Night Owls

by Nell Musolf from the May 21, 2018 issue

Photo credit: Alex Antonio (Flicker CC)

Tagline: Night shifts were really boring...that is, until Mark ran into Susan!

Observations: I think I can safely say that it's never a bad idea to show the hero and heroine of your story having something in common. In this case, it was the fact that they both work nights.

I wanted to point out something I haven't mentioned in a while. I always think it's a good idea to show your heroine making smart choices as a single woman. If you're a woman, jogging at night is probably not the wisest choice, especially if you keep to a predictable schedule. But Susan takes her dog with her, which shows she's a smart cookie. No one wants to read about a TSTL (too stupid to live) character.

The Prom Date

by Elizabeth Palmer, from the May 14, 2018 issue

Tagline: Jude regretted not going with Ryan to her high school prom. Now, 25 years later, she was given a second chance!

Observations: I enjoyed the black moment when you think all is lost...when she has to decline is invitation to coffee. We know that Ryan was shy as a teen, so we readers wonder if he's still painfully shy and not likely to work up the courage to ask her again. Including a black moment in these stories, even though they're only 800 words long, is something I recommend. It's not necessary, because I see plenty of Woman's World romances published that do not have a black moment, but I like to add them whenever I can.

What set this story apart was that secret compartment. That compartment served the story in a couple of ways I want to talk about.

First, it created a sense of mystery and made us wonder if there was one and if so, what was inside. Palmer nailed it when she made it a sentimental item and not a bunch of cash, which is kind of what I thought it might be. Woman's World loves sentimental stuff like finding a missing cameo that belongs to one's beloved late grandmother. Second, this cameo and the fact that she wore it to the prom allowed Palmer to bring the prom up into the conversation. This way the characters could clear up the misunderstanding from so many years ago and make a fresh start.

Putting the Pieces Together by Rosemary Hayes

Photo: James Petts

from the May 7, 2018 issue

Tagline: Emma and Joel had broken up...but was it really over?

Observations: This was a terrific story and unusual in that it was about a couple who were on the rocks. Those stories are so much harder to write and it's always refreshing to see them. (I'll bet Patricia is always happy to see a break from the norm too.)

This story is an example of why Rosemary Hayes's stories appear so often. It's just so tight. There's a part in the guidelines which says, "Every sentence, paragraph, and scene of the story should deliver more information about your characters and their situation and/or briskly advance the storyline." This story does this beautifully.

The beginning seems like just a package delivery, but it deftly shows Emma is recently single, that she still loves her ex, that she's got a mother who needs her.

Then we find out what the package is, we find out more about her and Joel's "friendship," we also find out about how they met at a game/puzzle store. See how tightly this is plotted?

Of course, we readers know the puzzle is Joel reaching out to Emma, but that makes it all the more fun to see her figuring it out. It's funny how I don't even "meet" Joel until the end of the story, but when he does make an appearance, I already love him! This is so contrary to the advice I usually give, stating the couple need on-the-page time to show their connection. In this story, the connection is taken for granted because they have a history together already.

As expected, the puzzle is a proposal and it's perfect. What a great story.

A Romance With Class by Amy Michaels

Photo: John Lodder via Flickr CC License

from the April 30, 2018 issue

Tagline: Liz's literature class focused on classic romances, but could a more intriguing plot be unfolding off the page?

Observations: Loved this story!! I liked the romantic literature focus of the class. I really liked the ending.

Notice there were two matchmakers in the story, rather than the usual one.

Going back and re-reading, I saw this and it made me laugh:

"Did you notice that our reading list is all classic romantic literature? I have it on good authority that our instructor is quite the romantic," Rick said.

We find out later that the instructor is Rick's uncle. LOL

Growing Love by Jenny Welsh

Photo by Ed Bierman (Flickr CC license)

from the April 23, 2018 issue

Tagline: When Harry offers to build a garden for Ellen, can more than just flowers grow?

Observations: This story was so different. I can't recall seeing very many friends-to-lovers stories in Woman's World. I thought this really worked.

I really liked her moment of clarity. I liked that she was ready to move forward and take action.

The story didn't wow me, but it was good.

Falling for Jeff by Nell Musolf

Photo by Molly via Flickr Creative Commons License

Tagline: Janet thought she would never find love again...until she accidentally met Jeff!

Observations: Let's talk about setting today. Woman's World stories very often occur in everyday settings, like in this case--the grocery store. This is why when you're searching for ideas for stories, you can often look at what's going on in your own ordinary life to get ideas.

What did you do today? Went grocery store shopping maybe. Got gas. Picked the kids up from school. Bought spackle and paint to fix a ding in the wall. Those things could all be kernels for a story. Everyday settings like the grocery store, the gas station, the hardware store, etc. make the stories more accessible for the readership. They can identify more with the story and the characters because they are so much like themselves. This is in contrast to stories in which the reader lives vicariously and therefore wants to experience something more adventurous, exciting, dangerous.

