S. The words "mommy" and "daddy" should only be capitalized when used in place of or as a name. When you add a pronoun, like "my," you do not capitalize.

For instance: 

Mommy took me to school. 

I love Daddy.

My mommy took me to school. 

I love my daddy.

Photo by Marco Verch via Flickr Creative Commons License

Better the Second Time

by Marcie McEachern from the November 7, 2022 issue

Tagline: Back in her hometown, Amy enters the fall festival pie contest...but will her maple confection be enough to rekindle an old flame?

Observations: This was a lovely story. I think Ms. McEachern is really hitting her stride with her Woman's World stories. The tale is rich with sensory details and I liked the idea of their having met in a high school culinary class. 

I did question why they were given slices of their own pie at the awards ceremony, but then again, I've never attended a pie contest. Maybe that's the normal routine. :)

I do wish there was an actual recipe, though. A Maple Cream pie sounds delish!

Love at the Last Door

by Jamie A. Richardson from the October 31, 2022 issue

Tagline: Trick-or-treating with her granddaughter, Cathy gets a shock when her old crush opens the door and gives her the sweetest treat of all.

Apology: I'm sorry I've been MIA, but my subscription lapsed without my knowledge! LOL I only just got this Halloween issue. Rest assured, I'm back at my keyboard with my red pen ready.

Observations: This was a darling story that shone a light on the generation gap in regards to communication. I truly enjoyed seeing the granddaughter learn how to trick-or-treat. Adorable! However, I'm old enough to have a granddaughter that age, but writing an actual letter to someone to tell someone I was going out of town is not something I would ever do. Maybe Cathy only said that because she was flustered by John's presence.

Regardless, let's all make an effort to not apply outdated stereotypes to our older characters. For that matter, give some thought to creating any character that is not in your age group. One of my pet peeves is younger characters making cultural references that aren't age appropriate. For instance, a woman in her thirties probably wouldn't be familiar with The Brady Bunch. I'm listening to Stephen King's latest book, Fairy Tale, and the main character makes references to old movies constantly and King explained it by saying the hero's father always watched Turner Movie Classics. Okay, Mr. King, you justified the historic references and I'll give you a pass because you're one of the greatest writers of all time, however, I can see that you fell back on this because you're not up on current/recent pop culture enough to make your hero actually seem like he's 18. He's like a 70 year old in a young body.

Long story short, when creating characters, keep in mind their ages and match their actions, thoughts and references to that age. Do a little research and your character will be the richer and more realistic for it.

Photo by Glen Bowman via Flickr Creative Commons License

The Best Bargain Ever

by Marti Attoun from the July 18, 2022 issue

Tagline: Thrifting with her best friend, Jackie isn't looking for anything special...until she finds herself face-to-face with a fascinating find she can't resist.

Observations: I usually go straight to the byline to see who wrote the story, but this time I didn't do that. I just jumped right into the story. I really enjoyed it and wasn't surprised to see who wrote it. 

Lenora was a hilarious secondary character. I loved the humor the friends shared--it makes the characters more realistic. Anytime you have two people who have been friends for a long time, they laugh together. They probably order each other around like Lenora does with Jackie. They help each other with projects, like furnishing a new house.

I loved the misunderstanding in the story even though I saw it the moment she spotted the plant stand inside the garage.

Attoun did some great foreshadowing.

She shows you in that little mini-scene that some sellers didn't have time to price their merchandise so that it makes sense later when Jackie mistakenly assumes the owner of the plant stand was in a similar situation.

He's wearing a T-shirt from the Prairie Kitchen restaurant, one of Jackie's favorite eateries and then we find out his daughter is the owner, which gives them a talking point. 

I also loved how she didn't overdo the physical attraction, limiting it to a shiver and a fluttery feeling. To me, these understated reactions are more natural, less purple prose-y. But your mileage may vary. :)

Photo by Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Spark of New Love

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the July 4, 2022 issue

Tagline: When Cassie returns to her hometown for the Fourth of July, she never expects an old flame to show up...and reignite a decades-old passion.

Observations: I've worked with Ms. Wills-Raftery on several stories and seeing this in print makes me so proud! I love seeing what improvements she made and there are two places in this story that I absolutely loved. 

The paragraph where she describes the actual parade is so thorough and concise. I really felt like I was getting hit by all five senses, like I was really there.

