by Alice Benson from the January 9, 2026 issue
When Greta headed on a skiing trip, she didn't expect to make a connection with a fellow skier--and it was the sweetest winter surprise!
Off the Cuff Observations
Details in the first paragraph--the dazzling glitter of the snow, the jolt of the ski lift, and then that smooth glide--bring me right back many years ago to when I used to ski.
There are a lot of words dedicated to the man's appearance. This is purely an author's choice when writing a Woman's World story. In my Basics class in the section on how to write short, I advocate minimizing physical descriptions. Readers have good imaginations. You don't need much to sketch out a character's looks. However, painting a picture of what the character looks like can be a good thing, especially if, as I suspect, this chin dimple becomes "important."
Okay, the ex-boyfriend also had a chin dimple. I immediately think Greta's motto is now "Beware the cleft chin." LOL.
So they're stuck on the lift and are finding out they have things in common. Nice.
Ha! The cleft chin is mentioned again. I expect a third mention at the end of the story to bring things full circle. It's kind of funny, isn't it? That a tiny physical feature can be a central motif in the story?
I like the suggestion that they race and that the loser buys drinks.
So, looking back, the majority of the story is showing them connecting and having things in common. This will show up over and over in Woman's World stories for good reason. These are the basics of a loving relationship. We readers need to believe the couple has a good chance for happiness together.
Also, I was wrong about mentioning the cleft a third time. I really thought the last line would be about the cleft. LOL
Photo by Jonathan Cutrer via Flickr CC License