You could easily build an entire story just by starting with a common, everyday setting. You could pick a setting and then think of a small problem or goal the main character has or needs to solve.

Sample settings and problems/goals for them:

Dry cleaners - The character lost a lot of weight and needs their clothes altered. (A lot of dry cleaners in my area have alterations included as part of their services) They have a wedding to attend but the clothes they were going to wear have a big stain.

Movie theater - The character thinks they lost their phone at the movies the night before. The character got two movie tickets as a gift and doesn't want to go alone, or, conversely, is trying to adjust to life without their spouse or ex and meets someone there.

Mall - There's fender bender in the parking lot. The person can't find their car in the parking garage. The person left a bag on the roof of their car, it falls off, and spills the contents all over.

Corner coffee shop - The customer picks up someone else's drink by accident. The person doesn't know what to order. The person is trying to find a new drink because their doctor just told them no caffeine.

Pharmacy - Sprained finger, needs a splint. Looking for a greeting card of some kind. Buying all the leftover Easter/Valentine's Day/Halloween candy on sale.

See what I mean? I just dashed these off in the last ten minutes.

However, there are plenty of Woman's World stories published that do NOT have commonplace settings. So don't feel you're limited. There are just as many stories that occur at places you don't go once every one or two weeks, like the arboretum, the museum, a concert, the beach, a blueberry farm, a cooking class, and so on.

Pro tip: Have a designated place for keeping these kinds of brainstorming ideas so you can refer to them when you need them.

The Colors of Love by Wendy Hobday Haugh

From the April 2, 2018 issue

Tagline: Jessie had just moved into a  new home and needed someone to help her with the painting...

Observations: I loved this story. On the surface, it was your typical "man to the rescue" story with a little "matchmaker" thrown in for good measure. I really love when stories span more than a day. This one went on for weeks as they got to know each other over several dinners. I would like to have seen a bit more about those dinners, but didn't mind the lack because the black moment was so good.

If you're new to the blog, let me explain black moments to you. There comes a time in every book, movie or story that things look very bleak. In romances, you think they couple will never get their Happily Ever After.

In this story, I found the black moment to be particularly sad. It was this sentence that did it.

Two days later, she arrived home to find the papers gone and her spare house key sitting there.

What an image, right? How appropriate that the key is sitting there all by itself, just like Jessie is. I really felt her disappointment keenly. If you can make your reader feel something the way Haugh did in that black moment, then the happy ending will be that much happier.

I also liked the surprise that he wasn't actually a house painter. I had an inkling something was odd when Dwayne had said he wasn't sure he was the right guy for the job. I also thought he might end up painting a trompe-l'oeil mural directly on the wall, exposing a talent he didn't know he'd had, but the way Haugh did it was just as good.

Great story!

Photo credit: Ewen Roberts via Flickr CC license

Bunny Kisses by Ann M. Janis

from the March 26, 2018 issue

Tagline: Could Sean be sweet on more than just Kate's cookies?

Observations: This was a super cute story. Having been to many a fundraiser and festival in my time, this evoked a lot of the same optimism I remember as a teacher and as a parent.

I did think the milk chocolate treat for a tail on the cookies made for a weird image. I know bunnies can be brown, but these cookies were pastel, so the brown tail seemed like an odd choice.

I'd also like to issue a blanket commendation to all the uber-dedicated aunts and uncles of Woman's World stories! Again, in my experience as a teacher and parent, it was work to just get parents to attend these types of events, let alone uncles and aunts. LOL But we authors have artistic license and we often need to use it!

I adored the ending:

He smiled, and her heart did a little bunny hop.

An Irresistible Treasure by Marti Attoun

From the March 12, 2018 issue

Tagline: Shannon didn't expect to find romance in a thrift shop...but Gabe was a treasure she couldn't resist!

Observations: I haven't done a stream-of-consciousness critique in a while and I'm a bit behind with the stories, so here goes...

1. I love clownfish! I've loved them even before Finding Nemo came out. They're so adorable and the way they "make friends" with anemones to protect themselves is amazing.

2. I can totally picture Shannon's apartment. My MIL's house was much like this--a collection of oddball items and antique furniture that was so her.

3. LOL "unique second-hand hodgepodge"

4. "If the chicken Parm bombs, you can blame it on these guys." -- I am totally confused by this line.

5. Ah, the aunt is on vacation so the handsome nephew is filling it. This is a popular trope of Woman's World stories. However, I wonder why Shannon didn't know about this vacation. I'd think Evelyn would have notified her if she saw her every week for the aquarium upkeep. I'm thinking it was probably Evelyn playing matchmaker.