And the ending was so good. She really wrapped it up in a warm, fuzzy bow. Great job, Dorothy!!!

Photo by Shaun C. Williams via Flickr Creative Commons License

Once upon a Summer

by Julie Brookman from the July 25, 2022 issue

Tagline: When Brooke sees a pair of visitors trooping up to the gates of her petting zoo, she never expects the spark of an old flame to ignite into new love.

SoC Observations: Stream of Consciousness Observations is where I just type my thoughts as I have them while reading the story. If you don't want to see my honest thoughts--positive and negative--stop reading now. No, really. 

1. I like all the info in the first paragraph, but this second sentence is a doozy that maybe should have been broken up. 

These days, it was a win if a handful of people came each day, but even though the park wasn't as busy as it used to be, Brooke put a lot of work into keeping it going...work that, it seemed, would maybe pay off this year, as the zoo's first pair of visitors made their way toward the gates.

2. I am not a particularly skilled business woman, but if she's struggling to keep the place afloat, she should not be giving away free train rides. 

3. Ah, I remember being boy-crazy at 15. 

4. I like the memories they bring up. It makes it seem like it was a really fun summer.

5. Aww, he wrote letters to her but was too nervous to send them. That's sweet but most teens in the early 2000s would never think to write a letter. 

6. I'm finding it a wee bit hard to believe he kept the letters all this time. 

7. I love how she's supposed to check the yes box. Hilariously realistic.

8. Again, my layman business woman brain says, letting someone else drive the train would certainly be counter to any insurance she has for the zoo.

Is it possible that people read this story and had no qualms about it whatsoever? It's not only possible, it's probable. However, it is in my DNA to be detail-oriented. I literally cannot stop my brain from noticing these things and I think it's a good quality for an editor. As a writer, I much prefer to catch these things before readers (or editors) do. 

Photo by Pululante via Flickr Creative Commons License

Love Lost...and Found

 by Mary Ann Joyce from the June 27, 2022 issue

Tagline: When her high school sweetheart makes a sudden reappearance at her friend's scavenger hunt, Carly's summer takes a magical turn.

Observations: Well, I seem to have skipped a couple of issues. LOL Sorry about that. I have a lot going on right now at my real life job and my personal life, plus I just got Covid. <sighs> Again. I had no symptoms the first time it got me. This time, I was not so lucky. 

I thought this story was fun. I love the idea of having a friend who entertains on a regular basis, with themes! She sounds like a fun friend. It makes me wonder if this fictional friend subscribes to Woman's World, because she'd find all the party theme ideas she could ever want there. LOL

I wanted to point out something Joyce did that can help with word count. I've said in my class (click here for more info about it) that if your stories are running too long, one solution is to skimp on physical descriptions. Here, Joyce describes the hero this way:

When we were teens, he was as think as spaghetti, and just my type: cute, in that nerdy way with this black-framed glasses and short hair. Now he's more Clark Kent behind his specs.. He's filled out, his broad chest prominently on display in a blue polo.

Now, that's actually quite a bit of wordage, so maybe that's not the perfect example of brevity I was looking for, but my point--using a famous person as shorthand--will still work. When you identify a well-known person, like Clark Kent, readers will immediately have an image of that person in mind, which means you don't have to go into additional detail. In this example, Joyce does go into further detail, but she's a seasoned pro who has little trouble staying within 800 words.

Photo by Mark Anderson via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Second Chance at Romance

by Mary Ann and Rakel Joyce from the July 11, 2022 issue

Tagline: When her daughter invites her to a poetry reading, Ellie is shocked to find an old flame waiting for her...and a new chance at love.

Observations: Well, of course Mary Ann Joyce (along with Rakel Joyce) has given us a wonderful story. She is such a skilled writer. You can see it just in this one paragraph where she sees her first love again for the first time in 20+ years...

As Hannah stepped into the bookstore for a night of poetry days later, she stopped suddenly. There, sitting at a small table, was Ethan. His black hair had just the right amount of silver flecks. Suddenly, he looked Hannah's way, and behind his dark-rimmed glasses, she could see his expression change. His half-smile and the butterflies that immediately filled her stomach were exactly as she remembered them.

If you look carefully, you'll see a detailed description of our hero, along with a delicious moment of hope, nostalgia and anticipation as he recognizes Hannah. You've got to get your words to work double-duty because you have so few of them to work with. 

