Cold Feet, Warm Heart

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.