6. "I'm so thrilled that Evelyn finally got to see a real ocean again." -- Oh, that's a great loop back to the line in the beginning of the story.

7. Love this line:

"What she didn't tell me was she bought enough salt and pepper shakers at an estate sale to season the whole Midwest."

8. Cute ending, tying into the title. This is something I haven't mentioned in a while. If you're looking for a way to wrap up your story neatly, connect your title with your ending line. I'm not sure what's easier--writing the ending first and coming up with a title afterward, or vice-versa. Also, the setting of a secondhand or antique shop is a tried and true one too.

Baking Up Romance by Mary Davis

Tagline: Sara had no time for love...until she met Jim!

Observations: I can appreciate the cuteness in this story. Who doesn't love a baker? Or a male teacher? I thought the math angle was clever, but I don't have much else to say about this story. Sorry.

I wanted to mention that I see a lot of farmer's markets showing up in Woman's World. It almost seems as if the farmer's market is this year's yard sale.

P.S. I must be dumber than a fourth grader because there's no way I could do that math problem with out a pen and paper.

Photo credit: Crystal via Flickr CC License

Sunny with a Chance of Romance by Amy Michaels

Tagline: Peter offered Rachel an umbrella and a chocolate croissant...but was there a chance of romance?

Observations: First of all, this is my 500th post!!! I can't believe it. Not all 500 are story analyses, but most of them are, and I don't plan on stopping anytime in the near future.

I adored this story, maybe because I work with chocolate croissants every day! LOL

A few things I wanted to point out about this story...

There is a part in the middle that fast-forwards us through time. It's a "telling" passage, as opposed to "showing." This kind of device helps the reader feel as if the story is longer than it really is. I have to admit that when Rachel gets back in town and sees the canopy and tables, I was totally surprised. It's hard to surprise me in a Woman's World story!

Here's a line that I loved:

The girl smiled. "Oh, you must be the chocolate croissant."

LMAO. FYI, this is totally how we Starbucks baristas sometimes refer to our regular customers--by their drinks, not their names (which we sometimes don't know or can't remember).

In a Woman's World story, you can refer to physical attraction, but do it discreetly. This is how Michaels did it...

The broad smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes had her pulse racing.

That's all it takes. Just a sentence. :)

Photo credit: Joy via Flickr CC license

Missing issues

So the last issue I got was Feb 12.

I just got March 5.

I called them and they don't have any extras they can send.

Anyone able to send me the missing stories? 

The Lost Valentine by Elizabeth Palmer

from the February 12, 2018 issue

Tagline: Kathryn remembered Daniel from kindergarten, but did he remember her?

Observations: I have to admit I found myself reading on and reading on and wondering if Daniel was going to recognize her or if she was going to have to tell him. When he finally revealed that he knew who she was, the way he did it was adorable (if a teensy bit hard for me to believe.)

I thought that how the characters recognized each other was very clever. She remembered his head shaking gesture. His memory wasn't jogged until he saw her in her signature ponytail.

Woman's World magazine likes stories that tug at your heartstrings, like this one does with that long lost valentine being saved all those years. Stories with old flames in them usually have that built in. Sit down at your computer today and try to write one. Don't worry that this old flame story just appeared in the magazine and they won't want to publish another similar story so soon because it'll be a month or two before a story submitted today will appear.

Photo credit: David Rader II via the Flickr CC license

A Birthday to Remember by Elizabeth Palmer

from the February 5, 2018 issue

Tagline: Will wasn't looking for romance...and then he met Lily...

Observations: I'm in love with this story. It felt very complete and satisfying and the main reason for this is that we saw their relationship develop slowly.

They met in her classroom. He asked for the pictures and she texted them to him. They continued to text and get to know each other. They went on a date. She brought him birthday cake.

See what I mean? Because so much time had gone by and so much had happened, it seemed like a much longer story. It truly felt like we had watched their romance develop. If you ask me, this is something to strive for.

Photo credit: Liz West via the Flickr CC license.

Mini Mystery Writers

Hey, Patricia asked me to pass on a request.

"We are looking for more charming cozies where someone steals someone else's prize roses/recipe/whatever-- too many murder mysteries- making transition asap."

So, best get to your computers and start writing! :)

Cupcake Saturday by Tina Radcliffe

 from the January 18, 2018 issue

Tagline: When Drew offered to help Hanna with her cupcake business, things suddenly got sweeter...

Observations: Lovely story! We have a matchmaker tale that I didn't see coming for a full third of the story. I adored that Drew bartered his services for her cupcake business. What a great idea.

The grandma and the grandson playing Crazy Eights reminded me of when I used to play that game with my own grandma. Those are very fond memories and it made me think about me identifying more with the grandma than the heroine in this story. Which made me realize I should talk to you about your audience.