This is a perfect second chance story and I encourage you to keep this in a file somewhere for reference.

Photo by David Orban via Flickr Creative Commons License

Love Is in the Air

by Amy Lanier from the June 20, 2022 issue

Tagline: When a stranger shows up to fly in her hot-air balloon, Sophia finds herself floating toward a second shot at love.

Observations: This was a delightfully original story. I've never encountered a hot-air balloon in a Woman's World romance, so that was refreshing. I also loved how Lanier threw some obstacles to love in there that the heroine (and the reader!) thought were insurmountable. 

Photo by Dee and Tula Monstah via Flickr creative commons license.

On the Road to Forever

by Marcella Robinson from the June 13, 2022 issue

Tagline: After popping a tire on a country road in her hometown, Merrilee is sure she's out of luck...until a familiar face arrives to save the day.

Observations: This story left me feeling warm inside. Robinson set the scene of a country road on a warm summer day so well. And when she got to the hero's "grand entrance," I was a goner.

The truck door slammed, the driver coming toward her, the sun at his back, casting him in a golden glow.

I mean, come on! That's such a perfect image.

Also, there are so many warm fuzzies regarding her dad's garage and her feeling the nostalgia of returning to the place where she'd made so many happy memories with him just added to the perfection of this story. 

Then there's the ending. I'm literally getting goosebumps reading it again.

They climbed into her car, rolled down the windows and, just like old times, drove down the country road into the sunset with wind in their hair, and the promise of love in their hearts.

If you want an example of how to craft a perfect Woman's World 5-Minute romance, read this one again.

Photo by Kumweni via Flickr Creative Commons License

Melody of Love

 by Rose Ross Zediker from the June 6, 2022 issue

Tagline: When Katherine and her old flame, Logan, meet in a piano bar, will their love build--or go flat?

Observations: I've not seen a story set in a piano bar before, so yay! I love seeing new settings for these stories.  

This week I wanted to focus on this excellent first paragraph:

"Thank you for driving me to the opening of the new piano bar. I didn't want to miss it," Aunt Molly said. "I like to support my former students' musical endeavors."

It's excellent because Zediker gave us a lot of information via natural dialogue. It can be challenging to do this without having the characters sound stilted. I see this once in a while when I edit stories and I always think of it as the "As you know, Bob" syndrome, as in...

"As you know, Bob, Uncle Barney didn't like you as much as he did me, so when he died, I was the prime beneficiary."

All of this information would already be known to Bob and the only (painfully obvious) purpose of this line of dialogue is to inform the reader. It's not usually this blatant, but it can be something you want to be wary of.

A Day Worth Remembering

 by Mary Ellen Main from the May 20, 2022 issue

Tagline: The last thing military widow Pam is expecting at the senior center is a second shot at love...until a handsome stranger shows up in the lunch line.

Observations: I didn't think it was possible to write a romance related to such a somber holiday, but Main succeeded. I liked Pam's posse of friends at the senior center. They were adorable. And notice that only one of them was named--Georgia. It's not necessary to name every person who appears in your story. 

The time you use to describe characters should be in direct proportion to their importance to the story, and this goes double for Woman's World stories. For instance, waiters, fellow passengers, people in the elevator, these "movie extras" needn't be named or described unless necessary. You only have 800 words. Best to use them developing your story. Even the main characters probably don't need much description. (Pam didn't get any at all.)

Here's what we got about the hero, Kevin:

Thick brown hair with a slight wave stood atop his broad,handsome face and his arm rested across his mom's shoulder, creating a picture of warmth that made Pam's heart glow. As he took his place in line, his deep brown eyes, crinkled gently at each corner, caught Pam's.

It makes sense that she took sometime to create a picture of him in the readers' heads. This is the man we're going to vicariously fall in love with. 

However, if you need the space to develop the love story and the emotions and the character arcs, I would absolutely choose to use the words for that over a physical description of the characters. You can usually get away with just mentioning that they have brown hair or green eyes. :)

Photo by Denise Krebs via Flickr Creative Commons License

True Love at First Bite

 by Kay Layton Sisk from the May 2, 2022 issue

Tagline: When father-son duo Blake and Brad show up at Janie and Annie's front door, the mother and daughter are in for the sweetest surprise.

Observations: This week I wanted to put a spotlight on the Black Moment. 

