The Perfect First Date

by Melanie Dusseau from the February 27, 2023 issue

Tagline: While trying his hand at skating for the first time in a year, rusty Ryan collides with the lovely Valerie...and it's love at first fall.

Observations: This story had me thinking two things: relatability and connection, two things Woman's World editors and readers want.

With these stories, you want the readers to relate to the characters. They should be the types of people you want as your friends and showing Ryan and Valerie dealing with their teenaged kids did a really good job of this. A lot of Woman's World readers are older, so they have their own experiences with teens and how irritated they get at everything their parents do.

As far as connection is concerned, you must make sure you show the hero and heroine associating with each other in a positive way. Dusseau showed this in quite a few ways. In this story, Valerie blushes and Ryan's heart hammers at the sight of it. They are clearly having a good time awkwardly skating with each other. They also joke around with each other. These are the ways the author demonstrated Valerie and Ryan might make a good couple.

Also, there's a teensy, tiny subplot. It's so teensy you may not have noticed it, but at the beginning Ryan and his daughter have a little conflict. She's embarrassed that he's skating because none of the other parents are. But at the end, we see she noticed that her dad and made friends with someone and she gave him her approval, signalling she'd forgiven him for the mortal sin of skating. I loved that because in an 800 word story, there's not a lot of room to include a subplot, but that's what this is and it was done deftly.

Photo by Billie Grace Ward via the Flickr Creative Commons License

Love at First Bite

by Marcella Robinson fromt he February 20, 2023 issue

Tagline: When Sue starts a job in her hometown bakery, she never expects her old flame to be there--or to find a second chance at love.

Observations: I wonder what percentage of stories have a bakery as a setting or a baker as a main character. I'll bet it's quite a few. Still, Woman's World doesn't seem to tire of this trope. There are also a ton of old flame stories too. So don't shy away from sticking with the tried and true with your own stories.

Speaking of old flame stories, there's formula for these. If you're interested in finding out what it is, check out my Deep Dive class. The old flame story is one of eight Woman's World plot tropes that I cover in that class. Click here for more info.

I only had one quibble with this story...Sue was there to meet Bethany, her new boss, on her first day on the job but Bethany isn't there and it's never explained why. 

Photo by Phil Whitehouse via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Kickoff to Romance

by Mary Ann Joyce from the February 13, 2023 issue

Tagline: When Isabelle runs into an old high school friend at an annual Super Bowl party, she finds a fellow football lover and scores a new chance at love.

Observations: It's no wonder that the editors snapped up this story. It's absolutely perfect. And of course, it's by Mary Ann Joyce. She has one of the best track records when it comes to these 5-minute romances.

What follows is a list of all the good things in this story.

Joyce starts off by describing in great detail Isabelle's guacamole football field, which is the perfect set up for her stumble later. Stumbling so the hero can catch the heroine is a well-used trope, but this is not your run of the mill clumsy trip. Joyce had laid the emotional groundwork for the fall already so the reader feels a moment of panic that the gorgeous appetizer platter will splatter.

I love the use of the word serpentine.

There are oodles of description of the hero too. He's got a "sturdy pair of hands." Those "helping hands are connected to muscled arms, attached to a well built body..." He's tall, handsome, rugged and gorgeous. "His grin is toothy and broad, like a shark--a very attractive shark who's circling now." "His dark eyes, with their heavy lids and long lashes, are still the part of him that gets me every time."

There's plenty of witty banter to show that, if they got together, they'd have a lot of fun. They both love football, even though they're rooting for different teams, and that connection is told, not shown, but it is there in the story. 

I loved the moment when Joe confesses that he always looked for her in the stands and Isabelle wryly thinks, Well, this is news. 

Photo by Justin Russell via Flickr Creative Commons License

"Jack" of All Trades

by Chris Maday Schmidt from the February 6, 2023 issue

Tagline: While fixing up her father's house after he passed, Jenna meets Jack in the caulk aisle...and gest a loving sign from above. 

Observations: On the negative side, I wondered at the hankie. The hero has dark hair, so he's young-ish and I'm finding it a little hard to swallow that he carries an actual handkerchief. 

I also wondered if this handyman just trolls the aisles of the hardware store for clients, which I guess is good business but a little strange.

On the other hand, this story had an otherworldly element to it that I don't often see--that mysterious older gentleman. I assume it's her dad appearing as an angel, which I really liked. Don't we all hope our loved ones who have gone to the great beyond are watching over us?

I also absolutely loved that she was a children's book author. That's an occupation I've not seen in any Woman's World stories. This is where research can come in handy--and by research I mean subscribing to the magazine so you can read every story. If you're familiar with what's been done, it's easier to insert something they haven't seen before. 

Photo by Nan Fry via Flickr Creative Commons License