Like Mother, Like Daughter

by Mary Ann Joyce and Rakel Joyce from the May 15, 2023 issue

Tagline: Jane is scared that setting up her mom with her husband's uncle was a bad idea...until she sees the sparks start to fly in the best way

Stream of Consciousness Observations: This is where I record my thoughts as I have them as I'm reading the story. In all honesty, this is usually because I'm criminally behind in my analyses.

Oh, my son's name is Brian. Great name. LOL

Ah, I have a brother in law who is uber-competitive. I wonder what board game they're playing. I love board games!

Oh, backgammon. I love backgammon! 

They're serving lemonade. This is the beverage of choice in Woman's World stories. Well, that and hot cocoa. LOL Not throwing shade here. Just an observation about how even the smallest details can set the tone of a story. 

What child doesn't want their single parent to find someone to share their life with? I am connecting with the couple here.

There's quite a bit of backstory here, which is fine. It's filling in the characters of Jane and Rose so they're more rounded. It's a bit difficult to achieve proper characterization in 800 words, but it can--and should, if possible--be done.

Oh, we're also getting a little bit about Brian and what made him husband material in Rose's eyes. This bit also gives you the motivation behind Jane's matchmaking attempt.

They have news to share? Ha! I bet we all know what the news is, which is fine. Sometimes a plot twist comes as a complete surprise, which can be so much fun. But sometimes the reader predicts, which is fine, because they usually will read on to find out if they were right or not.

A note about names that you may not have thought about...it can be a good idea, when choosing names, to vary the number of syllables and the beginning letter because otherwise you may be risking the reader getting confused. For instance, I wouldn't name two male characters Jim and John or two female characters named Lisa and Linda. I'd avoid names that rhyme or sound alike as well, like Carrie and Mary.

Aha! I was right. There's a baby on the way!

Photo credit: Mark Bonica via the Flickr Creative Commons License

Recipe for a Reunion

by Debra McNally from the May 8, 2023 issue

Tagline: When Boe's high school crush turns up at his food truck, old sparks start to fly...

Observations: I love food trucks. I love that someone put a food truck in a Woman's World story. I think the Banana Bread Butty sounds delicious, if super fattening.

Also, the Old Flame trope is always a fun one to build a story around. You can insert a little nostalgia into the story by pulling in something from your own past that you remember fondly. In this case, it was a high school cooking class. (Do they even still have these for kids these days? If not, that's sad.) 

What things from your past could you build a story around?

Photo by Whitney via Flickr Creative Commons License

Falling Into New Love

by Millicent Porter Henry from the May 1, 2023 issue

Tagline: After taking a spill on her bike, Maggie is left injured and in need of aid...and her handsome rescuer offers her more than just a helping hand.

Observations: I may be wrong but this feels like the first man-to-the-rescue story that I've seen in a bit. Man-to-the-rescue is a time-honored trope for Woman's World, but don't get your feminist panties in a twist because it's completely possible to flip the gender and write a woman-to-the-rescue story.

What's fun about this story is that it had a twist. The man doing the rescuing had an ulterior motive--he wanted to ask Maggie out. So, in a way, it was good luck that she took that spill.

Photo by Simon Lee via Flickr Creative Commons License

A "Bunny" Kind of Love

by Denice Stradling from the April 10, 2023 issue

Tagline: When a real-life Easter Bunny shows up in her yard, Emma never expects to fall for its handsome owner...or get a second shot at love.

Observations: This was adorable. The little girl was cute as can be. I loved that the matchmaker came out and confessed! I don't remember seeing that in a matchmaker story before. I mean, who doesn't love a crafty, endearing grandpa?

I also really liked this paragraph:

Just then Nick and Shelley came back, her arms full of chocolate eggs. I was still dazed by Pete's confession. And although it took more in common than a divorce, Nick had touched something in me. I had shunned even thinking about dating for the past year. But wasn't Easter a good a time as any for new beginnings?

This showed a turning point for Emma, which shows her character arc--the point where she changes from one type of person (unwilling to date because of divorce) to a new type of person (willing to take a chance on love.) And as I was just telling one of my editing clients, character development is a Good Thing, even in stories as short as these.

Photo by essie via the Flickr Creative Commons License

Airport Attraction

by Audrey Wick from the April 3, 2023 issue

Tagline: Laurel is sure her love story with Ryan is over as she steps into the airport...until a surprise visitor changes everything.

Stream of Consciousness Observations: In case you're not familiar, in Stream of Consciousness Observations, I just put down my thoughts and reactions live as I read the story.

Oooh, she's being brave about something. I wonder what it is. Is she travelling alone for the first time? First time on a plane?

She's leaving a boyfriend. Poor thing.