Often in fiction there is a moment in the story when it seems as if all is lost. The reader wonders how the protagonists will overcome all the obstacles. In Pretty Woman, it's when Vivian is driven away from the Beverly Regent and Edward. In A League of Their Own, it's when Dottie leaves the team to start her new life with her war-injured husband. In Romancing the Stone, it's when Jack leaves Joan by diving off the wall to chase the alligator that swallowed El Corazon, the jewel.

You may not think so but many times Woman's World stories have Black Moments too but they're subtle enough that sometimes I call them Gray Moments. In this story, the Gray Moment comes when Annie has to leave to go to her meeting. 

Clearly the stakes are not as dire in a Woman's World story as they are in movies. Sometimes in movies and novels, the reader will not be able to see any way out of a disappointing or even tragic ending, but unless it's a tragedy, things will work out. Edward comes to his senses and goes after Vivian. Dottie returns to play the championship game. Jack shows up on Joan Wilder's doorstep with a yacht and crocodile-skin boots.

In this story, Annie and Brad figure out a way to meet again to discuss restaurants in the neighborhood. There isn't the rush you might have felt when you watched those movies--and if you haven't watched them, they are MUST-SEES. But there should be a warm glow of contentment and satisfaction when you read the end of your Woman's World story.

If there isn't, keep revising.

Photo by Benny Mazur via Flickr Creative Commons License

Bargaining for True Love

by Diana Hickerson from the April 11, 2022 issue

Tagline: Hosting a yard sale is not newly single Tracey's idea of a fun way to meet people...until a handsome man arrives wit the offer of a lifetime.

Observations: The first third of the story has zero dialogue in it. It's just the main character's thoughts about her friend's obsession with yard sales, her mediocre interest in them, but the reason why she's hosting one anyway. 

There's a common "rule" that says you shouldn't front load your story/book with backstory, but I have always disagreed. You can do anything in fiction as long as you do it well. It's all in the execution. I mean, take those epistolary books--books that are entirely composed of letters. Crazy idea, right? So not what we would expect or imagine that we would enjoy, and yet, I love these types of books. 

And I didn't find the beginning of this story to be boring at all even though nothing was really going on at first. Obviously, the editors didn't have a problem with it either.

So, I encourage you to take risks with Woman's World stories. The stories are so short that you can afford to spend a few days going out on a fictional limb. Take a so-called writing rule and break it on purpose. See what happens.

My favorite part:

He had moved away when he turned 12, and I never knew what became of him. But clearly, wherever he'd been had done him good. Or else there's no limit to what four decades and a weathered barn jacket could do for a guy.

Photo by Mike Mozart via Flickr Creative Commons License

Let the Light In

by Moxie Hull from the April 4, 2022 issue

Tagline: After a tough divorce and a becoming an empty nester, Liza bought a new house and is not-so-ready to mingle with the neighbors...until handsome contractor Harry gives her some pointers about constructing a brand new love story.

Observations: What a perfect story to start the new quarter with. So many teaching moments jumped out at me.

1. The dialogue sounded natural and also revealed character. For instance, in this sentence, one word--"totally"--told me so much about the sister. I could hear her mock whining tone mixed with a little admonishment at the same time, which is so sisterly. 

"Will you please take a break and come to my party," she moaned. "It'll be fun, and it will be totally rude if you don't come. I invited all the neighbors so you could meet them."

2. Hull cleverly inserted quite a bit of backstory in the dialogue:

"...Jerry's been gone for two years. The girls are grown and on their own, and you've finally downsized to this little fixer-upper..."

My only gripe would be that this makes it seem as if Jerry died and the only reason I know it was divorce not death is because of the tagline.

3. Then we see some real sisterly love. Maxie had put on her bossy sister hat until this very nice moment:

My eyes began to well as I unwrapped a picture of the girls and placed it on the hutch. "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," she said, noticing that I was ready for a meltdown. She pulled me in for a hug. "You're going to be fine." And after a few slobbering moments, I realized she was right. I needed to get out.

4. And that was the end of the first of three acts in the story. Liza has made her decision and we need to transition to the next act:

A few hours later, I was ringing Maxie's doorbell with a Pyrex full of brownies. In a dress. With heels on my feet.

