How to write a rom com short story?

Status
Not open for further replies.

TrixieLox

Benefactor Member
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Messages
593
Reaction score
83
Location
Just outside London
I'm doing my friend a favour and writing a short story for her e-zine because the person who was supposed to write it has let her down. Problem is, it's rom com and I don't writ rom com, I write more 'book club' women's fiction. I know the simple answer is: don't write it. But she's my friend and I promised.

I read some rom com a long time back (Bridget Jones's Diary etc) but been a while. Anyone got any tips? Does it have to be a laugh-a-minute or can it be a bit serious sometimes? Her e-zine's aimed at women over 30 - is it okay if the story is about a married couple or am I best sticking to a single woman, newly divorced or something?

Any tips welcome!
 

TrixieLox

Benefactor Member
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 26, 2009
Messages
593
Reaction score
83
Location
Just outside London
This is the first time they've run a short story, it's a new section! Usually they do reviews and so on, and they promised this would be a new series in the last issue. I did ask my friend and she sent me a link to Sophie Kinsella and Katie Fforde books, arghhhhh! Don't wanna bother her again as she's uber busy.
 

Ken

Banned
Kind Benefactor
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
11,478
Reaction score
6,198
Location
AW. A very nice place!
... believe I've cracked the code.
rom com = romantic comedy

what I'd do is write the story
and then look for ways to funny it up
doesn't have to be anything radical
just something here and there would be fine
and if that doesn't work then hey, it doesn't work
your pal will probably be okay with your story anyway
g'luck
 

jaksen

Caped Codder
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Messages
5,117
Reaction score
526
Location
In MA, USA, across from a 17th century cemetery
Have a girl wake up in a ditch with a stranger. Two weeks later she discovers she's pregnant. She has to work backwards to find the stranger, to figure out what happened, how she got in the ditch, what happened the night before, etc. It's a comedy-mystery-romance!

I've often wanted to write one of these, btw.
 

victoriakmartin

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
328
Reaction score
22
Location
Ottawa
Website
www.victoriakmartin.com
I'm a big fan of Sophie Kinsella so if that's what they are looking for, I would say it should contain a good amount of jokes but definitely can have serious moments as well. An interesting MC is definitely key.

As for the age thing, most of her books involve women who are single initially but Becky Brandon, the MC of the Shopaholic series, has been married for the last couple of books.
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,311
With any new type of story I tackle, I first read about fifty published stories in the genre, and then write my own.
 

JimHeskett

Writers gon write.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2013
Messages
268
Reaction score
39
Location
Colorado
Website
jimheskett.com
in the span of one short story, you probably don't have the word-count space to tell the whole tale of meeting, falling in love, etc. Start with a couple already together, have them fight about something then make up, etc. Short stories have a narrower focus than novels.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.