Ah, a workmate relationship. That's always a dicey decision. If it goes south, like it looks like it did, you still have to see each other at work everyday.

Ryan broke up with her because she wanted to make more money and see places? She's better off without him!

Yet there was one bright spot... -- What is the bright spot?

I just realized this is that classic trope from rom coms where the hero stops the heroine from leaving on the plane with a heartfelt speech or grand gesture!

Okay, pretty good speech, Ryan. I will now allow Laurel to stay with you. LOL

Photo by club ohen via Flickr Creative Commons License

Winning His Irish Heart

by Lisa Weaver from the March 20, 2023 issue

Tagline: Becca has lost several local contests to her town rival, Brody, until the luck of the Irish gifts her an unexpected win: a chance at love.

Observations: You wouldn't necessarily expect an 800-word story to have character development, but it's not that difficult to do, believe it or not. 

This is one of the things I cover in my class, How to Write and Sell Romance to Woman's World Magazine. All you need to do is give the heroine a goal and show them working towards and achieving that goal. Or show the character as having a "negative" characteristic and show them behaving in a different way. 

In this story, Becca is in denial about her attraction to Brody. She's also shy. Then, thanks to her employee's encouragement, she admits to liking him and conquers her shyness enough to flirt with him.

All the 5-minute romances will all be about finding love, but adding character development can give a story more depth. 

Photo by Melissa Hellier via Flickr Creative Commons License

Love at First Latte

by Claudia Irene Scott from the March 13, 2023 issue

Tagline: On a visit to her favorite cafe in town, Celeste never expects to find love...until a freak storm brings it right through the front door.

Observations: This story reminded me of that part in the Lady and the Tramp movie where they go to that Italian restaurant. I know. This was a coffee shop, not an Italian restaurant. They didn't kiss over spaghetti either. But it still evoked that warm romantic feeling inside me. 

There was no question of Max and Celeste connecting. It was very evident. Celeste noticed and heartily appreciated his great bod. They learned a lot about each other during their conversation too. Showing or telling how the characters are connecting is of vital importance. The editors have said lack of connection is one the top three reasons they reject a story. 

I did catch a typo...

As he took off his soaked sweatshirt, beneath which Celeste observed his taught torso.

And I wondered why he put cologne on to go jogging.

Other than that, I thought it was a charming story.

Photo by Jeremy Keith via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Wedding to Remember

by Cathy Cormany from the March 6, 2023 issue

Tagline: When her dreamy co-worker, Brent, invites her to a wedding to play the role of his girlfriend, Lindsay accepts--and has a night she'll never forget.

Observations: I can't recall ever seeing the fake relationship trope in a Woman's World story, but here it is. This is a trope that I always enjoy in novels because it's fun to see the characters struggling to keep up the facade. 

In this story, there was a tiny bit of that, but it's manufactured by Lindsay who decides it's time to take action. She tells a white lie when she says she mentioned to his mom that they had gotten to know each other in a dance class which meant they should be dancing.

There was definitely some romance going on. That scene where they move through the crowd through the French doors was reminiscent, to me, of when Maria and the captain are dancing on the terrace in the Sound of Music. It also reminded me of the moments in Regency romances when the heroine and hero kiss in the garden while the grand ball goes on inside the London mansion.  And there's nothing more romantic than the man settling his warm jacket over the woman's shoulders. 

The only niggling thing that bugged me was "his warm hand pulsing in hers." That was a strange choice of verb. 

Photo by Jonathan Day via Flickr Creative Commons License

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

When Love Comes Calling

by Cher L. Tom from the January 23, 2023 issue

Tagline: During a chilly weekend at her cabin, Marcie Lou receives an unexpected visit from an old friend, reigniting a love she thought long extinguished.

Theme: It's never too late.

Observations: Cher L. Tom is a former editing client and I'm so proud of her track record with Woman's World. She's flying solo spectacularly! Cher, if you're reading this, tell me in the comments how many stories you've sold.

I thought she did a great job at showing Marcie's character arc. Marcie begins the story at odds with her feelings about Ben and their last interaction. At the end of the story, she has realized she does want to pursue a relationship with Ben and welcomes him back into her life.

As I mention in my class, How to Write and Sell Romance to Woman's World Magazine, sometimes black moments don't occur in the 5-minute romances, but this story had one. it's when Marcie is making that decision...

Marcie took a steadying breath. Ben Morris, back in her life. Was she ready?

Of course, she is. 

I thought the ending was perfect too...

"...I'll trade you a slice if you set up our wood-burning stove?"

Ben's radiant smile spoke volumes. "I'm your guy."

"Yes," Marcie said, leading him inside, hand in hand. "You are."