Points for capitalizing Pyrex. There are quite a few words that are in common usage but that are actual brand names and need to be capitalized, like Jell-O. (Note that Jell-O has a capital O as well.) I also wanted to point out the use of sentence fragments. This is a great way to make a subtle point. Here she's  showing this is not how Liza would normally dress and that she's wearing those shoes begrudgingly.

5. You guys know I am very detail-oriented. It's in my DNA. I noticed a slip-up here that I also see when I have my editor's hat on. See if you can spot it.

I handed her the brownies, which she replaced with a crisp glass of white wine.

There's a misplaced modifier here. The word "crisp" is describing the glass instead of the wine. Obviously, we all understand what was meant, but it should actually read

I handed her the brownies, which she replaced with a glass of crisp white wine.

6. We come to the end of the second act when Liza promises she would call Harry when she was ready to continue work on her house. This works on a couple of levels. One, having three acts makes the story seem meatier, like it's not only 800 words long. It "feels" right to us as well. There's a beginning, middle and end, a story structure we are practically wired to expect. It also serves Liza's character. Obviously, she's not emotionally ready to move forward romantically at the time of the party, so this second-act-to-first-act transition gives her the time she needs.

8. Finally, the ending was very clever. 

"Demolition woman! I've been waiting for your call. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I laughed, my heart soaring. "Yes, I am."

No doubt you see the double meaning here. She's ready for the demolition and ready to enter the dating world again. Sometimes this type of zinger ending feels forced. Here, it was perfect. 

Photo by gemteck1 via Flickr Creative Commons License

First Annual Blog Awards (Q1)

I'm proud to have maintained this blog, analyzing the stories and offering my opinions and advice, for thirteen years. That's a good chunk of time! And the format and contents of the blog have remained mostly the same.

This year, however, I decided to change it up by giving out quarterly awards of merit. I thought it would be fun to recognize and celebrate stories that excelled in the following categories: 

Best Hero

Best Heroine

Cutest Meet

Most Original Premise

Wittiest

Couple Most Likely to Wed

Best Overall

It is now my pleasure to bestow the awards.

Our Best Hero this quarter is a man who isn't afraid to try new things. Admirable, right? He's also able to admit when he's made a mistake--another great quality. In fact, he does it in the story twice. He tends to look on the bright side, even after his girlfriend broke up with him on the night he was going to propose. And when he meets the heroine of the story, he doesn't hesitate to ask her out for coffee.

The Best Hero for Q1 of 2022 is 

The Best Heroine this quarter is a woman who serves her community as a policewoman, so she's strong and brave. But she's had to build some walls to protect herself because many of the men she's dated have been intimidated because she carries a gun. She also deals with her mother's matchmaking machinations with wit and patience.

The Best Heroine for Q1 of 2022 is

The Cutest Meet occurred in a beauty salon, traditionally a female-dominated venue. So it's not surprising that the hero entered with trepidation, especially considering he was hiding an "at-home haircut gone terribly wrong." Lucky for him, his stylist is just his type.

The Cutest Meet for Q1 of 2022 is

The winner of the next category was actually the inspiration for these awards. After I read it, it was so good I thought it and all the other outstanding stories deserved some recognition. I think, however, next year, I'll do them bi-annually so there are more stories from which to choose.

It's challenging to come up with a holiday-themed plot we haven't seen before, but the author of this quarter's Most Original Premise winner succeeded in a big way. The story is built around a town tradition--at the stroke of midnight instead of a disco ball, they drop an old boot from a crane to honor the farmers in the area. They also hold an Ugly Boot Contest which was a hoot. I'd never seen anything resembling either of these events before in Woman's World.

The winner of the Most Original Premise for Q1 of 2022 is 

The winner of Wittiest Story had me laughing throughout. In fact, I wrote LOL three times in the margins of the story as I read it. The first LOL came from the heroine's inner thoughts. She's a cop about to suffer through a matchmaking dinner her mom set up.

[My mother] eyed me with disapproval. "Why are you in uniform?"

"I'm on call." And if I got lucky, I'd be called to a crime scene any second now.

LOL number two came about because the hero and heroine played Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora in their third grade school play. Their performance had been hilariously memorable because "instead of pretending to kiss me, like we had rehearsed, he planted a smack on my mouth on opening night." The princess yelled "Yuck!" much to the audience's amusement.

Fast forward to the present. Dinner is over and Matchmaking Mom has insisted they enjoy the fresh air...

