Story: The Way You Look Today

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions/observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to learn, it's best to have a copy of the story in front of you. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: "The Way You Look Today" by Linda Nielsen from the December 4, 2007 issue.

Tagline: Marilyn saw. herself through John's eyes--and felt beautiful

In A Nutshell: A woman approaches her 50th birthday and feels blue. Her husband convinces her that, without a doubt, he sees the entire woman and loves what those fifty years have wrought.

Teaching Points: WW guidelines state, "When we say romance, what we really mean is relationship--whether it's just beginning or is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary." This story exemplified that idea, going outside of the common "first meet" box.

Best Part: I really fell for John here: "...but this time I've hit the nail on the head. You won't be exchanging this gift!" I thought that was hilarious and said a lot about his gift giving history, but that he was still out there trying to get it right. What a cutie.

In My Humble Opinion: This is extremely nit-picky, but I would have exchanged "a" for "her" in this sentence so it read, "She felt humbled after seeing herself, not through her own critical eye, but through the eyes of HER loving husband." It's subtle, but this isn't just any ole husband, it's HER husband. :) And, man, he's a keeper!

I liked this story a lot, mostly because it really spoke to my own life as a middle-aged mom with extra pounds and stretchmarks. In today's society, it's easy to feel inferior, but this story reminds us beauty, and love, go beyond appearances.