Photo by Conall via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Love that Glows Bright

by Marti Attoun from the January 16, 2023 issue

Tagline: Nora is desperate to find a firewood delivery service for her new hearth, when a secret admirer answers the call and lights a spark in her heart.

Observations: This is a matchmaker story that I didn't see coming. I mean, I didn't realize it was a matchmaker story until the end, which is so cool! Usually I can see those coming from a mile away but this one took me completely by surprise. 

I knew Dave was the firewood guy right of the bat, and maybe that was Attoun's intention--distract us with that bit of info so we feel proud of ourselves for figuring that out, and then pow! Hit us with the info that Shirley was behind it all! 

In fact, go back and look at the first line in the story:

"Check the bulletin board, Nora," Shirley said while setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of me at the Crestwood Cafe.

Shirley is the person who set the ball in motion!

I think this just might be a great hack for surprising readers. When you have two surprises in a story, make one really obvious so that the second one sneaks in unnoticed.

Photo by Ivan Radic via Flickr Creative Commons License

When Love Comes Calling

by Millicent Porter Henry from the January 2, 2023 issue

Tagline: When her parents' pup goes into labor on New Year's Eve, Lindsey calls the vet for help...and a chance at a new romance knocks on her door.

Stream of Consciousness Observations: This is where I just jot down my thoughts as I read the story.

Okay, here's the setting in the form of the heroine's thoughts. Nice.

Her second graders would laugh when they learned how she spent her vacation.

Also, this is a clever way to communicate the heroine's profession.

Aww, the dog is about to give birth to puppies. How exciting! Also, I'm firmly ensconced in that house with the crackling fire. I probably wouldn't be as freaked out as Lindsey because animals routinely give birth without help, but I can understand if someone else got nervous.

Should she call? Doc was probably as old as Pops. 

This is a common "trick" authors use when executing a plot twist. When you have the character jump to a conclusion, the reader usually also jumps to the same conclusion. 

So she cooked up a storm on New Year's Eve even though she's alone. Personally, I might do the same kind of thing. I like to cook, even if it's just for me.

He's wearing aftershave? In the evening, on an emergency vet house call? LOL Lindsey, girl, he's gunning for you.

I'm really enjoying Lindsey's asides. ("What smells so good?" "You do." and Lucky dog.

Hm...strange that they don't talk through the entire meal. 

So he compliments her on her food and asks her out. This is a typical Woman's World HEA, however, I don't feel confident this match will last. I would have much preferred that they connect during dinner. They should be talking and laughing and discovering things about each other that make them both want to spend more time together. However, that said, the editors didn't mind the dinner silence, so there you go. :)

One Purr-fect Christmas

byDiana Hickerson from the December 26, 2022 issue

Tagline: Adopting two kittens is Gracie's one Christmas wish, until a handsome stranger steps in and snags one...and steals her heart in the process.

Observations: It can seem like an impossible task--to give the editors the same thing, but different--but it's not. Ms. Hickerson did it by taking a tried-and-true trope I've seen time and again (adopting a pet) and bringing it into the technological age. All it took for this tale was to add a live feed that showed the cats and kittens up for adoption. Voila, you've got an old trope with a fresh spin.

So if you're looking for story inspiration, just take a few moments to think about the leaps and bounds technology has taken in the past decade or so. We can now binge entire seasons of TV shows. Top tier movies sometimes never even go to the theaters. People who never took taxis before are using Uber or Lyft. Online dating is, perhaps, the premier way of meeting singles. We carry around excellent cameras for still photography and video and they fit in our pockets. And we can view the pictures and videos instantaneously. No film or film developing necessary! It's common to be able to literally see who is at your front door. You can have music play in your house just by saying "Alexa, play some jazz." The list goes on and on. 

Because Woman's World embraces characters of a certain age, take an older person and combine him or her with something "newfangled" and you've got instant conflict, a problem to solve, a character arc to complete.

Photo by abcrumley via Flickr Creative Commons License

Christmas Wishes

by Lisa Weaver from the December 19, 2022 issue

Tagline: Emma has just one thing on her wish list this Christmas: a chance to be more than friends with handsome Hunter. But does he feel the same?

Observations: I mean, it doesn't get more Christmas-y than this story. Aside from the obvious Christmas story tropes like Santa and an ugly sweater competition, there were references...

...a hearty 'Ho, ho, ho!' that has my heart bounding in a magnificent '10 lords a-leaping' impression.

"Ho-ho-horrible!"

...my smile glowing brighter than a certain famous reindeer's nose...

The only thing I wondered about is that he assumed her wish was the same as his, which was a little presumptuous, but this didn't mess up my enjoyment of the story.

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