We settled onto the front porch swing. 

"So," Max said, breaking the silence, "act in any plays lately?"

I grimaced. "So you do remember."

His chuckle made my pulse beat erratically.

"Are you referring to what my family calls 'The Yuck Heard Round the World?"

That last line had me literally laughing out loud.

The winner of Wittiest Story for Q1 of 2022 is

It's difficult to predict whether or not our fictional couples will end up married, especially since all I have to work with is 800 words of interaction. But one couple stood out to me as having the best chance for wedded bliss, if only because they'd both suffered through relationships with people who clearly weren't right for them. I have to assume that, having had this experience, they ended up with a better understanding of what they were looking for.

Therefore, the Couple Most Likely to Marry for Q1 of 2022 is

That brings us to our last award this quarter--The Best Overall Story. To determine the winner in this category, I didn't add up any scores, and I didn't automatically go with the story that won in a majority of categories. I chose the story that provided me with the best overall reading experience, the one that had me laughing and smiling after I read it, my mood happily boosted! It was written by someone who has skillfully penned so many romances for Woman's World, she's practically a household name. (I'm serious. Check the sidebar for Author: Cooper and you'll see what I mean.) 

And the story she wrote had it all--great, three-dimensional characters, a hilarious backstory, humor by the truckload and an ending that not only was an epilogue (which I love in novels and in short stories) it brought the story full circle by calling back to the yucky kiss joke. As you've probably guessed by now...

The Best Overall story for Q1 of 2022 is

I hope you enjoyed these inaugural awards as much as I did giving them out.

I want to thank all the authors, my blog visitors, and especially Woman's World who publishes short romantic fiction that entertains us and lifts our spirits every week. 

Look for the Q2 awards in June. I'll be adding a category--Best Secondary Characters!

A Gust of Good Luck

 by Tina Cambria from the March 28, 2022 issue

Tagline: When a windy day almost sends Megan's life into a tailspin, hero mail carrier Will steps in to save the day--and steals her heart in the process.

Stream of Consciousness Observations:

• What a fantastic opening line.
• Oh, I have been there, done that with the wind taking papers from me. My usual response is to stomp on them. Sure, it's got my footprint on it, but at least it's not going anywhere.
• I get babbly with handsome guys too, thought the older I get, the less I get nervous. 
• Cute joke about the rain and sleet thing. I love seeing a character with a sense of humor.
• Our heroine has priorities! Business before pleasure. Good for her. 
• Well, of course, her handsome paper-rescuer comes into her shop! 
• It occurs to me that she most likely would have had those lease papers way earlier than a week before her grand opening, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. Nice job, Ms. Cambria!

FYI, this is Vincent Van Gogh's Postman Joseph Roulin (1888). 

Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus via Flickr Creative Commons License

Now Available!

We all want to sell stories to Woman's World, but sometimes we sit down to write and nothing happens. We don't have any ideas. Or we have ideas, but they've all been done before.

I can help you. In my book, Story Sparking - How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World 5-Minute Romances, I demonstrate thirteen methods for getting your creative juices flowing. Pretty soon you'll be brimming with optimistic, upbeat, romantic ideas specifically for Woman's World.

Click here to buy the ebook on Amazon.

Click here to buy the paperback on Amazon.

Click here to buy it for your Nook.

Click here from Apple.

Click here from Kobo.

For all other retailers, click here.

Ready...Set...Go for Love

by Marla Zarrow from the March 7, 2022 issue

Tagline: After losing his wife, Matt doesn't know if he's ready to get back into dating...until a beautiful waitress shows him that the time is just right.

Stream of Consciousness Observations:

For those of you new to the blog, stream of consciousness observations are just my thoughts, as they occur to me while reading the story.

