by Marcella Robinson from the July 31, 2023 issue
Tagline: When Gloria misses her exit during a storm, she stops at a local diner...and gets the surprise of a lifetime when her first crush steps out to greet her.
Observations: I thought this was a charming story. Robinson does a great job connecting the reader to the heroine, Gloria, by showing Gloria doing something we've all done--missing a freeway exit. We immediately identify with her. Then look at this next paragraph.
Lately, if she wasn't skipping by an exit, she was making a wrong turn. Yet she was filled with a sense of pride for venturing out on her own after her divorce.
Here, Robinson shows us that Gloria isn't a basket case. She's gotten past her divorce and is ready for the next phase in her life, which is perfect timing, right? Because Gloria is in the right frame of mind, we readers will be more willing to believe that a real relationship will grow between her and Ethan. Granted, this is a subtle detail, but if you lay the groundwork for the happily-ever-after properly, when the story is done, the reader will feel more confident that the couple will end up in love and they'll feel those feel good endorphins kick in, which is what we want!
Photo by waferboard via the Flickr Creative Commons License
4 comments:
I like the setting of the diner in the storm. The author did a good job of helping the reader to feel the storm. It was a great set-up for the two characters.
Thanks for the comment, Sandy! You're such a stalwart member of this community and I appreciate you.
Thank you, Kate.
I loved this story! Growing up with diners everywhere in New Jersey, this is the perfect storm setting. Loved the characters.
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