You would be smart to consider the older demographic of Woman's World readers as you're writing your stories. Here's a screenshot of some info from the Bauer Publishing website. As you can see the median age of our readers is 55.7 years old. Coincidentally, I am 55 years old. So the readership is my generation and maybe yours too. But even if it's not, you can do some research. There are websites on pop culture for the different decades. Pull stuff from there into your stories. Even in the magazine itself there's that little column on the right side that says "It Happened This Week." Look there for inspiration.

Cupcake Photo Credit: Jake Przesbo via Flickr CC license

Teacher's Pet by Diane Crawford

from the January 22, 2018 issue

Tagline: With Nick in her cooking class, did Jo have all the ingredients for romance?

Observations: I have a confession to make. I'm a good cook, but I, too, have burned things. Mostly, it's because I start something and go back to my computer and forget about the food. So, been there done that. However, these guys had nothing else to do but watch their chicken. LOL

Still, I thought it was a cute story. I noticed that Crawford deftly managed to get the idea across that Nick was a single dad, without mentioning that the wife had passed away or whatever. I usually feel compelled to share the reason why, but she just had him say, "I'm raising a daughter by myself." Huh! No need to say why.

Photo credit: Patrick Mueller via Flickr CC license

A Christmas to Remember! by Brenda Minton

from the December 25, 2017 issue

Tagline: A past good deed turns into a special Christmas for Lydia and Jason...

Observations: I know I said I wasn't going to analyze the Harlequin stories, but I think they're getting the hang of writing for Woman's World, so here we go.

This was a lovely story. It was easy to see why they chose it to appear in the December 25th issue. In the past, I have cautioned against including too much sadness in your stories. This is still true. You can mention the death of a spouse, but you can't dwell on it too much. This story strikes the perfect balance between including the melancholy but still managing to be an uplifting read at the end.

Here's that poignant moment where that information is revealed:

"My daddy taught me that Christmas is always in our hearts," the little girl said with authority. "My mommy is in my heart too, even though she's in Heaven."

Lydia didn't know what to say. She knelt before the girl, putting them at eye level.

"I think that's a very wise thing your daddy told you. And since we both know Christmas is special, I have something special for you. Homemade peppermint sticks. Would you like one?"

So, you get that sentimental tug, you introduce the information that this man is a widower, but then you move on.

Merry and Bright by Elizabeth Palmer

Tagline: Dani was determined to get the Christmas lights up. But a power outage interrupted her long enough to have chicken soup with her handsome neighbor...

Observations: Wow. This was a really terrific story. As I read it, I got happy ping after happy ping. I always go into a story neutral and let it take me where it will. This one brought me to a warm fuzzy feeling.

1. I loved the pluckiness of the heroine. Of course, we all know how devastating it would be to suffer a broken engagement, but Dani is resilient and we like to show the heroines in Woman's World rising to challenges. Woman's World magazine is all about showing women how to live better, be happier, achieve their goals. This mission is also evident in the fictional stories as well.

2. I loved the humor in this story. The heroine meets the hero and sees they're wearing identical hats...

"I'm Rick Black and I see from your hat that you've already met my mother."

3. Another funny part:

"Would it help if I told you I was an electrician?"

"Only if you can turn the power back on."

4. I loved when Rick said, "You seem pretty capable to me, but I'd be happy to help out." That right there is a hero demonstrating a) he is easy with his compliments and b) he is willing to help. Both good traits in a love interest.

5. The ending was wonderful. Am I the only one who got a warm feeling when reading this?

When they stepped outside, she gasped at the sight of her brightly decorated home.

"Simply beautiful!" Rick said.

Dani turned to thank him, but it wasn't her house he was gazing at. She blushed and looked back at the glowing lights, filled with joy. "Yes, it is."

Photo credit: Dion Gillard (via Flicker CC license)

Making Christmas Memories by Tina Radcliffe

from Issue #50

Tagline: Joan had just enough money for her twins to have their Christmas wish...would the handsome store manager be able to help?

Observations: I haven't pointed out a man to the rescue story in a long time. The man to the rescue story can be about a woman to the rescue too, but there's something about it being the man that I think resonates a little more strongly with the Woman's World readers, because the majority are women.

I mean, look at Steve Lind. The heroine has a big problem and the guy goes way above and beyond the call of duty to help her solve it.  If the man does this kind of thing for a total stranger, what might he do for the woman he loves?

In part, our job as romance authors is to create that perfect hero, the man the reader wants to fall in love with. One way to do that (quickly, in 800 words) is to show a man who not only talks the talk, he walks the walk.

Favorite line: "Sure. It's the season for miracles, right?"

Photo credit: Umberto Brayj (via Flickr CC license)