• Right off the bat I see we're about to get a matchmaker story. Nice! I love those.
• Oh, a widower too. I think we all have soft spots for a man, adrift because he's lost his partner in life. I immediately want to take care of him, maybe cook him some good food.
• Aha, another tried and true Woman's World trope--moving to a new town--with one of the best reasons--to be closer to family.
• There is a great couple of paragraphs where I really get the feeling I'm in a small town. Here's why...Zarrow mentions the town center. Once you get past a certain size, there's no real town center. There's just a sprawl. The diner (a small town requirement) is called Sandra's Breakfast Spot. This is not a hipster place where you're going to find quinoa or kale. This is just a no-frills place where you can get a good breakfast. Lastly, The people in line shifted good-naturedly as Matt 'pardoned' his way through. Where I live, he'd probably have gotten dirty looks.
• His daughter had found a good one. This shows Matt has a gratitude attitude, which I think is admirable. It's always a good idea to make your characters likeable. 
• Kinda weird that they ordered before Matt even got there.
• "Why don't I surprise you?" You already have, Matt thought. -- We want to show the reader the main character's thoughts and feelings so they can live vicariously through the story, however, we also want the story narrative to flow. I'm getting to the point where I feel the flow is being interrupted too much, especially when we've already firmly established Matt's interest in Sandy.
• I love Charlie. He's hilariously precocious. 
• On the whole, cute story.

Photo by jenn b. via Flickr Creative Commons License

The Sweetest Setup of All

 by Shelley Cooper from the February 28, 2022 issue

Tagline: Scaring guys off is police officer Serena's unwitting specialty...until a dinner meetup with an old friend completely turns her luck around.

Observations: This reminded me of a story I wrote a few years ago about a kiss, prompted by a game of Truth or Dare but foiled by the camp counselor, back when the hero and heroine were at summer camp. Fast forward many years later, they accidentally meet and eventually share that kiss. The stories even share a little epilogue paragraph describing the kiss. Great minds think alike! LOL

Cooper's humor is the star here. Here are the lines that made me laugh.

"I'm on call." And if I got lucky, I'd be called to a crime scene any second now.

"So," Max said, breaking the silence, "act in any plays lately?"

"Are you referring to what my family calls 'The Yuck Heard 'Round the World?'" - If I had been drinking a beverage when I read this, I'd have spit on my computer.

Photo by Greg Gjerdingen via Flickr Creative Commons License

Love at the Winter Fair

by Fallon Stone from the February 21, 2022 issue

Tagline: Abigail is in dire straits at the frigid winter festival she planned, until a handsome delivery truck driver arrives to heat things up.

Observations: I have stated in my class, How to Write and Sell Romance to Woman's World Magazine, that an excellent way to write short is to omit description. I mean, the priority is to tell a romantic story and if I'm given a choice between solidly establishing a connection between the characters and describing the park they're in or the heroine's outfit, I'll choose establishing the connection every time.

However, that's not to say that you shouldn't include description of the characters or the setting at all. This story proves that you can do both. Fallon does an excellent job setting the scene in the town square while at the same time and even though the hero and heroine didn't spend that much time together, you can feel the spark is there nonetheless. 

Photo by Maria Ziesche via Flickr Creative Commons License

The Mint Chip Affair

 

by Mary Ann Joyce from the January 31, 2022 issue

Tagline: An odd request brings strangers Bruce and Jolene out into the winter night for some ice cream...and into each other's hearts.

Observations: Admittedly, I'm a little hazy on the difference between the third-person omniscient POV and a story that switches between different character's third person limited POVs. I'm leaning more toward omniscient with this story, just because we are seeing the story unfold without really delving too deeply into any of the characters' minds. But please, feel free to correct me in the comments.

To be clear, this is not head-hopping. Head-hopping, I think, is third person omniscient done badly. This is not that. Third person omniscient is a legitimate, time-honored way of telling a story that just isn't as popular now as it used to be. In fact, when I read a fully third-person omniscient book, it feels old-fashioned and strange. 

Regardless, I felt no abruptness at the changes. Everything felt very smooth.

We start out with Bruce. We then switch to Mimi for one brief paragraph. Next, we're with Trudy, the friend, who gets her granddaughter involved by asking her to get some of the mint chip ice cream. We swiftly transition to the granddaughter, Jolene as she heads to the store. We then are with Bruce and Jolene at the store, and at the end, we see all four together. 

I've spent quite a while analyzing the transitions, trying to see if there are any tricks I can point out. And I really can't see anything in particular, which is why writing is an art, not a science. Let me know if you spot something in the comments.

On a side note, I adored the spy talk. So funny.

Photo credit: CeresB via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Cut Above

by Vicki Cox from the January 17, 2022 issue

Tagline: After an at-home haircut gone terribly wrong, Sam Johnson is embarrassed to be entering a salon for the first time. But fate has a plan for both his hair and his love life when Shelly, his hairdresser, arrives to give him a new shot at love.

