What follows is an analysis of a Woman’s World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. 🙂 If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it’s best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don’t get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Funny Love Story by April Knight

Tagline: Emma’s new neighbor had a sense of humor. She liked that in a man.

In A Nutshell: Emma is forced to hang her laundry out to dry when her washer/dryer go on the blitz. The next morning she spies her nightgown hanging in the tree. Her new neighbor helps her get it down. A few days later, they see another item of clothing up in the branches. It’s a t-shirt that says, “Will you go out with me?” Of course, she does!

This was just a darn cute story. I’m a gal who appreciates a sense of humor, too, and this guy had a clever one. Emma’s witty comeback is just as quick.

Woman’s World Stand-bys: Emma is your typical cute, girl next door, somewhat naive and very old fashioned Woman’s World heroine. I think the action that shows this the most is when she shakes her fist at her broken washing machine and says, “I lost my favorite nightgown because of you!” Also, she shyly “watched for him and hoped they’d bump into each other.”

What follows is an analysis of a Woman’s World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. 🙂 If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it’s best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don’t get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Cold Feet, Warm Heart by Tessa Ireland
January 26, 2009 issue

Tagline: Anne wasn’t even looking for Prince Charming when he unexpectedly arrived on the scene.

In A Nutshell: Anne loses her shoe at the movie theater. The manager helps her look for it, to no avail. Since it’s raining and she took the bus, he insists on driving her home. The next day, he shows up with her shoe, two movie tickets, and a request for a date.

Teaching Points: The story occurs in the traditional three acts. Act 1: We find out what Anne’s problem is and she meets the hero.

Act 2: He is driving her home and we find out the backstory. He’s a widower, she moved back home to take care of her ailing mother.

In Act 3, everything wraps up nicely. We even get an explanation as to why they couldn’t find her shoe–something I’ll admit I was wondering, too. How the heck could it have disappeared? There’s also a cute surprise in the form of the movie tickets.

WW stories always end happily, and usually with a date, not a wedding. However, I have seen a nuptial ceremony or two on the pages of Woman’s World, so don’t be afraid to give that a try.

In My Humble Opinion: I’ve seen Cinderella WW stories before, and this one was cute, original, and believable.