Observations: This was a darling and original premise--the home haircut disaster. The mutual break-up-by-text was novel as well. I am always preaching the value of showing the hero and heroine having things in common, but usually it's walks in the park, cannoli and candlelight and that kind of thing. Even though break-ups are never pleasant, this is still something solid the two can connect over. Also, they both chose to look at the bright side of it, saying it was the best thing that ever happened to them. Like last week's story, Sam got a new start in life with a new job and a change in location. 

Another thing I wanted to point out about the break-ups was the texting aspect and especially the fact that he had a ring in his pocket evokes some real sympathy for the character. When you feel bad for the character, you naturally begin to root for him, so the happy ending of them going out for coffee is that much more satisfying.

Also, if you haven't seen the news, check it out! 

Photo by Nenad Stojkovic via Flickr Creative Commons License

Let It Snow

 by Karen Thurber from the January 10, 2022 issue

Tagline: Caught in her first snowstorm, Sarah is unsure of what to do ,until handsome Ben shows her the ropes...and offers her a new chance at love.

This photo is not Vermont. It's of some kind of Hello Kitty place in Japan, but it looked so wintery and whimsical, I couldn't resist it.

Also, I announced a new thing here on the blog. Check it out here.

Stream of Consciousness Observations: 

• So this is a fresh start after a rocky breakup story. Life changing moments are often a good basis for a story because you have a character evoking change in their own life, a very positive thing, something you admire him/her for. 
• She's never seen real snow... I can buy that, if she's lived in Florida all her life. However, she just up and moves to Vermont, sight unseen? That is a little cray cray, in my opinion. 
• "But something important was missing: love. Not just love, but love with someone thoughtful, fun, handsome...expectations only a fairy godmother could fulfill." Hm. I don't think she's asking for a whole heck of a lot, actually. But all of that is relative. What one person considers fun, another person thinks is torture. But I'm getting super picky here.
• A lost dog--a tried and true Woman's World trope.
• She puts on a jacket, but no snow boots, which I assume she doesn't wear inside the house just chillin'. 
• He gives her his gloves as a welcome present. He is thoughtful, I'll give him that, but I'm thinking her hands would be swimming in them... I must be in a mood. I'm definitely over-thinking things.
• Snow angels...another good trope for the magazine.
• The condo complex's power nearly always goes out during a snow storm? Did her real estate agent know/communicate this? I mean, I don't live in Vermont, but how often are there storms? How often would you have to abandon your home and hunker down in the community center?
• I liked the ending, bringing it back to her fairy godmother thoughts.
• Overall, it may have been my mood, but so many things jumped out at me.

Photo by Tomohiro Otake via Flickr Creative Commons License

Kicking Off Forever

by Marti Attoun from the January 3, 2022 issue

Tagline: After a devastating breakup, Bev is in no mood to celebrate New Year's Eve, until rugged Sam steps in to ring in the holiday with a bang.

Observations: There were a lot of things I loved about this story. First, how about that picture of the cowboy boots in the magazine? I found it refreshingly different from their usual picture and maybe even a little sexy!

I adored the idea of the New Year's Eve Boot Drop. So very original! I also loved that they had an Ugly Boot Contest and that Attoun described several of the entries...

• shiny orange go-go boots with "Bye 2021" and "Farewell" on them.
• gaudy striped booties
• cowboy boots festooned with rhinestones
• hip waders covered with stickers of champagne bottles and noisemakers

I loved this simile, "A handsome single guy at the Red Oak Grill is as scarce as caviar." In my Writing and Selling Romance to Woman's World Magazine class, I suggest one of the ways to make your story stand out from the crowd is to add one really prime simile. This is a very good example. I like how there's a contrast between the rural town down-to-earthiness described and ritzy caviar.

I also loved the little detail of the vintage Dr. Pepper clock in the cafe and how charming the town seemed. 

This was another excellent story from a seasoned WW pro.

P.S. Don't miss the announcement post below!

Photo by Jeremy Jenum via Flickr Creative Commons License

THE WW BLOG AWARDS

Hear ye, hear ye! Let it be known that I will henceforth be bestowing quarterly awards of excellence to the Woman's World stories I read. There will be virtual badges for each award in case the authors would like to post on social media. 

Here are the categories. Best of luck to all the writers!